Talks

Thuraya’s Kitchen: Exploring Middle Eastern Recipes and Cultural Tradition

Nadeem Mansour is a business professional who has lived on three continents. His passion for food has taken him from the towers of Bay Street to the largest food retailer in Canada. Born in Amman, Jordan, Nadeem’s upbringing was steeped in the culinary traditions and cultures of the Levant, a rich cuisine featuring bold flavours  and seasonal ingredients. He learned how to cook by watching his mother, Thuraya, tasting, experimenting, and perfecting every dish. He continues to celebrate his mother’s culinary traditions by bringing friends and family together every occasion he can. Thuraya and Nadeem cherish family history and tradition, radiating their passion for food to those around them.

Dr. Fahmida Suleman is Senior Curator of ROM’s Islamic World collections and cross-appointed as an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto (status only). Since joining ROM, she has curated Unmasking the Pandemic: From Personal Protection to Personal Expression (2021–2022); Being and Belonging: Contemporary Women Artists from the Islamic World and Beyond (2023–2024); and Picnics and Pastimes in 17th-century Iran (2024–2025). Prior to this, she was Phyllis Bishop Curator for the Modern Middle East at the British Museum and co-curated the Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World (2018).