What I Did Next

We’re continuing my conversation with Suzanne Zeidy and Rawah Badrawi, he co-authors of a new book Egypt: Recipes and Stories from an Ancient Land.
On this episode, Suzanne and Rawah tell me about their life’s pivots, marriage, children and friendship. We also talk about being the sandwich generation, and whether we can really have it all.

This episode is brought to you by:
EFG Hermes One: your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!
Azza Fahmy Jewellery

On the episode, Malak is wearing Azza Fahmy’s Fallahy Kaf Earrings, the Mamluki Kaf Bangle and the Gold Roman Chain Ring.Suzanne Zeidy is wearing Azza Fahmy’s T-Lock Necklace and Gold Rosette Necklace, the Joyful Ring and the Endearment Gold Ring
Rawah Badrawi is wearing Azza Fahmy’s Mabrouka Earrings and Filigree Kaf Ring.
Music ID: 5ROQ12DERYHSUUVQ

I’m joined today by Suzanne Zeidy and Rawah Badrawi, the co-authors of a new book Egypt: Recipes and Stories from an Ancient Land, which is part travelogue and part culinary journey. They also happen to be two of my closest friends!
On Part 1 of our conversation, Suzanne and Rawah tell me how they came together to write this incredible book, and how they peeled away the fears and uncertainties of local communities to reveal a vibrant and rich culture not seen before by the outside world. We’ll continue the conversation in Part 2 next week, where Suzanne and Rawah tell me about their life’s trajectories and take on our signature lightning round.

This episode is brought to you by:
EFG Hermes One: your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!
Azza Fahmy Jewellery

On the episode, Malak is wearing Azza Fahmy’s Fallahy Kaf Earrings, the Mamluki Kaf Bangle and the Gold Roman Chain Ring.Suzanne Zeidy is wearing Azza Fahmy’s T-Lock Necklace and Gold Rosette Necklace, the Joyful Ring and the Endearment Gold Ring
Rawah Badrawi is wearing Azza Fahmy’s Mabrouka Earrings and Filigree Kaf Ring.

Chapters:
0:00 On this episode...
3:08 Suzanne’s first book: Cairo Kitchen
5:12 Rawah’s first book: Siwa
6:56 Coming together for ‘Egypt’
16:36 The magic of Sinai
20:57 The book’s audience
24:59 AI and the Future of Books
Music ID: 5ROQ12DERYHSUUVQ

This week, I'm sitting down with my producer Chirag Desai to reflect on a whirlwind first half of the year—from interviewing iconic figures and taking the show international to the importance of reclaiming our narrative. 
We talk about what drives the show, the magic of the MENA region, and what it truly means to create space for our own stories.

This episode is brought to you by:
EFG Hermes One: your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!
Azza Fahmy Jewellery

Chapters:
0:00 Coming up...
1:44 WIDN goes international
4:30 Reclaiming our narrative
13:25 An updated lightning round
18:12 What's next for MalakMusic ID: 5ROQ12DERYHSUUVQ

This week, we're continuing the conversation with Karim Mekhtigian and Mohamed Fares, where they tell me about their design philosophy, and their new destination in Downtown Cairo, Tamara Haus, which is where we recorded the episode.
Karim & Fares, alongside Emy Hussein, are the visionary architects behind Cairo's premier design firm, Alchemy Architecture. Together, they have spent years shaping the architectural landscape in Egypt, setting new standards of quality, style and craftsmanship. 
On our previous episode, we talked about how they joined forces to create a partnership that spans two decades.

This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!

(00:00) - Coming up

(03:43) - Local aesthetics, global influence

(14:57) - Building the Alchemy ecosystem

(18:00) - Tamara Haus

Music ID: 5ROQ12DERYHSUUVQ

This week, I’m sitting down with Karim Mekhtigian and Mohamed Fares, two of the visionary architects behind Cairo’s premier design firm, Alchemy alongside Emy Hussein. Together, they have spent years shaping the architectural landscape in Egypt, setting new standards of quality, style and craftsmanship.
In the first of two episodes, we talk about how they each came to architecture and design, and then joined forces to create a partnership that spans two decades. On part two next week, Karim & Fares tell me about their design philosophy, and how they built a brand that became a movement.
Our conversation took place at Tamara Haus, a new destination by Alchemy Experience, in the heart of Downtown Cairo.

This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!

(00:00) - On this episode

(01:41) - Karim’s cosmopolitan childhood

(03:46) - Fares’ sporting upbringing

(12:01) - Meeting of minds

(17:14) - Drawing by hand vs AI

(22:34) - Building Alchemy

(27:38) - Lightning Round

Music ID: 5ROQ12DERYHSUUVQ