Our Story

Story behind the name

Bebe (pronounced bay-bay or bi-bi in quick succession)

Bebe is primarily grandma in North India, especially among the Punjabi and the Sikh communities. And grandma’s are mostly about warm love and stories dished out with generous helpings of food. Women elders of the house, not necessarily one’s grandmother, are often called bebe as well.

How we got here

No stranger to moving across cities, when Babita immigrated to Atlanta  from India in 2016 she was quick to use the same coping methods that had worked for her in the past. Babita was born in a Himalayan state in India and had changed several cities to grow her career in the nonprofit sector. Thanks to this she found her feet fairly quickly in the U.S., but found that it wasn’t the same with several other women who were either immigrants or refugees.

The Power of Food
Across her travels in India, including the many states and regions she had to visit for work, Babita continued to nurture her passion for cooking. She began to learn the different techniques and flavors of local cuisines. She also witnessed the power food yielded in bringing people closer, of making strangers feel more included. It was no different in Atlanta. 

While these refugee and immigrant women face tremendous pressure to  adapt quickly to American culture, language, relevant professional skills and personal constraints often remain a challenge. But there’s one skill in these women’s favor. Many are accomplished chefs in their cuisines, having learnt the finer aspects of speciality dishes from their mothers, aunts, and grandmothers. When these women chefs share their local cuisines it introduces people to new food experiences, showcases the wide spread and subtleties of their everyday menus. It highlights similarities between cuisines and cultures — where the Indian mango lassi can immediately evoke fond memories of a similar drink in Columbia, the humble rice poppadoms remind Puerto Ricans of flavors and texture they grew up with. It impacts misconceptions.

Extending Support
This cultural exchange benefits these home chefs too. They integrate into the community faster, are able to generate income, and boost their self-confidence as well. As Babita increasingly took part in this exchange of cultures, the idea of BeBe’s Kitchen began to form. Finally coming into existence in late 2019. 

While Bebe’s Kitchen was finding its feet, the same agility to adapt came to the rescue once again when the world was besieged by the pandemic. Babita moved her business online — while the Pop Up Dine In events awaited their turn, Pick-Up Pop-Ups gained popularity as people could book their orders online as well as attend the cooking classes virtually.  

BeBe’s Kitchen also actively networks with local organizations to collaborate and provide opportunities and support such women.

Our Partner Chefs

We partner with women chefs known for their expertise in everyday food from their unique cultures. They join us for different events whether these be pop-up food events or cooking classes.

Nimota Salami

Nigerian Cuisine

Born and brought up in South West Nigeria, Nimota Salami loved to create special meals for her family and friends. She went on to study Catering and Hotel management, and always dreamt of launching her food business.

She is now proud owner of Royal Food of Nigeria that specializes in sauces and catering services. She is passionate about sharing her heritage recipes and have hosted cooking demonstrations at Atlanta Botanical Garden and various other places.

Mary Shekari

Persian Cuisine

Mary’s fondest childhood memories are of her mom’s cooking, especially the distinctly Persian dishes she made on special occasions.

Mary believes that a cuisine is an expression of the culture it comes from and is a great ambassador that brings people closer. She hopes to open her restaurant in the near future and inspire her guests with the enticing flavors from Iran.

Yusra Cevik

(Turkish Cuisine)

Yusra credits her mom for igniting her passion for cooking, especially for following traditional Turkish cooking methods and recipes. By the time she turned 14, she was often seen in the kitchen trying to replicate her mom’s cooking.

Yusra moved to Atlanta in 2011 and has been since delighting her family and friends, who are talented women chefs in their communities, with a variety of foods from her homeland. In addition to enjoying feeding people she also enjoys teaching recipes from Turkish cuisine.

Semira Abdu

(Ethiopian/ Eritrean Cuisine)

Semira Abdu was born in Asmara, Eritrea where she learned to cook from her mother. In her close-knit family, which included six siblings, flavour was the central theme of each meal. By the time she turned 12, Semira had started helping her mom prepare sumptuous meals for the family.

Semira has a passion for baking and loves to cook her mother’s traditional Ethiopian / Eritrean recipes replete with fresh ingredients and robust flavors.

She is the founder of the bakery cakesby semira (@cakesbysemira)

Babita Verma

(Indian Cuisine)

Born and brought up in a Himalayan state in India, Babita learned the finer aspects of cooking from her mom. Work took her across the many states of the country where she observed the uniqueness of cooking methods and spices that differed from region to region. 

Through marriage Babita again got an opportunity to appreciate the nuances of a new cuisine up close. Her mom-in-law, who is from south India, taught her how to create timeless dishes from Andhra Pradesh, a state known for its tangy, fierce flavors. 

For over 18 years, Babita has been making balanced, nutritious, seasonal meals with natural and robust flavors. Babita is the founder of BeBe’s Kitchen.

Jihan Nasr

(Lebanese Cuisine)

Jihan Nasr grew up in Beirut with her three siblings. Food is a big part of every Lebanese family and Jihan’s culinary journey was deeply inspired by her mother. The first dish that she cooked was a Peas Stew and this still is her favorite dish.

After marriage Jihan lived in the middle east for over 15 years and developed a good understanding of the local cuisine. When her 4 year old son developed Celiac, Jihan was commited to finding gluten free version/ alternatives for the popular dishes. Jihan is passionate about food – “I consider this cooking class as an opportunity to reconnect to my roots and keep the knowledge of my traditions alive. I feel very proud to share the Lebanese culture through my food.”

Belen De La Cruz

(Argentinean Cuisine)

A mom, an entrepreneur, a visionary! Belen De La Cruz is the founder of Belen De La Cuz – Empanadas and Pastries that specializes in 13 different flavors of Empanadas and  Argentinean Cakes and Pastries.

With a background in marketing and her passion for food, Belen started selling Argentinean pastries and giving cooking classes to locals. The city had no Argentinean restaurants, which was an opportunity and a challenge. Belen gave cooking classes for 2 years and the menu kept growing from group to group! Finally in February 2020, she launched her first bakery in Johns Creek and currently has 3 locations. 

Mari Berdzenishvili-Weber

(Sakartvelo Cuisine/ Cuisine from the Republic of Georgia)

Mari Berdzenishvili-Weber (fondly known as Mariam) loves to combine fresh meats with different vegetables, herbs, and spices to serve flavorful dishes that are both healthy and delicious. 

Georgia, a country nestled between Asia and Europe, its cuisine includes a wide variety of vegetarian dishes that feature in most home meals. Mariam likes to introduce these flavorsome gems to foodies on the lookout for new food adventours.

Aida Rodriguez

(Puerto Rican Cuisine)

Aida Rodriguez (fondly known as Mami) has always loved to cook for her family. Her 4 children, 8 grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren vouch for hearty meals that pack a punch of flavour.

Leaning towards cooking traditional dishes, Mami has passed on the family recipes to her children and loves to cook the dishes with her family.

Zhanna Cooper

(Ukrainian Cuisine)

Tahmeena Amani

(Afghani Cuisine)

Tahmeena has always had a passion for Afghani food. Growing up in Kabul, she lived in a large family where meals took center stage. Her mom would join her aunts — skilled women chefs in their own right — to create wholesome, delicious dishes that are still talked about to this day.

Tahmeena started cooking at the age of 12 and has since mastered several dishes from Afghanistan, including creating her own signature recipes. Her husband and she resettled in Atlanta in 2018 where she continues to host authentic Afghani suppers for large groups of friends and family. 

Tahmeena loves to celebrate her heritage, a love she demonstrates through her cooking.

Sahar Alkenawy

(Egyptian Cuisine)

Sahar is known among family and friends for her love of cooking and the special recipes that she learned from her mother and grandma. Her mother dreamt of starting a food business and Sahar shared that dream too. That dream became a reality in 2015, when she started her business ‘Sara’s Kitchen’ while living in Riyadh. Sahar moved to the US in 2019, and launched her food business that serves authentic Egyptian food. Sahar continues her journey of spreading love through her heritage recipes.

Ximena Montilla

(Venezuelan Cuisine)

Ximena Montilla is a Venezuelan and Spanish educator who loves to teach her native language through its culture and gastronomy. She has always loved cooking. She learned to cook with her father and Grand mother when she was a little girl. The kitchen and the library were her favorite places at home. For Ximena Venezuelan recipes are full of flavor and good memories. Ximena has a small publishing company that publishes books to learn about Hispanic Culture and its Gastronomy. She has worked with many famous Venezuelan chefs and Gastronomers who collaborated with her social projects.