LAMIA'S STORY

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” 
― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

Lamia never would have guessed that on the dawn of her 40th birthday she would be opening a catering company in San Francisco. She would never have believed that her career as a dedicated nurse would be ended abruptly by a serious accident that would force her to start her life anew. Always attentive to the needs of others and motivated by life’s challenges, she decided to revisit her childhood dream: to become a chef.

As a child, Lamia grew up in a pleasing environment, surrounded by gardens, culture, cuisine, and scents of all kinds. Fresh ingredients could always be found in her family’s garden, with its abundance of snow peas, tomatoes, onions, leeks, and strawberries, and apple, pear, and mirabelle trees. She enjoyed helping her mother, and by the age of twelve, Lamia had appointed herself family chef, creating distinctive dishes for her parents and siblings.

A trip to San Francisco to improve her English and ultimately gain her Master of Science in Education led to a chance encounter on a Muni bus where she would meet her future husband. As in life, her cuisine takes turns that are similarly unexpected – a journey of the senses, of flavors, of countries. She is always reevaluating, imagining, creating.

The satisfaction Lamia gets from doing something she loves is boundless, which drives her to endlessly challenge herself. Lamia obtained her credentials in Pastry and Chocolate Confection from the San Francisco Baking Institute, and she recently returned to France to train for her diploma of CAP Pâtissier, thus solidifying her role as nationally recognized French pastry chef. 

Lamia’s gastronomic repertoire includes both sweet and savory dishes and she makes everything from scratch. She has catered for numerous prestigious institutions, including the French Chamber of Commerce and the French Consulate in conjunction with the French Cultural Society. She teaches cooking classes for adults and teaches cooking and baking to children at the Lycée Français de San Francisco and Les Écoles Bilingues.

Lamia Cuisine and Baking serves the Bay Area and beyond, offering myriad opportunities to educate the palate through catering services, personalized menus, classes and more.