Salma Hage

Salma Hage (born 8 January 1942) is a Lebanese author and cook. She is the author of the bestselling cookbook The Lebanese Kitchen. Her second book The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook won her the James Beard Award in the Vegetable Cooking category.

Early life Hage was born in Mazraat El Toufah in northern Lebanon in 1942. Her father was a Maronite priest, and she was the eldest of 12 children, learning cookery skills from her grandmother.

Life in the UK In 1967 she moved with her family to Wimbledon in south London, UK. She worked as a Kitchen Hand in her mid-twenties, then worked her way up to the role of Head Chef for a large catering organisation, learning to appreciate English cuisine while bringing the flavours of home, of Lebanon, to share with others wherever she cooked. Salma and her husband continue to visit Lebanon every year and remain deeply connected to their roots.

The Lebanese Kitchen In 2012 Salma wrote The Lebanese Kitchen

The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook The second cookbook Michelin chef Alain Ducasse authored the foreword for this prequel which later won great acclaim including recognition as the James Beard Award Winner in 2017, in the Vegetable Cooking category.

Awards (2017) James Beard Award ‘Vegetable Cooking’ for The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook.

Works Hage, Salma (2024). The Levantine Vegetarian. London: Phaidon Press,

Hage, Salma (2021). Middle Eastern Sweets. London: Phaidon Press,

Hage, Salma (2018). The Middle Eastern Mezze Cookbook. London: Phaidon Press,

Hage, Salma (2016). The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook. London: Phaidon Press,

Hage, Salma (2012). The Lebanese Kitchen. London: Phaidon Press,