Aliye Aydin was born and raised in sunny southern California and discovered her passion for cooking as a healing tool when she received a scary health diagnosis as a teenager. She learned to cook to implement the dietary changes ordered by her doctor, which helped her heal AND shaped the trajectory of her life's work.

After graduating from UC Berkeley, Aliye traveled extensively, exploring her passion for international cuisines, cooking alongside any grandma and auntie that would have her, including spending time exploring the cuisine of her heritage in Türkiye.

After returning home to the U.S., Aliye attended culinary school, worked in various restaurants and catering kitchens, as a culinary instructor and personal chef, and started and ran a farm-to-door organic produce home delivery service for 8 years in Long Beach, CA, creating relationships with some of the best growers and producers in the U.S..

After experiencing another spiritual awakening three years ago, Aliye started exploring spiritual practices outside of cooking, starting with the Sufi tradition of her childhood, which led to her becoming a certified facilitator in Spiritual Literacy and Transformative Practices.

Aliye is a trained chef and expert in international cuisines who teaches her students how to transform everyday ingredients into meals infused with global flavors that nourish the body and soul, without spending hours in the kitchen.