FOLLOWING PASSIONS INTO THE KITCHEN
BY: ELENI FINKELSTEIN
Z Zee the Cook has been an entrepreneurial spirit her whole life. Since 14, Zee Moussa has loved working and being busy. She’s traveled across many industries professionally, including airlines, doctors’ offices, and a floral company before discovering her passion for cooking at 25 when a stubborn case of burnout caused her to take a break from school and work to find herself. Fortunately, she found herself in the kitchen, a place unfamiliar to her at the time. “By stopping [work] I could learn more about myself. When you’re lost just stop… get quiet and look inwards.”
and confidence, and many have even become less picky eaters since they have a hand in making their meals. Moussa recognizes that cooking is a life skill, not just a hobby to learn, and adults and children who attend her classes are learning many important skills outside of following recipes. Like many entrepreneurs, Moussa faced many personal obstacles in order to get to where she is today. Developing a business costs personal sacrifices such as time away from being a mom and learning to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. However, Moussa emphasizes that you need to be uncomfortable in order to grow. The growth has led Zee the Cook to become an award-winning cook, most recently being named 2022 Woman of The Year for the City of Dearborn Michigan. Moussa is also nationally recognized as a 2nd year Rising Star through the Society of Foodservice Management and the recipient of the 2020 Director’s Award for Community Service by SHFM. Now 7 years into her business, Moussa has big plans for her future in the hospitality industry. She plans on extending her business globally, offering virtual and in-person lessons using locally sourced ingredients from different cities. She also wants to enlist the help of ambassadors around the world who can spread her messages and lessons far and wide. “I’m serving my purpose on this earth. My company strives off of hospitality…making people feel at home. The food service industry is just a tool.” n
Learning to cook gave Moussa the opportunity to channel her freedom and creative side. She began an Instagram to share her dishes, which gained popularity quickly during the rise of the term “#foodie” and social media influencers. Always a free spirit, Moussa was known to not measure her ingredients and cook from the heart. When people started asking for the recipes, Moussa wasn’t sure how she would explain her recipes without precise quantities. “With cooking, you can break the rules,” she says. It was her record-breaking post, “Cooking Classes Coming Soon” that launched her into her entrepreneurial project, Zee the Cook. Not knowing how or where this journey would start, Moussa decided to lead with passion knowing the rest would come to her. Moussa began cooking classes in her one-stove home in Dearborn Michigan. Patrons would sign a liability waiver issued by a lawyer and then crowd into Moussa’s kitchen to watch her cook. Moussa saved every penny from this endeavor until she was able to get a building of her own to run cooking classes out of. Now she is able to host field trips, corporate team building, private events, and cooking classes for all ages from her personal studio. Being the owner of her company, Moussa loves knowing she is empowering her staff and those she teaches. Her upbeat energy helps children who attend classes become future leaders by learning basic cooking skills, sanitation, hard work, table etiquette,
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