You Are What You Cook: Palestinian Food with the King of Falafel and Shawarma

When Fares Zedeia left Palestine as a teenager, he believed he’d return. Instead, he had to watch from afar as his homeland was torn apart. For years, he searched for his place in the world — a search that eventually led him to a food cart on a New York City sidewalk. In this episode, I sit down with Fares “Freddy” Zedeia, the King of Falafel and Shawarma himself. Over a platter of his signature falafel, juicy shawarma, and tender kebab, we talk about his journey from cab driver to king — and how food becomes identity and a way to survive when home is far away. Read more about what we ate! ----more---- EPISODE CREDITS Produced & Edited by Diane Bezucha Music “Coronea” by Blue Dot Sessions from the album Marisala, (2017) “Somewhere in Punjab” by SergeQuadrado Cooking Food Music by BackgroundMusicForVideos Upbeat Together Worldbeat Emotional World Uplifting Music by REDproductions “Cast in Wicker” by Blue Dot Sessions from the album Aeronaut, (2017) “Watermarks” by Blue Dot Sessions from the album Crab Shack (2018) “City Limits” by Blue Dot Sessions from the album Albany, NY (2015) “Armenia” by SergeQuadrado