Fall is here, and Beata and Bita are getting into the flavors, ingredients, and cozy dishes that are inspiring them this season.

They chat about what's catching their eye at the market—from seasonal produce to Persian pantry staples—and the comforting Persian foods they're looking forward to making as the weather cools down.

They also catch up on what's happening with their projects. Bita shares an update on her book release and what's next, while Beata talks about recipe testing for an upcoming weeknight Persian food cooking class and the challenge of making Persian cooking approachable for busy weeknights.

A cozy fall food conversation filled with seasonal inspiration, Persian flavors, and what's happening in their kitchens right now.

In this episode:

• Fall ingredients and market finds

• Cozy Persian dishes we're craving

• Making Persian food work for weeknights

• Bita's book release and what's next

• Beata's recipe testing and upcoming cooking class

Episodes and recipes referenced:

Persian Khorak Morgh | Persian Chicken & Vegetable Stew – BeatsEats

Air Fryer Khoresht Bademjan / Bademjoon (Easy Persian Eggplant Stew) – BeatsEats

Koobideh Pan Kabab (Kabab Tabei) – BeatsEats

Beata's YouTube Page: Link

All Modern Persian Food podcast episodes can be found at: Episodes

Sign up for the email newsletter here!

Check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube

Subscribe+ to the Modern Persian Food podcast on your favorite podcast player, and share this episode with a friend.

Opening and closing music composed by Amir Etemadzadeh, www.amirschoolofmusic.com

Podcast production by Alvarez Audio

Beata and Bita are back together to catch up on their summer food adventures, projects, and kitchen experiments. They chat about some of Beata's recent recipe testing, what she's been working on with BeatsEats cooking classes, and her growing YouTube channel.

Then the conversation turns to breakfast and how creating a few practical systems can make mornings easier, more organized, and more enjoyable. Rather than reinventing breakfast every day, they explore simple ways to build routines around flavorful, nourishing foods.

The big news of the episode is Bita's new functional cookbook, Power & Glow: Vibrant Persian Breakfasts to Prep & Go—inspired by bringing heritage flavors into breakfast recipes with plenty of nutritional value alongside each recipe. Beata interviews Bita about what sparked the idea for a breakfast cookbook, how her Persian heritage influenced the recipes, and why breakfast felt like the perfect place to explore these flavors as a health and wellness coach.

Bita also shares what the self-publishing process has really been like, including what she's learned along the way and what she's looking forward to as she continues her cookbook journey.

• Summer food adventures, recipe testing, and projects

• What's happening on the BeatsEats YouTube channel

• Making breakfast more practical with simple systems

• The inspiration behind Bita's book, Power & Glow: Vibrant Persian Breakfasts to Prep & Go

• Bringing Persian and heritage flavors into breakfast

• Bita's new functional cookbook, Power & Glow: Vibrant Persian Breakfasts to Prep & Go

• What's next on Bita's cookbook journey

Tune in for a fun conversation about food, culture, creativity, and finding more joy—and a little more ease—in the most important meal of the day.

Link to information on Bita's new cookbook: Bita Arabian

Link to Beata's YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@beatseats415

All Modern Persian Food podcast episodes can be found at: Episodes

Sign up for the email newsletter here!

Check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube

Subscribe+ to the Modern Persian Food podcast on your favorite podcast player, and share this episode with a friend.

Opening and closing music composed by Amir Etemadzadeh, www.amirschoolofmusic.com

Podcast production by Alvarez Audio

What does it take to recreate the taste of home?

In this special episode of the Modern Persian Food Podcast, Beata sits down with Sahar Shomali, the passionate baker and founder of Kouzeh Bakery in Los Angeles. They explore Sahar's inspiring journey from home baker to small business owner, driven by a mission that many Iranians know well: finding—or recreating—the perfect barbari bread from childhood memories.

Sahar shares how nostalgia became inspiration as she worked to capture the authentic flavors and textures of Persian baked goods while adapting recipes for today's ingredients, equipment, and customers. Her bakery celebrates the incredible diversity of Iran's regional baking traditions, introducing both the Persian community and newcomers to specialty breads, pastries, and sweets that are often difficult to find outside of Iran.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Sahar's journey to becoming the founder of Kouzeh Bakery

• The childhood memories that inspired her pursuit of authentic barbari bread

• How she recreates traditional Persian flavors while adapting recipes for a modern bakery

• Regional Persian breads and baked specialties that deserve more recognition

• The challenges and rewards of owning a small food business

• Preserving Persian culinary traditions through baking

• Sharing Persian culture with customers from all backgrounds

Whether you grew up enjoying fresh Persian bread or you're discovering these flavors for the first time, this conversation offers a heartfelt look at the connection between food, memory, and cultural identity.

Follow Sahar and learn more about Kouzeh Bakery: https://www.kouzehbakery.com/

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave us a five-star review, and share it with a friend who loves Persian food, baking, and discovering the stories behind the recipes.

All Modern Persian Food podcast episodes can be found at: Episodes

Sign up for the email newsletter here!

Check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube

Follow us on Instagram: @modernpersianfood

Subscribe+ to the Modern Persian Food podcast on your favorite podcast player, and share this episode with a friend.

Opening and closing music composed by Amir Etemadzadeh, www.amirschoolofmusic.com

Podcast production by Alvarez Audio