Teta's Kitchen
about the creators and their show
Teta’s Kitchen is created and produced by fiances Jennifer Tran and John Kassab.
The show was initially developed as a community project for the Brimbank City Council as a way to connect John's terminally ill grandmother (whom he has cared for the past 2 years) to her broader community and family during isolation. Given the overwhelming support and community engagement the show has received since launching the show, John and Jen are now seeking to develop the show into something more substantial.
The proof of concept videos above were made exclusively by John and Jen using a smart phone and limited resources. They would like to expand the team to include a dedicated Camera operator on a real camera to free John to capture the audio cleanly. They would also like to give the episodes a proper sound mix, colour grade and license the Egyptian operas that have been the soundtrack of her life.
Thematically, we seek to delve deeper into Teta's incredible life story. In her life, she went from being an impoverished voiceless widow with 4 children at the age of 21 in rural Egypt in the late 1950s to living in her own fully paid home in Melbourne Australia by the 2020s. She certainly has some wonderful insights and is keen to impart them before she leaves this realm.
We would also like to invite her grandchildren to participate in the making of the new episodes, both on and off screen.
For any additional information please contact: sound@johnkassab.com
proof of concept
episode 1:
In this first video, we'll be learning how Teta makes her deliciously fresh ta'ameya. Ta'ameya is an Egyptian colloquial word for falafel. The main difference between Egyptian ta'ameya and the common falafel is that falafel is made from chickpeas whilst ta'ameya is made from fava beans (broad beans).
episode 2:
Molokhia is a name of a leafy plant used to make an Egyptian soup of the same name. Commonly served over rice, molokhia soup has a very slippery and viscous texture and is an extremely rich source of iron, vitamins, magnesium and potassium. Teta Amal’s molokhia is packed full of garlic, making it the perfect dish to build our immune systems during these winter months.
episode 3:
Betefour, or petit four in the French spelling, is an Egyptian butter cookie. It is a holiday classic enjoyed during Easter and Christmas. Rich in butter, two halves of the cookie are glued together with jam and coated in chocolate.