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DedeMed Online :: Watch Denise Hazime’s
videos on how to make everything from
the perfect hummus to falafel and baklava,
order DedeMed spices and find out what
to keep in your pantry to prepare
Mediterranean food.
:: dedemed.com

The Wall Street Journal called her the “queen of hummus.” The Internet agrees – her website, DedeMed.com, has the most popular hummus recipe on the Web, with nearly half a million hits on her YouTube video that teaches people how to make it. But this Orange County lifelong cook has more brewing than exotic dips. While working full time in the financial industry, she has created a small cooking empire, with a popular website, dozens of free YouTube cooking shows and her own line of spices.

And lest you think that Middle Eastern and Mediterranean fare might not be the politically correct food of choice right now, consider this: Some of Denise Hazime’s biggest fans are soldiers who returned from tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2010, Hazime set up a stand on Camp Pendleton to cater to troops returning from the wars in the Middle East who had developed a love for foods from that region. She was an instant hit. Since then, she’s mounted a successful campaign to bring her recipes to the world.

When did your passion for cooking begin?
At three years old I was in the kitchen helping my mom make fried eggs and from then on I was always helping my mother and grandmother cook. Those are some of my strongest memories. Other than them, one of my big influences was “The Frugal Gourmet” on TV. A lot of things he taught I remember to this day. For instance: “Always hot pan, not hot oil.” Just little hints in the kitchen that are really helpful. But there wasn’t a Food Network back then so it was harder to get information from shows.

Why cooking and not soccer or painting?
I think cooking is my form of artistic expression. So any time I wasn’t studying I was in the kitchen. If my mom had errands to run, she’d tell me I could cook dinner and I loved taking on that role.

Did you always cook Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes?
For the most part, yes, because that’s what my mom would tell me to cook, but when I was free to cook anything I would experiment with different influences, from Mexican or Italian to Turkish or French. I would also always alter the recipes to put a little of my own style in it. Besides, I’m not very good at following recipes – I tend to just throw in “a little of this or a little of that.” So when I started to do my videos I had to change that a little because when you teach people to make something you have to have exact measurements. I wasn’t used to that so I had to come up with them for my recipes.

But at the same time, you encourage your viewers to deviate from your recipes if they want.
I do. I encourage my viewers to express themselves through cooking. You may not like it with the amount of salt I put in it [or] you may not like parsley or another one of the ingredients. You should make it the way you like it because you’re cooking for yourself.

How did you get the idea for your YouTube cooking videos?
I started cooking for my husband’s friends and they were constantly asking for recipes. Then in 2006, the person of the year for Time magazine was “You.” The cover had a mirror on it and it was referring to YouTube and the popularity of people making videos of themselves and putting them on the Internet. So my husband suggested shooting a couple videos of me making dishes and putting them on YouTube. That way whenever someone asked for recipes I could direct them there.
 
The response we got was crazy. People started to e-mail me with questions. They were endless and a lot of people commented on how easy I made cooking. So we continued and soon started our own website.

Why are cooking shows so popular now?
A lot of different reasons. Cooking is universal. Everyone has to eat. Also, a lot of the traditional male-female roles have changed and merged. Now you see men who are stay-at-home moms. Thirty years ago you didn’t see that. You see more women in the workforce, so I think that cooking is a way of de-stressing. It’s also a fun and inexpensive way of spending time together as a family.

And in these economically challenging times, people still want to eat well, but in a less expensive way. If you cook at home you can have the same dish for less than half the price elsewhere.

Finally, I think people watch cooking shows and they see how enjoyable it is to make something. You don’t have to be an artist, you don’t have to paint or sculpt something, but you can cook and feel like you expressed yourself. That can be your art.

Has the American palate become more sophisticated and eclectic in recent years?
Absolutely. Within the past 15 years with the [proliferation of] the Internet and international communication being so easy, we can share our cultures and I think one of the big things people share is their [recipes]. Also, people travel more and learn about different countries and then bring the dishes home with them.

Not too long ago people didn’t even know what hummus was. Now hummus is the new salsa. In fact, a few years ago Pepsi acquired Sabra Hummus. Now, if Pepsi is paying a couple million dollars for a hummus company, that’s got to mean something.

The Wall Street Journal called you the “queen of hummus.” Why?
On my website I give several different ways to prepare hummus with different flavors, and as appetizers, dips and even a main dish.

You also stress that healthy food can also be tasty food.
I went to an all-girls private school and there was a lot of peer pressure to be the perfect girl with the 4.0. and I went through a challenging time with some eating issues. But I learned how to eat, what to eat and when to eat. I learned that you don’t have to eat only lettuce at every meal to stay thin and I discovered ways to manipulate recipes so they were healthy but I still ate what I liked. You can eat good, healthy and flavorful food and look and feel great. But it’s a learning curve. Everyone’s different and has different types of bodies and you just need to learn your particular type of body and your tastes. You can still eat well and stay fit and healthy. This is why I’m also going to work with a trainer to put together weekly meal plans for people. There’s always a way to make meals healthier and I always try to give suggestions in my videos on how to do that.

Can you give an example?
Sure, the falafel. It’s deep fried, so many of my viewers asked if there was a way around that. There is: You can bake the falafel and it still tastes great. I think that the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food is one of the most healthy diets because of the way it’s prepared and the fresh ingredients. We don’t deep fry a lot of things; the falafel is one of the few. Most dishes are baked or grilled and come with healthy sauces that don’t add too many calories.

How did you get the idea for the food stand at Camp Pendleton?
My husband was in the Marine Corps. He got out in 2000, and he’d tell stories about different food he ate in Kenya or Japan and other spots around the world and he’d say that any time the military goes somewhere the troops bring back a taste for the food. Then he noted that there wasn’t anything at Camp Pendleton that was Middle Eastern or Mediterranean. So we presented our menu to the powers that be, with the idea that we could provide the troops with food they would love [and recognize] and that was healthy and filling. They loved it and we opened up a stand.

You have your own line of spices too.
Yes, I have viewers from all over the world and some don’t have access to the spices I use. And even though I often break down what’s in each spice, it’s sometimes hard for them to put them together properly. I also have some of the main utensils that you can’t find anywhere. My main customer base is still America but I’ve had orders from Singapore, Australia, China, England. Pretty much everywhere.

What is your most popular dish?
There are a few. The falafel and my hummus. It’s a little different than the typical hummus you buy at the store. But hummus takes on a lot of different flavors depending on the region that it’s from. The Palestinian-Israeli version has cumin in it. I put yogurt and no olive oil in it. I think it’s healthy, tasty and very light. Another recipe that’s really popular is the Middle Eastern garlic sauce. It looks like a white mayonnaise.

Your videos and recipes are free. Why don’t you charge?
There’s a book called What Would Google Do? that my husband introduced me to. Their motto is “free.” Give things for free and you’ll make money in other ways. People ask me about my website and are really surprised when I tell them it’s free [to watch videos and get recipes]. I think the Internet should be free but I’ve had people who are in the recipe book business write me, angry about my giving out my recipes for free.

Are you working on a book?
Yes, but I’m also working on a cooking application for people’s phones that will help them put together recipes wherever they are. I think people are so mobile that having a cookbook is not as beneficial as having an app for their phone. They can pull up recipes at the grocery market, when they need it for buying ingredients.
 
What’s the most exotic food that people discover, to their surprise, they like?
The first thing that comes to mind is baklava because when you think of dessert, you think of cake or pie or ice cream. No one thinks of a little filo pastry stuffed with nuts and drizzled with honey syrup. But as a dessert it’s very satisfying because it’s really sweet and crunchy. So that’s one thing that people find interesting and surprising.

What’s your favorite?
One thing that’s really satisfying is a shawarma sandwich. It’s shredded beef, traditionally cooked on a rotisserie so it’s similar to a gyro, but it’s different. The meat is marinated in spices and onion, lemon, vinegar, and olive oil. Then it’s cooked and put into a sandwich, dressed with garlic sauce, tahini sauce and topped with cooked turnips, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and onion-parsley mix. Then you toast the sandwich on a grill. It’s really fulfilling and has a lot of flavor. The recipes for two kinds, chicken and beef, are on my website.

So what’s your goal for the future?
I’m inventing new dishes all the time and hope to continue educating people on cooking good food. My goal is to take the mystery out of Mediterranean.