Thuraya Wins Gourmand Award for Best Book Launch Video

Thuraya wins Best Video for Book Launch at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards!

We’re honoured to share that Thuraya: Recipes from Our Family’s Kitchen in Jordan has received a remarkable international award. Our book’s launch video, filmed and produced in Jordan, has won Best Video for Book Launch at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards — a global celebration of the best in food, culture, and storytelling. The award-winning video, created by Fraise Studio, was a labour of love and intention. Every frame was designed to reflect the personal journey and memoir of the author embodied in the heart of Thuraya: the aroma of home-cooked meals, the clink of dishes passed between generations, and the quiet beauty of everyday rituals in a Levantine kitchen.

“This journey began in my mother’s kitchen in Amman and came to life here in Canada,” shares author Nadeem Mansour, a Jordanian-Canadian writer and home cook. Born and raised in Amman, Nadeem’s roots stretch from the hills of As-Salt to the old streets of Jerusalem. Today, Thuraya stands as tribute to his heritage, memory, and the emotional language of food. Named after his mother, Thuraya is a collection of over 120 Middle Eastern recipes that honour the dishes passed down through generations — not just ingredients and instructions, but stories, traditions, and a deep sense of belonging. It’s a love letter to family, to home, and to all those carrying pieces of their culture across borders. Since its launch in Amman in July 2024, Thuraya has reached kitchens around the world. It was nominated in four categories at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards — Family, Self-Published, Mediterranean, and Best of the Best— and is now a finalist in three of those categories: Family, Mediterranean and Best of the Best, already earning the Best in the World logo. Copies of Thuraya are available online and in select bookstores in Amman, Toronto, Montreal, and New York. We offer international shipping through our website.

As Thuraya continues to travel far beyond its original kitchen, we are grateful for every reader who brings its pages to life. This award is a celebration not only of the book — but of the culture and shared meals that inspired it.