Nargisse Benkabbou was raised in Brussels, where she grew up in a strongly food-oriented family that continually nurtured her connection with her roots and country of origin, Morocco.

Today, Nargisse is the Executive Chef at L’Mida Marrakech and regular NYT food columnist; her work involves recipe and menu development, cooking classes and hosting supper clubs. Each recipe that Nargisse produces is a celebration of her heritage and a care for simplicity and modernity. While she has a strong grasp of traditional Moroccan cuisine, her ultimate goal is to inspire and bring ‘a breath of fresh air’ to Moroccan food.

Her new cookbook, MADAQ (Knopf, 2026), brings the unique flavours of Morocco to home cooks in an accessible way.