The Artistic Foodies

Abbas and Irfan sit down with Muhi Khwaj and Gus Annan to talk about building Muslim community: the short-term needs, the long-term vision, and the third spaces where it all comes together. The conversation flows through the rich history of coffee in Yemen, today’s coffee culture trends, and why the Muslim community has found something deeply familiar in a good cup. This episode also features the...

In this episode, Irfan and Abbas sit down with the legendary Narjis Sheikh, who is a Toronto-based novel writer as well as a community organizer with a deep passion for helping people make their dreams come true. In this episode we talk with Narjis about her journey of social entrepreneurship, the ups and downs of a founder's experience in creating out of nothing, and the immense value of havi...

Devon Avenue: where the spices are bold, the art is vibrant, and the stories run deep — sometimes too deep. In this unforgettable episode of The Artistic Foodies Podcast, we explore the cultural heartbeat of Chicago’s South Asian community through food, history, and a dark local mystery. From the heated debate over Ali’s Nihari vs. Sabri Nihari, to the rich legacy of Tahoora Sweets, to the chillin...

In this episode, we’re joined by the multi-talented Shahjehan Khan, an actor, writer, musician, and host of the acclaimed podcast King of the World. We dive into his roles playing a character in Mortal Kombat, the new Hulu series Deli Boys, and his journey as a founding member of the trailblazing Muslim punk band The Kominas.

In this episode, we sit with the founder of  Boycat , an app that has redirected over $170 million from unethical brands, evolving from a boycott tool into a gamified ethical marketplace. Check out the app on your app stores and tune in for the interview.

Aymann Ismail is an accomplished journalist with a deep passion for stories that pertain to American Muslims, a passion that is explored in the upcoming docuseries “American Muslims: A History Revealed”. Join us in this episode as we discuss the history of Muslims in the US, journalism as a Muslim, and a deep dive into the history of the only food created exclusively by American Muslims: the Bean ...

Join us in this intimate chat with the OG Muslim comedian, practitioner of ‘protest comedy’, lover of jazz music, and our latest guest of honor: Preacher Moss. We talk about the art form of comedy, his history on building the Muslim comedy scene, as well as pontificating on the current and future states of comedy from within the Muslim community. This episode was sponsored by Tandoori Grill in San...

What is cannabis, why is it relevant to the Muslim community in the West, and is cannabis consumption even Halal? Is this a modern debate within the Muslim community, or a tale as old as our religion itself? What are Islamic scholars saying about cannabis consumption and industry? Are the health benefits true or is there no value to the plant? What can you do if you know someone whose developed an...

Today we talk with Tariq and Jalel of the Islamic Services of America, a major certifier and educator in the global Halal industry. We take a deep dive into Halal certification, the complexities involved in creating Halal standards especially when you consider differences in Madhahib, and even broach more modern topics of discussion, including lab-grown meats, and cannabis.

In this episode, we discuss Halal Meat Certification with Shaykh Jabir Tarin of HFSAA, the Halal Food Standards Alliance of America. HFSAA is a well-known and respected Halal certifying body that started in the San Francisco Bay area, and now certifies Halal restaurants across many metropolitan areas of the US. We talk about the process of getting certified, explore differences between hand and ma...

Critically acclaimed writer and director Imran J Khan shared his time, witty insight, and keen humor with us during this episode, where we laughed, cried (not really but almost), and talked about his latest film, 'Mustache'. More than just the movie, we discussed the deeper themes of belonging, acceptance, and if giving up red meat from your diet truly ostracizes you from the Desi Muslim c...

Join us as we continue season 3, an exploration of the food industry. We got the opportunity to interview the legend, Ike of Ike's sandwiches. On the first day of operation in 2007, Ike Shehadeh did not sell a single sandwich in his small, hole-in-the-wall Ike's Place in San Francisco's Castro District. Now 15 years later, the man behind the goateed cartoon logo has built over a 90-uni...

Naiel (13) and Punhal Chaudry (12) are a Pakistani American brother-sister duo who started their home baking business called “Lá Jawab Treats” in the midst of the pandemic. The word "Lá Jawab" means unmatchable in Urdu, and their journey definitely lives up to the name. We got a chance to chat with them both to talk about their experience as young founders, their newly published cookbook...

Rabia Chaudry is well known for her work as an attorney and in advocating for the freedom of Adnan Syed, but what you may not know is that she is also 100% a bonafide foodie. Tune in for our full interview with Rabia about her new memoir "Fatty Fatty Boom Boom". Not only do we talk about food, family, and her lifelong relationship with her weight, but we also get to the meat of matters i...

Mounir Lazzouni, a Muslim Health & Fitness Coach, shares his knowledge with us in this special Ramadan episode. He sharestips on what foods to eat and what to to avoid during the Suhoor and Iftaar meals, as well as how to maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout the Holy Month of fasting. We also discuss how to stay fit while still focusing on fasting and prayers, and end with a couple of great...

In our season 2 finale, we dive deeper into the topic we have been exploring this season: Muslims on stage and on the screen. Previously, we covered the topic of representation and its importance, and now we explore what comes after and beyond that, with cultural producer Asad Ali Jafri. Join us as we explore his philosophies of support and service as we unearth an ideal world to work towards, one...

Hosts Irfan and Abbas sit with Hollywood producer and screenwriter Kamran Pasha (Sleeper Cell, Nikita, Reign). We discuss the ups and downs of his life and career, and how every breakthrough in Kamran's life ultimately came from a difficult breakdown. We delve into the different social and cultural forces vying for influence in Hollywood today, and talk about the pressures and responsibilities of...

We sat with producer and community organizer Guled Muse to talk about his background and artistic journey leading up to the unveiling of The Khamsa Project. Khamsa, the Arabic word for five, is a multimedia art exhibition showcasing 20 Black, Muslim, Immigrant, and Refugee visual artists and musicians expressing the five stages of grief. Khamsa aims to address the different forms and contexts of g...

Catching up with Rizwan Manji (Outsourced, Schitt's Creek, Peacemaker), we got to hear the REAL origin story behind his iconic mustache, reflected with him on his journey as a brown Muslim building a career in media, as well as a reflection on his latest role as the Imam in Zarqa Nawaz's comedy series title "ZARQA".

It was a LOT of fun interviewing Zarqa Nawaz to discuss storytelling, narratives, and speaking honesty through popular media. We talked about her groundbreaking TV series from 2007, Little Mosque on the Prairie, and how she developed into a Producer and Actor for her new series, ZARQA, which premiered on Canadian TV in May of 2022. Full episode up on Spotify or wherever else you get your podcasts!

This episode, we delve deeper into the ground-breaking play, "The Domestic Crusaders" with cast member Monisha Shiva. We also get to dive deeper into Wajahats life and the context in which he wrote the play between 2001 and 2003, and he also shares his favorite Qeema recipe.

We start our second season off with a deep dive into the groundbreaking play about a Pakistani-American Muslim family, "The Domestic Crusaders" written by Wajahat Ali. We get a chance to not only hear from Wajahat, but also from the New York debut cast members about their experience of the stage production nearly two decades ago. Don't forget to tune in to Part 2 of this episode coming out soon, w...

Abbas and Irfan share more of their favorite Ramadan recipes

We start off season 2 of The Artistic Foodies podcast with an in-depth discussion with Wajahat Ali, and original cast members, about the ground-breaking play “The Domestic Crusaders”. We also chatted about his new book, “Go Back to where you came from and other recommendations on How to Be an American” coming out on Jan 25th. Check out the episode trailer right here

Hosts Abbas and Irfan review season 1 of the podcast, and preview season 2 (2022). Plus, we talk about our special Halal food map, as well as the latest news in the bay area halal industry