Nell Cooks: Years of Cooking, Family Recipes and Delicious Moments Together

Food has taken me around the world. I have eaten in thousands of restaurants, met extraordinary chefs, discovered street food heroes and spent countless hours searching for the stories behind what we eat.

But some of my favorite food memories happened much closer to home.

They happened in our kitchen, with Nell.

Nell is my wife, my partner in life and the person behind Nell Cooks, a cooking journey we started sharing on NoGarlicNoOnions many years ago.

The concept was—and remains—very simple:

She cooks. I eat!

No unnecessary complications. No pretending that our home is a Michelin-starred restaurant. Just delicious food, accessible recipes, family moments, laughter and the pleasure of preparing something for the people you love.

Over the years, our cameras followed Nell from our home kitchen in Lebanon to Dubai and eventually into the professional kitchen of Cooking Unscripted.

So I decided it was time to bring these memories together.

Welcome to the world of Nell Cooks.

START HERE: THE NELL COOKS PLAYLIST

Want to watch the series instead of reading?

I’ve gathered the Nell Cooks videos into a dedicated YouTube playlist.

▶️ WATCH NELL COOKS ON YOUTUBE
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdtvQKJL0GYcnvl8RD4tzRMelqGKX-10- 

Subscribe to NoGarlicNoOnions and keep coming back—we’ll continue adding more cooking adventures.

NELL COOKS AT HOME

This is where everything started.

Our kitchen. Nell cooking. Me standing next to her, asking questions, filming, tasting and generally waiting impatiently for the food to be ready.

The original When Nell Cooks series started in 2018 with one objective: showing people that delicious home cooking doesn’t necessarily need complicated techniques or dozens of ingredients.

Some of the best food is also the simplest.

Cinnamon Rolls

Soft, sweet, buttery and filled with cinnamon.

Nell’s homemade cinnamon rolls are exactly the kind of recipe that represents this series: comforting food prepared at home and made to be shared.

They became one of the early Nell Cooks recipes we featured on NoGarlicNoOnions.

▶️ Watch Nell Cooks and more home recipes:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdtvQKJL0GYcnvl8RD4tzRMelqGKX-10- 

Nutella Banana Bread

Bananas, chocolate chips, cinnamon and Nutella.

Do I really need to say more?

This is the kind of cake that works for breakfast, afternoon coffee, dessert—or every time you happen to walk past the kitchen.

Nell’s banana bread is simple enough to reproduce at home but indulgent enough to make you come back for another slice.

▶️ Watch Nell’s recipes on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdtvQKJL0GYcnvl8RD4tzRMelqGKX-10-

HEALTHY & EASY WITH NELL

Nell Cooks isn’t only about cakes and desserts.

A big part of Nell’s cooking has always been finding ways to prepare food that is fresh, balanced, practical and still delicious.

Grilled Halloumi Salad

One of Nell’s easy home recipes combines greens and baby spinach with smoked turkey, goat cheese, grilled halloumi, cranberries and pumpkin seeds.

Fresh, colorful, satisfying and something you can actually prepare for lunch without spending half the day in the kitchen.

▶️ Discover Nell Cooks on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdtvQKJL0GYcnvl8RD4tzRMelqGKX-10- 

BREAKFAST WITH NELL & THE FAMILY

Some videos aren’t memorable because of the recipe.

They’re memorable because of who was around the table.

Sourdough Pancakes with the Kids

Butter. Eggs. Vanilla. Milk. Sourdough.

And everyone waiting for the pancakes.

These are the moments I love filming because they’re not simply cooking videos. They’re little pieces of our family life that we can look back on years later.

▶️ Watch our family cooking videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdtvQKJL0GYcnvl8RD4tzRMelqGKX-10- 

Eggs Benedict at Home

Who decided Eggs Benedict should only be eaten in hotels?

Eggs, Hollandaise sauce and a proper breakfast can absolutely happen at home.

It’s another example of what Nell Cooks is about: taking something we enjoy eating outside and figuring out how to make it approachable in our own kitchen.

▶️ Watch Nell Cooks:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdtvQKJL0GYcnvl8RD4tzRMelqGKX-10- 

COMFORT FOOD & FAMILY FAVORITES

Beef Stroganoff

Every family has dishes that keep returning to the table.

Beef Stroganoff is one of ours.

Tender beef, a creamy sauce and crispy potatoes make this the definition of comfort food.

Not trendy.

Not complicated.

Just very good.

▶️ Watch our home cooking adventures:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdtvQKJL0GYcnvl8RD4tzRMelqGKX-10-

BURGER DAY: 10 BURGERS IN OUR KITCHEN!

Sometimes things get slightly out of control.

For International Hamburger Day, Nell joined me and Chef Mazen Zeidan in our kitchen for a live cooking session.

The mission?

Prepare 10 different burgers.

More than an hour of cooking, eating, experimenting and having fun together.

This is exactly why I enjoy filming Nell Cooks. Cooking shouldn’t always be serious.

It should be fun.

▶️ Find the Burger Day episode and more Nell Cooks videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdtvQKJL0GYcnvl8RD4tzRMelqGKX-10-

NELL COOKS IN DUBAI

Our cooking adventures eventually traveled with us.

New city. New kitchen.

Same Nell.

Cooking with Nell in Dubai: It Was So Much Fun!

This is one of those videos that perfectly captures us cooking together.

There isn’t much more explanation needed.

Get into the kitchen and have fun.

▶️ WATCH ON YOUTUBE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEe11nlsQTU

NELL COOKS × COOKING UNSCRIPTED

Years after we started filming Nell cooking at home, the concept entered a new chapter.

Nell joined me on Cooking Unscripted, bringing her home-cooking approach into a professional kitchen.

The environment became more professional.

The philosophy didn’t change.

Make delicious food people can actually reproduce and enjoy.

CHICKEN & POTATOES… BUT NOT THE USUAL WAY

Chicken and potatoes.

Probably one of the most familiar combinations on a Lebanese family table.

But what happens when Nell Cooks meets Chef Jean Barbour?

Things become a little less conventional.

Nell joined me and Jean in the kitchen to reinterpret this family favorite, combining the instincts of a home cook with professional techniques.

And, of course, I was there to eat.

▶️ WATCH THE FULL EPISODE ON YOUTUBE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMRjFW9r7GM

NELL COOKS WITH REEF: BREAD, KAAK & HEALTHY IDEAS

Bread is at the heart of the Lebanese table.

In this episode, Nell takes familiar products such as bread and kaak and turns them into practical, family-friendly meals.

Smoked salmon sandwiches, labneh wraps, hummus fatteh and other ideas show that everyday ingredients don’t have to be boring.

This episode represents another important part of Nell’s philosophy: food can be practical, healthy and delicious at the same time.

▶️ WATCH THE FULL EPISODE ON YOUTUBE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MS3GGekBbw

▶️ WATCH THE SHORT TRAILER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_St48hn_5o

HEALTHY PASTA WITH NELL

Pasta is probably one of the world’s ultimate family foods.

It’s quick, versatile, affordable and almost everyone loves it.

Nell returned to Cooking Unscripted to explore healthier pasta creations and demonstrate how an everyday bowl of pasta can become something much more interesting.

The challenge isn’t making dinner complicated.

It’s making simple dinner better.

▶️ Watch Nell’s Cooking Unscripted episodes and more:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdtvQKJL0GYcnvl8RD4tzRMelqGKX-10-

FAST & FLAVORFUL: NELL COOKS WITH PUIDOR

What happens when everybody is hungry and nobody wants to spend three hours preparing dinner?

You cook smart.

In this episode of Cooking Unscripted, Nell explores quick recipes, pasta, sauces, leftovers and easy ways to create satisfying family meals without spending the entire evening in the kitchen.

Because home cooking isn’t a competition to see who can make the most complicated dish.

Sometimes the best recipe is simply the one you can prepare tonight.

▶️ Watch the episode and discover more Nell Cooks videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdtvQKJL0GYcnvl8RD4tzRMelqGKX-10-

CHRISTMAS WITH NELL

Christmas changes a kitchen.

The smells change. The recipes change. The table gets bigger. And suddenly everyone is waiting for dessert.

Over the years, Nell has shared many Christmas recipes and festive cooking ideas.

We eventually brought them together for a Nell Cooks Christmas Edition, celebrating some of our favorite holiday recipes and memories.

▶️ Watch Nell Cooks Christmas and the complete collection:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdtvQKJL0GYcnvl8RD4tzRMelqGKX-10-

MORE THAN A COOKING SERIES

Looking back at these videos today, I realize Nell Cooks has quietly documented part of our family’s life.

Different kitchens.

Lebanon.

Dubai.

The children growing up.

Breakfasts.

Family dinners.

Lockdown.

Christmas.

Desserts.

Healthy recipes.

Cooking experiments.

Professional kitchens.

And lots of laughter.

Food has taken me around the world. I’ve spent years searching for extraordinary restaurants, chefs, producers, bakers, farmers and street food heroes.

But food doesn’t have to come from a famous restaurant to become a memory.

Sometimes it’s simply something prepared by the person you love, in your own kitchen, for your own family.

And maybe that’s what Nell Cooks was always really about.

She cooks. I eat. We share.

WATCH ALL NELL COOKS VIDEOS

Continue the journey on the NoGarlicNoOnions YouTube channel:

▶️ NELL COOKS – FULL PLAYLIST
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdtvQKJL0GYcnvl8RD4tzRMelqGKX-10-

And don’t forget to subscribe to NoGarlicNoOnions on YouTube for more food, travel, people, Lebanon, Dubai and stories from around the world.