Food helped Bijan’s mother connect with neighbors. But her Persian recipes on the family dinner table helped heal their homesick hearts as well. Food became an expression of belonging and later, for Bijan, a career.

With her mother’s encouragement, Bijan pursued her dreams. After studying at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, she returned to San Francisco and started her own French restaurant. But a few years ago, she began to rediscover Persian cuisine.

“When my mother died in 2004, I found these recipes and I very much felt that she had left those for me to find and that they carried her story," she says. "But it took me over a year to really understand what to do with it.”

In "Maman’s Homesick Pie: A Persian Heart in An American Kitchen," chef Donia Bijan shares not only recipes, but also the story behind them.

Bijan decided to compile the recipes in a cookbook. She calls it a “food memoir.”

“I realized that recipes are so dull, if they are just instructions. And you can convey so much with a recipe if it is tied in with a story."

Bijan's book, "Maman’s Homesick Pie: A Persian Heart in An American Kitchen," contains 30 recipes. They include Saffron Yogurt Rice with Chicken and Eggplant, Braised Chicken with Persian Plums, and Orange Cardamom cookies. All are delivered with stories.

“When I was talking about spending our summers by the Caspian Sea, it was natural for me to include fava bean omelet because I remember eating it by the seaside with all my relatives," Bijan says.