Zaynab developed over 100 recipes during her time in the Epicurious and Bon Appetit Test Kitchens. She’s most proud, however, of these Chewy Dark Chocolate and Date Cookies, which are spiked with olive and tahini. She says they “flip the traditional chocolate chip cookie on its head, but in a good way.” Issa is an expert in food media. She runs a successful Substack, where she posts carefully tested recipes, travel suggestions, and essays. She makes viral videos, including this banana cream latte that will make you swoon. She published Third Culture Cooking last year (which made our list of the best cookbooks for spring 2025). Her work has appeared on Buzzfeed, Food52 and The New York Times. She’s also been featured in Bon Appetit and Epicurious. How about these Ultra Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes. Issa told me that this recipe was her Achilles’ heel when I spoke with her. “Pancakes can be difficult to make, as they require a tender crumb and a crisp outside. She said that adding the extra liquid from canned pumpkin to the mix was a challenge. After lots of trial-and-error, I knew I had it right when Andy Baraghani brought the pancakes to his station for lunch. We would do the exact same thing!
