Digital stories with Dayaa School and Kitchen

Get comfy for our new series titled Digital Stories to hear insights and stories from artists and locals who have a connection to Blacktown, and the surrounding areas.

For our first edition we are joined by Justine Youssef and her mother Siham Chamoun to dive deep into their project Dayaa School and Kitchen – a cooking school devoted to reviving ancestral recipes that are being lost with displacement. Siham and Justine talk to us about their family recipes, their ingredients, and the memories they sustain.

Available to view from August 7.

Watch here

Bio

Founded by Justine Youssef and her mother Siham Chamoun (Sahtein Lebanese Feasts)—is a cooking school devoted to reviving ancestral Lebanese recipes that are being lost with displacement. Dayaa means village in Arabic, and through these classes, they weave history, hands-on learning, and the joy of gathering. The school is based on Dharug Country in Sydney, Australia where First Nations sovereignty never ceded.

You can find Dayaa School and Kitchen on Instagram here

This project is presented by Blacktown Arts and supported by Blacktown City Council and Create NSW

 

Image Credits:

Cooking workshop with Dayaa School and Kitchen at Parramatta Artist Studios, 2025, courtesy of artist
Justine Youssef and Siham Chamoun, 2025, courtesy of artist