You may remember Amanda Saab who was a fan favorite on Season 6 of Fox’s “MasterChef” (having been eliminated due to an under-baked cake). Good news for fans as Amanda still has cooking on her mind with a new endeavor called ‘Dinner With Your Muslim Neighbor.’
The inspiration for the dinners came post 2016 election, when Amanda realized that a lot of people may not know any Muslims. She asked herself, “Have I played a part in that? Have I not reached out to people and given them an opportunity to meet me?” She told her husband, Hussein, “Let’s invite strangers over for dinner.”
‘Dinner With Your Muslim Neighbor’ soon became a regular event first in Seattle, where the couple recently lived, and now in Detroit, where they’ve recently relocated. “We’re not theologians,” says Hussein. “We’re not clerics. . . . We try to practice our faith as best we can, and we’ll answer any questions you throw at us as best we can.”
One dinner guest declared that it was a “disarming” way to make the connection. “What [Amanda] is doing, I think, shines a light,” says another guest, Anjana Agarwal.
Amanda and Hussein are currently developing a free online guide book for other Muslims to hold their own dinner parties.
