At six years old, most of us were still struggling to steer a forkful of food into our mouth without poking our eye out, but Zaara seems to have skipped that stage and has gone straight into hosting her own online cooking show.
The vlog, called Zaara Lina’s Cooking Club, is a collaboration between foodie Zaara and her equally enthusiastic mum, Rachel. Now moving into it’s 23rd episode, it follows Zaara as she prepares, cooks and creates various dishes on camera.
Rachel reveals that the vlog serves as an excuse to spend more quality time together, as well as sharing their passion for cooking with the world. The idea for an online cooking show came up one evening as the pair were watching the Food Network and Zaara expressed her wish to one day have her own food show on TV. After posting a trial cupcake video online and receiving positive feedback, they jointly decided to embark on a new journey together.
Rachel takes us through the entire process. "We discuss what recipes to tackle, go shopping and prepare the ingredients together," Rachel says as she highlights that now that Zaara is growing older, she is becoming more interested in taking creative decisions. Their current arrangement sees Rachel plan the shots, edit, publish the recipes and update social media platforms while Zaara hosts the shows and cooks on camera. "You only film mummy!" Rachel laughs as she reports her daughter's comments.
In her latest feature, Zaara is seen attempting and successfully executing a Maltese ftira. She diligently identifies all the ingredients and even lets in on their origins. “Basil and mint [are] from grandma’s garden”, she says. In another sweet moment, she shows a peppered cheeselet and exclaims, “my great-grandmother did this one - hello nanna Lina!”
Since being uploaded less than 24 hours ago, the episode has garnered almost 5,000 views. Previous editions have seen her attempt spaghetti with lampuki, baked rice and puff pastry salmon parcels, among many other tempting dishes.
Zaara's favourite part is understandably the tasting at the end, and she digs into the glorified sandwich with gusto. “Ahh kemm hi tajba!/Wow it’s so good!” she enthuses as she gives the camera a thumbs up.
When asked about the future, Rachel reveals Zaara has her sights set on becoming a TV cooking show host. "We're currently taking it easy," Rachel admits as she insists that she would like her daughter to enjoy her childhood while honing her interests simultaneously. "She is one super motivated girl though, so who knows, maybe in the future she can get her own cooking show on TV?"
We're looking forward to the day you do Zaara!