John Nazari is an engineer by profession and a content creator and culinary expert by passion. Born in Iran, he moved to Canada post-1978 Iranian revolution for better prospects and to make a life full of dreams and aspirations. He started working as an industrial engineer at a reputable company and worked his way up to management. However, it’s his life inside the kitchen that gets his blood pumping and creative juices flowing.
Ever since he was a kid, he has had an interest in cooking. He used to help his mother around the kitchen and learned to chop vegetables, cut meat and mix them with different spices. It was when he started living alone that he realized he could either start cooking for himself or fall prey to junk food and eating out. Of course, cooking at home was a healthier option. When he finally started to do that, he gauged there was so much he could do in the kitchen space by fusing different spices and cuisines to create something fresh and delicious.
John Nazari is a man with a desire to create, design, and fix things. “The drive to create something new or to fix something that needs fixing is what keeps me motivated. I have not gone to work a single day in my life thinking that I do not like what I do, and I come back home every single day with the thought of creating something new,” John Nazari shared. “When not working at my full-time job, I am creating in the kitchen. I spend a good portion of my evenings developing and testing recipes. Often times a new recipe is prepped and ready to go from the night before. I also wake up quite early, which makes weekend lunches more fun. Creating new recipes, fusing different cuisines, designing meal plans, or merging taste palettes from East with the West; I am an ardent supporter of everything organic, healthy, and diverse,” he adds.
According to John Nazari, a testament to his desire to create and design lies in establishing his premium spice blends – Nazari’s Touch. The line of gourmet spice blends was born during the pandemic. While increasing his activity on Instagram, he realized that many people are selling their own brands and products from the comfort of their homes without any commercial kitchen. Hence, Nazari’s Touch was born.
The first idea as a product struck when he put his signature Za’atar blend together and used it on some strained yogurt as an appetizer during a party at his house. No one knew what it was, but the yogurt was wiped clean, and the feedback was magnificent. That was the start of the spice blend business. Currently, he has three blends – Za’atar Spice Blend, Taco Seasoning, and Pulled Pork Dry Rub – while three more spice blends are in the pipeline. Each of his products is made of premium ingredients to ensure excellent quality and flavor and goes through multiple rounds of tasting through friends and relatives. Their critique helps him further improve his product, and he keeps working on it until he and the others are happy with the taste.
Using his culinary expertise, John Nazari has garnered a massive following through his content creation. Where he is making waves as a content creator, food producer, and chef, John is not only using it for his benefit but also helping small businesses and farms as well. “I actively seek businesses that have a strong ethical vision such as being eco-friendly, sustainable, etc. but have a smaller social media presence. It gives me pleasure to work with their products in real life and spread the word about their vision.” He continued, “I work with some other businesses that are simply for fun and may have well-known names, but they are still local or new to the social media game. I typically partner with them to showcase their products in the form of posts and stories so their quality products can reach out to the masses as well.”
John Nazari is a host by nature and loves to have people over at his house for a good meal. The process of planning and executing a multi-course meal is what keeps him going. He prepares even the simplest meals for the family with chef-style care and presentation. With a strong emphasis on perfection in cooking, a focus on diversity, and the use of healthy and organic ingredients, John Nazari is a new-age culinary expert who gives dining a whole new meaning and experience.
