Food Memory Journal: Document Flavors and Recipes
A course by Sumayya UsmaniCreative Writer and Food Educator
A course by Sumayya Usmani, Creative Writer and Food Educator
Turn culinary experiences into unique stories by exploring creative techniques to make your own food-themed memory journal
"Food and writing both have the incredible ability to evoke deep feelings and powerful memories. That’s according to Sumayya Usmani, a food writer, author, and educator who tells stories about authentic living through the culinary lens. Sumayya writes for The Guardian and The Telegraph, and she won the Scottish Book Trust’s Next Chapter Award in 2021.
In this online course, Sumayya teaches you how to write food-related stories that combine the arts of creative writing, intuitive cooking, and slow living. Create a time capsule of ideas sprinkled with your own memories, and use them to make a unique flavor memory journal that engages each of your senses.
This is Sumayya’s second Domestika course. In her first, Cookbook Writing: Tell Stories Through Recipes , she shows you how to create a cookbook that combines recipes with storytelling.
What will you learn in this online course?
13 lessons & 22 downloads
Materials and What We Will Do in This Course
3 minutes, 16 seconds
Creative Writing Gym: Flavour Flash Cards
12 minutes, 27 seconds
Memory Mapping
14 minutes, 27 seconds
Organising Your Idea: The Layout and Rough Designs
14 minutes, 59 seconds
The First Story: Memory of Spring
15 minutes, 13 seconds
The Second Story: Learning to Cook through Conversation
16 minutes, 23 seconds
What's included in this course?
"Sumayya shares her journey of growing up around food and the inspiration behind her love of journaling. Discover Sumayya’s influences, including Virginia Woolfe and Oscar Wilde, and develop a “creative gym” to aid your food writing.
Learn to mine and map your memories, then see how to describe them using taste and smell. Focus on building a healthy writing habit and choose a key topic for your memory journal, before creating a rough layout. Sumayya then shares tips for writing about food memories and structuring your journal.
Develop the intro to your memory journal. Create several stories combining different writing techniques and visuals, and find props including pressed leaves, flowers, spices, and old photographs to add structure to your journal. Curate your entries into a cohesive and curated repository of memories and flavors before experimenting with dialogue.
To wrap up, Sumayya shares some inspirational ideas for developing your flavor memory journal, and some practical tips for staying consistent with your journaling practice in the future. "
What is this course's project?
Learn food writing techniques to create a unique flavor memory journal.
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone who is interested in preserving memories of food, flavors, and folklore in the form of a journal.
Requirements and materials
No previous writing experience is required for this course.
In terms of equipment, you will need a journal and a pen for writing.
Reviews
- 1 month ago
Me encanta, me inspira para hacer una conexión entre los sabores, recuerdos, sentimientos, tradiciones y la manera de escribir sobre esto.
- 9 months ago
¡Excelente curso e inspirador!
- 10 months ago
Assez simple, mais plaisant et apaisant :)
- 11 months ago
Un curso muy enriquecedor y recomendable
- 1 year ago
exelente
Sumayya went on to practice law for 12 years in London and Pakistan. However, in 2012 she quit law in pursuit of her passion; food writing and teaching. Now based in Glasgow, her life-long love for writing, along with her natural flair, has led her to publish award-winning cookbooks. Her latest book is a food memoir, and ventures further into creative writing, which has won the Scottish Book Trust’s Next Chapter Award in 2021. Sumayya regularly appears at multiple book festivals such as the Edinburgh Book Festival, she has written for and appeared in numerous publications including in The New York Times, The Guardian, and on BBC Food, amongst others. She’s a guest speaker on many podcasts and a regular on BBC Radio. Sumayya also hosts cooking classes, and is a committee member of the Guild of Food Writers.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- U2
Mining Memories: Coming up with an Idea for the Journal
- Materials and What We Will Do in This Course
- Creative Writing Gym: Flavour Flash Cards
- Memory Mapping
- Organising Your Idea: The Layout and Rough Designs
- How to Write about Food
- U3
Writing Journal Entries
- The Opening Pages
- The First Story: Memory of Spring
- The Second Story: Learning to Cook through Conversation
- The Third Story: Nani Mummy’s Rice Pudding
- U4
Starting a Journaling Routine
- Keeping Up Daily Exercises
- Writing as a Habit
- FP
Final project
- Food Memory Journal: Document Flavors and Recipes
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for beginners and guides you step-by-step through food journaling, memoir writing, and capturing sensory memories, with no previous experience required.
You'll need a notebook or journal, basic writing tools like pens or pencils, and optional items such as washi tape, photographs, or memorabilia to personalize your entries.
You’ll learn to document food memories, write engaging food stories, structure recipes with narrative, and use sensory details to create a personal flavor journal that captures your culinary heritage.
No prior writing experience is needed. The course provides beginner-friendly prompts and techniques to help you develop your unique writer’s voice and storytelling skills.
The course offers creative prompts, memory mapping exercises, and sensory journaling techniques to trigger inspiration and help you connect flavors, places, and emotions in your writing.
Yes, you'll learn how to blend storytelling with recipe writing, including crafting introductions, describing food textures, and breaking down ingredients for engaging, memorable recipes.
Absolutely. The course guides you in preserving family recipes, recording food memories, and sharing cultural heritage through creative journaling and memoir techniques.