“What you see is what you know.” For Zaynab Issa, that phrase captures the heart of her story. Growing up in New Jersey, what she saw were women in her family cooking—stirring, tasting, plating meals that carried history in every bite. Yet, even as she quietly nurtured a love for food, her parents dismissed the idea of her making it into a career. Cooking professionally, they feared, would mean compromising the family’s values around food and faith.

So when it came time for college, Issa enrolled at Baruch to study finance. But in truth, numbers were never where her curiosity lived. She took an internship at Time Inc. during her first year and, one opportunity after another, found herself immersed in fashion, beauty, and media. By the time she admitted finance wasn’t for her, she carved out a path that blended marketing, communications, and journalism, with a side of art—a foundation that would serve her far better than she expected.

From TikTok to Bon Appétit

The leap into food as a career didn’t happen with a grand plan. It started with TikTok videos, shot and posted for fun, where Issa shared her spin on recipes and cooking techniques. Audiences responded quickly. At the same time, she landed her first job at BuzzFeed, working within its talent incubator program. The exposure gave her room to experiment and refine her content.

Then came the email: Bon Appétit’s food director Chris Morocco invited her to interview for an assistant food editor role. Within months, Issa found herself in one of the most influential food media circles in the country.

But the rise came with its own challenges. Balancing a demanding editorial role while growing a digital presence was overwhelming. Signing with a manager helped, and soon, the conversations turned toward publishing a cookbook. At first, Issa resisted—it felt premature. But after time and encouragement, she embraced the project. Two years later, Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation was born.

Finding Home in “Third Culture”

The book’s title reflects not just recipes but a worldview. Issa identifies as a third culture kid: her parents are Indian, her grandmother grew up in East Africa, and she was raised in the U.S. For years, she wrestled with the “in-between”—never fully one thing or another. Discovering the phrase third culture gave her clarity and calm. “I don’t have to pick,” she explains. “I exist here. And that’s enough.”

Her cooking mirrors that realization. It’s neither strictly American nor strictly traditional. Instead, it’s layered, contextual, rooted in story. Unlike the sometimes gimmicky label of “fusion,” third culture cooking honors history while making space for new interpretations. It reflects the reality of so many families who carry multiple homelands in a single kitchen.

Beauty as Ritual

Outside the kitchen, Issa’s creativity flows into beauty and self-care, shaped largely by the women in her family. With a mother who worked as a hairdresser and aesthetician, and two sisters equally immersed in beauty rituals, she grew up believing these practices were simply part of womanhood. For Issa, even wearing a headscarf becomes a form of expression: if she’s wrapping her scarf, she may as well add gloss, or perfect her skincare routine, since her face becomes the focal point.

Her skincare journey began with the discovery of Drunk Elephant products at 18, and her regimen has since expanded into a thoughtful ritual of cleansing, exfoliating, hydrating, and protecting her skin. She cycles between brands like Youth to the People, Humanrace, and Tower 28, balancing chemical and physical exfoliants with serums and moisturizers that brighten and calm. Sunscreen, specifically EltaMD’s tinted SPF 40, remains non-negotiable.

A Playful Approach to Makeup

While Issa doesn’t wear makeup every day—cooking content doesn’t exactly call for a full face—she enjoys the creative side of cosmetics. On light days, it’s a dab of concealer, a flush of balm, and curled lashes. For fuller looks, she leans on Kosas concealer, Dior blush, Sephora shadows, and her long-beloved winged eyeliner—though she now achieves it with black eyeshadow instead of liquid liner. Setting sprays, blush layering techniques, and NYX lip liners round out her toolkit.

Hair, Nails, and Fragrance

Hair care, she admits, is more practical than indulgent. She relies on Davines shampoo, simple styling with buns and Dyson blowouts, and twice-a-year trims. Headscarf-friendly tools, like silk hair ties and compact brushes, make the routine manageable.

Her nails, however, are treated with more care, with regular visits to her go-to salon and a preference for understated, long-lasting shades like Essie’s Sheer Fantasy. Hand creams and serums keep the ritual going at home.

And then there’s fragrance—a passion that threads through her personal and domestic life. Oud-based scents dominate her collection, from D.S. & Durga’s Notorious Oud to incense pebbles brought from Dubai. Each fragrance, she says, feels like another layer of identity, another way of inhabiting space between cultures.

Creating a Life That’s Her Own

Issa’s story is one of gentle defiance—of acknowledging where she comes from while refusing to be boxed in by expectations. Food was once discouraged, yet it became her career. Beauty could have been dismissed as frivolous, but instead it’s part of her creative and cultural vocabulary. Cooking, skincare, fragrance, writing—all these pieces build a portrait of someone forging a life on her own terms.

And perhaps that’s the essence of “third culture” beyond food. It’s not about choosing one side or blending them into something unrecognizable. It’s about standing confidently in the space between, making it home, and allowing that space to expand outward—through recipes, rituals, and stories—for a new generation.