MAUREEN ABOOD writes about her Lebanese family, food, and the soul of the kitchen. Her work appears in Saveur, Gastronomica, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, U.S. Catholic, and on the Hallmark Channel’s New Morning.

She has presented numerous culinary demonstrations on Lebanese culinary technique and culture, including for the Chicago Culinary Historians (2005), the Chicago Tribune Printer’s Row Book Fair (2005 & 2006), and Chicago’s Green City Market (2006). She appeared on the PBS/WTTW special, "The Foods of Chicago: A Delicious History," and in the companion cookbook.

The Greenbrier Symposium for Professional Food Writers awarded her with the Greenbrier Scholarship in 2005. She won first place for feature writing in the Association of Food Journalists’ Awards Competition 2005.

Maureen has a B.A. from Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame and an M.A. in literature from Michigan State University. She works as Chief Communications Officer for the Claretian Missionaries and their affiliates, the National Shrine of St. Jude and Claretian Publications in Chicago.