DUBAI: Jessica Kahawaty has been teasing her fans for the past few weeks about a major project that she’s been working on and now it’s finally here. This week, the Dubai-based Lebanese-Australian model and humanitarian launched her first food venture with her mother Rita Kahawaty. Titled Mama Rita, the new service is a food delivery venture that focuses on healthy, home-cooked meals that her mother specializes in, and which she routinely shares on social media. “I just want to bring my mother’s passion to life. Her food is incredible, and I want the world to try it for themselves,” said the 32-year-old in conversation with Vogue Arabia. “For years and years, everyone has been pleading with me to do something with my food—a cookbook, a show, a restaurant, anything! I love cooking for my friends and family as well as sharing new recipes,” said the model’s mother Rita, adding to her daughter’s statement. “We wanted people to taste the food from my hands and not simply read a recipe. And this is how we started exploring Mama Rita, a food delivery concept with the slogan: From My Kitchen to Your Home,” she added, explaining why the duo decided to launch a food delivery service rather than take the cookbook route. According to the duo, Mama Rita only uses high quality, fresh ingredients, which are ethically sourced from the local farmers and communities. A glimpse at the menu reveals a mouth-watering selection of traditional, Middle Eastern-inspired dishes with a contemporary twist such as beetroot hummus, oven-baked fatayer with spinach stuffing, a chicken shawarma platter marinated in spices and sauces overnight and a selection of salads including tabbouleh and fattoush. For Jessica’s part, she handles the logistics of the company, focusing on branding, content, photography, procuring, copywriting and website design. As an activist and UNICEF ambassador, Kahawaty’s new venture is launching with a philanthropic element, with 100% of Mama Rita’s profits from the first two weeks going to victims of the Beirut explosion. It’s been a busy week for Kahawaty, who turned 32 this week. The humanitarian celebrated her special day with a disco-themed birthday dinner alongside her loved ones in Dubai.