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Ham El-Waylly

Ham El-Waylly is a New York chef, recipe developer and video creator, known for Mystery Menu with Sohla, Brooklyn’s Strange Delight and his cookbook Hello, Home Cooking.

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Ham’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.

Known for

Overview

Raised
Doha, Qatar, with an Egyptian father and Bolivian mother
Based
New York City
Education
Culinary Institute of America
Known for
Mystery Menu with Sohla El-Waylly
Debut cookbook
Hello, Home Cooking, published March 24, 2026

Mini bio

How it started.

Ham grew up in Doha with an Egyptian father and Bolivian mother. Food was already the family business, and his first job was at a shawarma stand. After moving to New Jersey, he earned an associate degree in business before enrolling at the Culinary Institute of America, where he met Sohla.

Restaurant roots.

He trained in kitchens including wd~50 and Corton and worked at Empellón before opening Hail Mary with Sohla in Brooklyn in 2016. The pair received StarChefs Rising Star Chef recognition in 2017. Ham later led research and development at Momofuku’s Ando and worked as a corporate executive chef.

Finding fans on screen.

Mystery Menu brought his cooking partnership with Sohla to NYT Cooking viewers: one surprise ingredient, one hour and a meal to figure out together. Their shared Sohla and Ham channel now gives fans another place to cook along, including the Stand and Stir series.

Food that feels like home.

In 2024, Ham opened Strange Delight in Fort Greene with Anoop Pillarisetti and Michael Tuiach, serving New Orleans-inspired seafood. His 2026 debut cookbook, Hello, Home Cooking, draws on family food and restaurant experience to help readers make everyday meals. Its publisher lists it as a national bestseller.

Creditschronological, newest first

Books and food media

Restaurants

Awards

Quotes

We’re basically nerds.Ham El-Waylly, The Sporkful, August 22, 2022

Remembering the cooking shows and food science he and Sohla loved at culinary school. Source: https://www.sporkful.com/sohla-and-ham-el-waylly-settle-a-pancake-dispute/

Trivia

  1. His first job was at a shawarma stand in Doha.
  2. He and Sohla connected at culinary school over the Alinea cookbook and a shared interest in food science.
  3. He made a homemade version of Cinnamon Toast Crunch from pita to get around a school-year ban on sugary cereal.

Find Ham

Follow Ham for recipes, kitchen experiments and life with Sohla.

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