Samira Janatdoust, manager of Paniz Mehr Iranian Institute was given the Golden Statue Award at the Exquisite Art Books Festival in 2012 from the hands of the Minister of Islamic Culture and Guidance for her book titled “Paniz Traditional and Modern Cookies”. So far, she has published 4 titles out of her 16-volume cook book; the first one “Paniz Traditional and Modern Desserts”; the second one “Paniz Traditional Cooking”, which is her first bilingual cook book, edited by professor Jody Bilyeu of Cambridge University and is widely known for being the Traditional Iranian Cooking Encyclopedia; the third one “Paniz Traditional and Modern Cookies”, the most comprehensive book about cookies in Iran; and the last one “Paniz Table Layout, Food Art and Garnishing”, which surveys some ancient Iranian traditions and rituals such as Yalda Night, Nowrouz, Wedding Spread, etc. and is put together with gorgeous yet simple designs.
Numerous Iranians have benefited from her cooking classes and have received culinary degrees granted to them by Ms. Janatdoust. Her simplified methods of teaching have urged the Technical and Vocational Education Organization of Iran to give her the title of “Iran’s Top Female Chef”. She has worked as a cooking instructor for about 20 years now. She graduated with a Golden Chef degree from the Technical and Vocational Education Organization. Aside from this major achievement, she has earned 17 other accredited degrees in various fields of the food industry.
The main goal of Paniz Mehr Iranian Institute is that of preserving the cultural heritage of Iran, namely Persian food, and to introduce this heritage to people all across the globe. Ms. Janatdoust is passionate about her field of work. The following paragraphs give us a brief look into the wonderful world of cooking through her eyes: Just as it is my children’s right to get acquainted with food from different nations through the internet and TV and to get to know the various types that exist such as Italian, Indian or Chinese food -all of which are found on Persian dining tables-, it is also right for children of other nationalities to become familiar with the Persian food culture, especially since there is a very long tradition of a thousand years behind it. It’s been a year since I’ve started working in depth with different seasonings, vegetables and legumes in order to rewrite my Traditional Cook Book.
When we take a closer look at things, we realize that Avicenna’s science has had a great influence on traditional Persian cooking. For instance, turmeric, a highly beneficial seasoning, tends to maintain some of its benefits beter when mixed with certain vegetables; therefore, certain legumes need to be seasoned properly in order to maintain their health benefits and be better digested in human body. These rules are well observed in certain Persian dishes called “Aash” (similar to a thick soup).
Iran’s Top Female Chef Why read Paniz Cook Book? · Paniz Cook Books have been writen in both English and Persian so that they can be of benefit to a wider audience both inside and outside the country. · Paniz Cook Books are illustrated with many high-quality pictures showing the preparing and cooking process step by step. · Paniz Cook Books do not forget to mention even the slightest detail that the readers need to know in order to prepare a fabulous meal. The books contain several guidelines about food and vegetable preservation and different cooking methods. 
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