She’s traveled across many industries professionally, including airlines, real estate, doctors’ offices, and a floral company before discovering her passion for cooking at 25 when a stubborn case of burnout caused her to take a break from school and work to find herself. During this time, she found herself in the kitchen, where a new found passion and purpose was birthed. “By stopping [work] and taking some time off of the things that weren’t really fueling my soul- I was able to discover my passion for food and hospitality- or I guess you can say, it discovered me. When acquaintances ask me for advice on finding their purpose, I always advise them to eliminate what’s NOT working in order to make room for what does. I believe this is the best way to discover a purpose and passion that serves not only oneself, but humanity.”
Cooking in the kitchen gave Moussa the opportunity to channel her freedom and creative side. She began an Instagram to share her dishes, which gained popularity quickly during the rise of the term “#foodie” and social media influencers. Always a free spirit, Moussa was known to skip measuring ingredients, and instead cook from the heart. When people started asking for the recipes, Moussa wasn’t sure how she would explain her recipes without precise quantities- being that she used her intuition to cook from the heart. “With cooking, you can break the rules,” she says. It was her record-breaking social media post, “Cooking Classes Coming Soon” that launched her into her entrepreneurial project, ZeeTheCook. Not knowing how or where this journey would start, Moussa committed first, and figured the rest out later.
Moussa began cooking classes in her one-stove home in Dearborn, Michigan. Patrons would sign a liability waiver issued by an attorney and then crowd into Moussa’s kitchen to watch her cook. For 2 years, Moussa saved every penny from this endeavor until she was able to get a building of her own to run cooking and life-skills events out of. She found that combining the idea of food and people helped consumers strengthen relationships, discover new skills, and build great memories. Now she is able to host field trips for schools, host corporate team-building competitions for adults, organize private events like birthday parties and family reunions, and more for students of all ages.
Being the owner of her company, Moussa loves knowing she is empowering her staff to make a positive impact as well. Her upbeat energy helps children who attend classes become future leaders by learning cooking skills, sanitation, hard work, table etiquette, and confidence, regardless of what profession they end up pursuing. Moussa recognizes that cooking is a life skill, not just a hobby to learn, and adults and children who attend her classes are learning many important skills outside of following recipes.
Like many entrepreneurs, Moussa faced many personal obstacles in order to get to where she is today. Developing a business costs personal sacrifices such as time away from family and learning to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. However, Moussa emphasizes that you need to be uncomfortable in order to grow. The growth has led ZeeTheCook to become an award-winning leader, most recently being named 2022 Woman of The Year for the City of Dearborn Michigan. Moussa is also nationally recognized as a 2nd year Rising Star through the Society of Foodservice Management and the recipient of the 2020 Director’s Award for Community Service by SHFM.
Now 7 years into her business, Moussa has big plans for her future in the hospitality industry. She plans on extending her business globally, offering virtual and in-person lessons using locally sourced ingredients from different cities. She also wants to enlist the help of “ZeeTheCook Ambassadors” around the world who can spread her messages and lessons far and wide. “I’m serving my purpose on this earth,” she says. Moussa also offers virtual team-building experiences to spread her love and passions anywhere the internet can reach. Moussa’s favorite part of her job is being able to inspire those around her, and expanding ZeeTheCook will help her do just that!
By: Eleni Finkelstein
ZeeTheCook
Owner & Managing Director ZeeTheCook
Zee Moussa, also known as “Zee The Cook” is the Owner of ZeeTheCook Culinary Studio in Metro Detroit, a school offering cooking and baking instruction to kids, teens, and adults. Zee and her team host in-person and virtual Corporate Team-Building Workshops, Private Cooking Parties, and other Recreational Life-Skills Services.
