She knows food is the way to the heart, and Pary Baban´s mission to put Kurdistan on the map with her cooking seems to be going according to plan.

On a cold December night, I meet Pary Baban in her restaurant Nandine on Vestry Road. She can tell I am freezing, and offers me something warm to drink. I instantly feel warmer, not just because of the coffee, but because she makes me feel welcome.

We talk for about an hour, and it feels like conversing with a dear family member. And that´s exactly the feeling she wants to leave her guests with. In Kurdish culture, a meal means more than just eating to get full – it is a time for families to get together and talk about life, and whatever problems they encounter. Pary describes it as therapeutic. She reminisces about her younger years in Kurdistan and recalls how her mother would always prepare tea and food in the morning. When Pary and her siblings woke up, they would eat and converse for an hour or two.

Baban´s passion for cooking started when she was a young girl back in Kurdistan, with her grandmother being her biggest inspiration. She learned a lot from watching her and her aunts in the kitchen. Traditionally, recipes are passed down generations, so a lot of the food Pary makes today, is the same food her grandmother used to make in the 60s.

Kurdistan is often associated with turmoil. The Kurds don´t have a permanent independent nation of their own, despite being the fourth largest ethnic group in the Middle East. But the culture is a very rich one. The region encompasses parts of Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria and Armenia, resulting in a varied and unique culture. Kurdish cuisine is a reflection of that.

In 1989, when Pary was in her late teens, the family had to flee their northern Iraqi hometown of Qaladze, as it was attacked by Saddam Hussein´s forces. They traveled through different villages and stayed with relatives – all farmers and shepherds who were big on foraging and traditional cheese making. Every village had its own distinct way of making food, using different selections of herbs, spices and berries.

This piqued Pary´s interest in cooking, and she started noting down recipes and regional differences in a journal. These recipes are used in her restaurant today. The unique Kurdish cuisine, combined with traditions and Pary´s invaluable knowledge is why the food at Nandine most likely will be unlike anything you´ve ever tried before.

The family took refuge in East Kurdistan for about five years. During this time, Pary´s cooking skills improved; her mother never liked to cook, so Pary and her sisters took over the kitchen. In 1993, they went back home briefly, but the situation worsened. So in 1995, a pregnant Pary moved to South East London with her husband and son, where they have stayed ever since.

The two worked hard to save up for a kiosk in a newsagents in Elephant and Castle. Pary worked alongside her husband, and with two boys in primary school and a college education on the side, days were long.

She eventually started selling homemade sandwiches with stir-fried spinach and egg chaat in the kiosk. When she realised people loved it, she started incorporating other Kurdish dishes, such as Dolma, lentil soup and stew. Eventually, they opened a sandwich kiosk next to the newsagents.

For Pary Baban it was never about the money, but about keeping her culture alive the best way she knows how. Introducing the world to Kurdistan, and leaving Kurds in London with the feeling that they are back home again is the reason she keeps going. “Customers say it feels like it´s a family. Kurdish people often tell me the food tastes as if their own mother made it. That´s what it´s all about for me” she says.

When the interview is over, I tell her I am not leaving without trying some of the delicious food I´ve heard so much about by now. “I will make you something good” she says and runs to the kitchen. For the next 30 minutes, I enjoy one of the best meals I have ever had the pleasure of eating. And yes, the rumours are true: it is like nothing I have ever tried before.

When I´m finished, Pary refuses to let me pay. I promise her I´ll be back soon, and she tells me I´m always welcome. When I leave the premises, I feel like I am leaving a family gathering way too early.