Cooking of Longing is a sound project, exploring the deep connection between food, memory, and identity. Through immersive audio recipes, it captures how flavours and food rituals forge a sense of belonging for people migrating to the Netherlands. 

The audio series follows seven cooking enthusiasts based in Bijlmer (Amsterdam Zuidoost) as they venture into the kitchen to recreate some of the flavours they long for from home. The series compiles the recipes and flavours of Luba, Teddy, Esther, Donna Lee, Dorcas, Ramzi, and Jehad, and it is based on the audio cooking recordings made directly from the cooks’ kitchens in Zuidoost, Amsterdam during the spring of 2026. The series is also accompanied by a publication* containing the cooking recipes with the Illustrations of JSPa. 

Produced, recorded, and edited by Eli Guerrero. Guests: Luba Durán, Teddy Lyon, Esther Macharius, Donna Lee Burleson, Dorcas Sarpong, Ramzi and Jehad; and Juma, Anoush, Hazira, Mazer, Emir, Salma, and Jihad from SAWA Collective. Sound engineer: Mitchell van Ommeren . Original music by Johnathan Ramírez. Illustrations by JSPa (Jesper Buursink)

*The accompanying cookbook, edited by Mariana M. Balvanera and printed in riso by Terry Bleu, can be acquired directly at their bookstore at Van Ostadestraat 233, Amsterdam, or ordered via sonido.ezra@gmail.com.