Hi! Shlama! Shlomo!

My initial vision to popularize Assyrian history was to make a TV-show. Starting in 2018, I studied screenwriting for two years under some of the most renowned teachers in Hollywood. I wrote several screenplays set in Assyria, and one of them got representation from an agent. But it didn't go anywhere, and I didn't like that I couldn't influence the outcome.

I randomly discovered a book titled “The Oldest Cuisine in the World.” In the 1980s, author Jean Bottero deciphered 35 recipes on clay tablets dated to 1700 BC. But lacking measurements and proper instructions, they were impossible for modern cooks to follow. What a pity, I thought, and the idea for Table of Gods was born.

I quit my day job to self-publish Table of Gods. I read millions of words of scholarly papers, and probably wrote as many, trying to figure out the concept for the book. Table of Gods grew from being a recipe book, to a history book, to a time machine.

I slowly learned that self-publishing a book includes far more than just writing the book. I also needed the help of chefs, brewers, scholars, photographers, food stylists, designers, editors, printers, fulfillment partners, etc. I initially planned to launch the book in 2021. I'm glad I didn't.

My vision for Table of Gods and the reality of my manuscript were still far apart. I decided to double down on my craft and applied to a school for upcoming authors. I worked on my manuscript for a year under the mentorship of a published author, which took it to a whole new level.

My sister helped me launch this website by the end of 2022. In 2023, over 3,000 people joined the book's waitlist. I also launched a YouTube channel and started posting long and short videos about food and legends from ancient Mesopotamia. The videos received over 300,000 views in the first year.

We completed all 70 recipes and had 142 people from around the world test them. I also sent the manuscript to 329 beta readers, a professional editor, and several Near Eastern scholars who fact-checked it. I signed with a design studio specializing in art books, got a publishing deal (which I humbly declined), and traveled to the British Museum to plan the book launch. Our following grew to over 50,000 across social media, YouTube, and the book's waitlist.

Our historical cooking videos were viewed 236,000,000 times and our following grew to 760,000 people. I traveled to Italy to meet some of the world's best art book printers and paper mills. Back in Stockholm, the gastronomic advisor to the Nobel banquet cooked and served one of our recipes (Assyrian Bulgurotto) at his restaurant. We also completed our third photoshoot and took our food photography to another level.

After seven years of work, Table of Gods launched on Kickstarter and became the most funded art book and fourth most funded book across all genres, out of 75,000 book projects launched on the platform since 2009. Shortly after the Kickstarter launch, I traveled to the printer and spent 30 days on the factory floor, approving every printed page and overseeing the entire production process, from debossing to binding.