Sohla El-Waylly

Sohla El-Waylly is an American chef, culinary creator, author, and television personality. Born in Los Angeles to a Bangladeshi-American family, she developed an interest in cooking early in life and later attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. After completing her studies, she trained at several notable New York City fine-dining establishments, including Del Posto and Atera.

In 2016, El-Waylly and her husband, chef Hisham "Ham" El-Waylly, opened Hail Mary, a diner-style restaurant in Brooklyn, New York. Following the closure of the restaurant, she transitioned into food media, working as a test kitchen contributor and editor for outlets including Serious Eats, Bon Appétit, and Food52. During this period, she became widely recognized for her instructional video content and recipe development.

El-Waylly has since hosted and appeared in various digital and television food series. Her on-camera credits include serving as a judge on the cooking competition show The Big Brunch and hosting Ancient Recipes with Sohla on The History Channel, as well as digital programming for New York Times Cooking. In 2023, she published her debut cookbook, Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook, which was named a 2024 James Beard Foundation Award winner in the General category.