A Dream Writing Retreat in Morocco

There were 12 of us in a windswept beach town, learning and feasting.

Me (on the right) and my partner Sanaa at the fish market in Essaouira, where the whole group chose freshly-caught seafood for an al fresco lunch. The vendor cleaned everything, then and took it all to a nearby restaurant in the local medina to grill. We feasted on all kinds of shellfish, octopus, squid, swordfish steaks and fish grilled whole. So good!

The idea took root when my long-distance consult with Sanaa Boutayeb ended (she wanted help with a cookbook). She said, “You should come to my house on the beach in Morocco to teach food writing.” I thought about it for a half-second. Yes! I replied. Then we figured out how to make it happen

I’ve been teaching writing workshops abroad for decades, but this was my first in Morocco, a country I’ve always wanted to visit. Sanaa and I, having never met in person, planned the schedule and met in Marrakesh before our first day.

The next morning, our group of 12 met for the first time in the lobby of a hotel. For our first meal, we took a van to gather around a long table at an organic permaculture farm. There we dined on a lunch of muhummara with almonds, cauliflower tabbouleh, and chicken couscous with cinnamon and dried fruit. For dessert there was Mimouna, a flourless almond and orange cake, and a lemon tiramisu.

While some of the assignments I gave out were to write about the food the students experienced during the trip, I asked for something more. Some of us were so taken by the excellent muhummara and cake that we asked for the recipes. The chef owner delivered them in typical chef fashion (meaning the recipes were not exacting in measurement or instruction). I assigned two of the students to test and rewrite the recipes.

Some of the fabulous cookies our group enjoyed. Sanaa kept us stocked! The triangles are Almond Briouat. The white half-moons are Kaab el Ghazal (Gazelle Horn Cookies.) The coiled cookies are Mhencha (serpentined). The center ones are honey-walnut cookies. Not shown are Ghriba Bahla, my favorite. Sanaa has a recipe in her blog post.

We moved on to our destination, a serene eco-hotel on the beach in Essaouira. For the next five days, the students and I met in a room that faced the Atlantic Ocean to discuss storytelling, voice, recipe writing, whether to start a newsletter, and all the things that come up for food writers.

My goal was to increase the students’ confidence and skill through instruction and writing exercises. We sat on cushions, sipped mint tea and ate exceptional cookies as the group wrote from prompts and read their work to each other. We bonded as a group. There were tears, writing that moved us, and laughter.

One of many tagines (the name of the pot and the dish made in it) we enjoyed at the writing retreat. This one is a chicken tagine with olives and preserved lemon. Behind it is couscous. In front is a cooked carrot salad with chermoula.

Once our class ended at noon, we were off on adventures, eating multi-course meals in exceptional restaurants and wandering around the souk in Essaouira. At one lunch at Mimti, a farm-to-table organic restaurant, we ate baked goods made with freshly-milled wheat from their farm. I couldn’t get enough of the rustic bread, and the warm chocolate chip cookies scented with ras al hanout were a revelation.

Sanaa’s mouth-watering Kefta Tagine with Garden Greens, prepared by the students during her cooking class.

Later the group took part in a joyous cooking class at Sanaa’s stone house on the beach. We picked produce from her large garden and created a multi-course meal based on her recipes for classic Moroccan dishes:

• Eggplant Salad with Tomato

• Tomato and Cucumber Salad

• Crunchy Carrots with Chermoula

• Roasted Beets with Preserved Lemon

• Kefta Tagine with Garden Greens

• Freshly-Caught Grilled Sardines.

Fresh sardines ready for the grill during our group’s cooking class.

For dessert we dined on an assortment of classic Moroccan cookies (some shown above) with mint tea. We watched the sunset from the patio — an hour of watching the sky change colors just past the sand dunes.

Our last day ended with an impromptu gathering at Sanaa’s home. We walked on the beach, the brave ones went for a swim, and together we watched the sunset once again. It was a relaxed end to a sensational few days together.

Our group on the terrace of Sanaa’s beach house. Look at that sunset!

Every international writing retreat I’ve done is different. All give me the pleasure of working in person with students and talking with them about what they want to accomplish. All take me inside a country and its food in an intimate way that only a local partner can accomplish. It was a gift to be in Morocco and to be part of the experiences Sanaa created for us. She wrote a heart-felt post about the workshop here.

Perhaps you will join me at the next one? I’ll be back in Sicily September 10-14, 2027, with my Italy partner Demet Guzey, who teaches food writing at the Cordon Bleu. Our writing workshop last year sold out, so if you’d like to be added to a list of attendees, shoot me an email.

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My Book

The newest edition of my multiple award-winning book, Will Write for Food: 2021: Pursue Your Passion and Bring Home the Dough Writing Recipes, Cookbooks, Blogs, and More.

Disclosures: I am an affiliate of Food Blogger Pro, Amazon and Bookshop.org. Right now I’m mad at Bookshop.org, because they keep my book on backorder, so no one can order it.

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Dianne Jacob
Editor, Writer and Coach
Email: dj@diannej.com
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