Today we’d like to introduce you to Shaparak Malek-Morvai.
Hi Shaparak, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Lhyme started as an idea I couldn’t quite let go of, even when I didn’t yet know exactly what form it would take.
I’ve always been someone who values education and structure, and I worked hard to build that foundation while also exploring my creative interests outside of it. Along the way, I kept circling back to this idea of creating something that brought together food, music, and storytelling in a meaningful way—but at the time, it was more of a feeling than a defined concept.
Like most early-stage ideas, it didn’t come together immediately. There were moments where it would have been easier to move on, but instead I kept refining it, asking better questions, and looking for a way in that actually felt authentic.That’s what eventually led me to interviewing independent artists.
Instead of waiting for Lhyme to be “ready,” I started having real conversations with musicians I admired. I wanted to understand them beyond their music—who they were outside of the stage, where they came from, what shaped them, what they ate growing up, what they missed when they were away from home, and the memories tied to food in their lives. Those conversations became the foundation of Lhyme. From there, I began translating what I learned into food—creating recipes inspired by each artist’s story, culture, and sound, then pairing those dishes with photography and writing that brought everything together. One interview led to another, artists introduced me to other artists, and slowly, a community started to form around the project.
Today, Lhyme has featured over 150 independent artists from around the world, but what I’m most proud of is how the idea has continued to evolve rather than stay static.
That evolution eventually led to the Lhyme Mixtape—a cookbook disguised as a cassette. Each Mixtape pairs curated recipes with music from independent artists, designed so people can cook, listen, and experience both at the same time. What started with our original Mixtape has grown into themed editions like A Night In, Made for Two, Girl Dinner: The Southern Snack Edition, Nashville Heat: Light & Bright Pride Remix, and Neon Stoops: A Philly Summer Story. We’ve also expanded into merchandise and collaborations with other creatives.
When I look at Lhyme now, I don’t see a straight line from idea to execution. I see a process of persistence, iteration, and learning how to keep going even when the path wasn’t clear. What started as a loose idea has grown into a platform connecting food, music, art, and culture, while giving independent artists another space to be seen and heard. And at its core, it’s still the same thing it was in the beginning: sitting down with someone, listening to their story, and finding a new way to share it with the world.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road—but I think that’s also a big part of why Lhyme means so much to me today. One of the biggest challenges has been building something from the ground up without a roadmap. I had an idea I believed in, but believing in an idea and figuring out how to turn it into something sustainable are two very different things. There was a lot I had to learn along the way—branding, marketing, photography, content creation, product development, building relationships with artists, and ultimately figuring out what Lhyme was supposed to become.
There were also plenty of “no’s,” unanswered emails, ideas that didn’t work the way I thought they would, and moments when I questioned whether I should keep going. In the beginning especially, you’re asking people to believe in something before you have years of work behind you to prove what it can be. I also had to learn not to measure progress only by the big moments. Sometimes progress was simply getting one artist to say yes to an interview. Then that artist might introduce me to someone else. One relationship would lead to another, and eventually those small wins started building into something much bigger.
Another challenge has been balancing the creative side of Lhyme with the business side—and doing it alongside my career, family, and everyday responsibilities. When you’re passionate about something, it’s easy to focus on creating, but I’ve had to learn how to think about growth, products, partnerships, audience building, and how to make the idea sustainable without losing what made me love it in the first place.
And there have absolutely been times when I could have stopped. I think that’s probably the biggest lesson I’ve taken from the experience: not every obstacle is a sign that you’re on the wrong path. Sometimes it means you need to find a different way forward.
Lhyme today looks very different from the idea I started with, and I’m glad I allowed that to happen. The artist interviews led to recipes, the recipes and music led to the Mixtapes, and the Mixtapes have opened the door to products, collaborations, and new ways of telling these stories. So no, it hasn’t been smooth—but I wouldn’t necessarily want it to have been. The challenges taught me how to adapt, how to hear “no” without treating it as the end of the conversation, and most importantly, how to keep building even when I couldn’t see exactly where it was going to lead.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At its heart, Lhyme is where food and music tell the same story.
What we’re probably best known for is taking a different approach to artist storytelling. I interview independent artists about their music, but I also want to know about the person behind it—what they grew up eating, the dishes that remind them of home, their culture, family traditions, touring food stories, and the memories they associate with certain meals. I then take those conversations into the kitchen and create original recipes inspired by the artist, their story, and their sound.
I think that’s what really sets Lhyme apart. We’re not simply interviewing musicians, reviewing music, or publishing recipes. We’re translating music and artist stories into food. Someone might discover an artist through a song, but through Lhyme, they can also discover them through a dish, a family memory, a cultural tradition, or a completely unexpected story they might never hear in a traditional music interview.
I’m especially proud that we’ve been able to create a platform where independent artists are the focus. Lhyme has featured artists from different genres, backgrounds, cultures, and parts of the world, and I’ve watched relationships grow organically from one conversation to the next. Artists recommend other artists, previous features come back for new projects, and what started as a creative idea has developed into a real community.
Brand-wise, though, I’m probably most proud of the Lhyme Mixtape because it took everything Lhyme represents and turned it into something tangible. I describe it as a cookbook disguised as a cassette—or a mixtape you can eat. Each edition combines recipe cards, a curated musical experience featuring independent artists, and the nostalgia of an actual cassette-style package. You can put on the music, get into the kitchen, make the food, and experience the two together.
We’ve since expanded the Mixtape into different experiences, from date-night menus to Southern-inspired snacking, Pride and summer editions, and city-inspired stories. We’re also beginning to explore merchandise and creative collaborations that allow Lhyme to exist beyond the website.
What I’d really like readers to know is that Lhyme isn’t just something you read or scroll past. It’s something I want you to experience. You can discover an artist you may never have heard before, cook something inspired by their story, listen to a playlist while you’re making dinner, pick up a Mixtape and share the experience with someone else, or discover one of our creative collaborations.
Ultimately, Lhyme is about connection—between food and music, between artists and audiences, and between cultures and stories. And if someone walks away from Lhyme with a new favorite artist on their playlist and a new favorite recipe in their kitchen, then we’ve done exactly what we set out to do. Cook, dine and vibe in harmony.
How do you think about happiness?
What makes me happiest is having the freedom to create, learn and collaborate.
One of my favorite things about Lhyme is that it has almost become this wonderfully unconventional culinary school for me. Every artist and every story can take me somewhere completely different. I might find myself learning a dish from a culture I’ve never cooked before, researching ingredients and traditions, or figuring out how to translate someone’s music, memories and personality into something you can actually taste.
And then there are the conversations. I’ve had the opportunity to sit down with so many incredible artists and hear their stories—not just about music, but about their families, cultures, memories, struggles and the experiences that have shaped who they are. I genuinely love learning about people and discovering those little pieces of someone’s story that you would never know just from listening to their music.
I think that’s ultimately what makes me happiest: the ability to remain curious and create from what I discover. Lhyme gives me permission to constantly learn something new, make something that didn’t exist before, and collaborate with incredibly creative people along the way. There’s something really special about starting with a conversation and ending with a story, a recipe, a photograph, a playlist—or sometimes an entirely new idea. That process of creating and connecting with people is where I’m happiest.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Lhyme.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lhymefoodfusion/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Music.Food.Fusion/
Image Credits
Photography and creative direction: Em Tingley Photo
Production Design: Ashley East
