Sarafian Hummus takes three days to make and took me years to perfect. It’s made in West Footscray with premium ingredients sourced from local Victorian farms and chickpeas from Ord River in WA, as well as the finest tahini from Lebanon.

Just as you’d expect from a restaurant-quality product, it contains no added chemicals, preservatives or additives.

Sold in a 300-gram glass jar, Sarafian Hummus is vegan-friendly, gluten-free and dairy-free, and, most importantly of all, it’s delicious, especially served at room temperature.

For so many years it was my dream to sell my hummus, but working as a chef, I never really had the time to make it happen.

After Bar Saracen closed in January this year, I thought it was time to make this a reality.

I make every jar of hummus by hand, and you’ll find it at Melbourne’s finest bakeries, butchers and grocery stores.

The artwork and logo were designed by Melbourne design studio Swear Words. The three red lines on the taper strip are a nod to the traditional plating up of hummus with paprika fork-marks.

These are the paprika fork-marks with which I have garnished every plate of hummus I’ve served over the last three years.

As head chef of Bar Saracen, I developed a dish of hummus topped with king prawn and spanner crab which became one of the must-eat dishes of Melbourne. The hummus that was the foundation for the dish is the same hummus you’ll find in Sarafian Melbourne jars.

Because this hummus is fresh and handmade, it’s versatile, and can be made into a main meal.

Eat it straight from the jar with your hands, a spoon, or mop it up with your favourite breads, crackers, or fresh vegetables and pickles. Spread it on toast for breakfast with eggs and tomatoes, top it with minced lamb cooked with onions, herbs, spices and nuts fried in butter, put it in your sandwich, serve a big dollop with steak and chips or next to barbecued vegetables and seafood.

The only thing I enjoy more than making my hummus is sharing it. I hope it brings as much pleasure to your friends and family as it does to mine.