Chef Sara Alkoheji
Co-Owner of The Cooking Studio
Please give us a peek into your professional background.
I graduated from Ibn Khuldoon National School in 2008 and went to the University of Kent in Canterbury, where I received my Law degree. I moved to London straight afterwards and received my Patisserie Diploma from Le Cordon Bleu. I practised law in Bahrain for about four years before deciding to completely switch careers and open up The Cooking Studio.
What drew you to the food industry?
I have always enjoyed cooking and baking. I actually started experimenting in the kitchen on my own at the young age of nine. There’s something very satisfying in turning simple ingredients into something delicious that makes people happy.
How would you describe your professional journey this far?
It has been a blend of exciting and stressful. Owning and growing a business is not an easy task especially when it’s something you’re very passionate about. However, seeing people learn as I’m teaching them and realising how much fun baking can be makes it all worthwhile.
What is most satisfying about your work?
The smile on my customers’ faces and their compliments. It’s also always an amazing feeling at the end of a class when someone looks at their cake and says: “I can’t believe I made this!”.
What has it taken you to break the mould of men being masters of a commercial kitchen?
Essential traits required to head a commercial kitchen are strength, character, stamina and the ability to guide a team. I don’t see how these traits are only found in men.
How do you support other women?
The Cooking Studio currently consists of an all-female staff. We find that working with female employees is not only more efficient, but we have also become great friends which makes working together a lot of fun.
What do you believe are the special strengths of a woman?
Women are strong, dedicated and amazing at multitasking.
What would you say to women wanting to have their own business in the food industry?
I’d say to them that there isn’t anything you cannot do, whatever anyone may think or say. It will be difficult, it will be tiring, and your schedule will be the opposite to everyone around you. But if you love it, if you are passionate about it, it won’t matter because you will enjoy every second of it.
Chef Susy Masseti
Executive Chef, Fish Bone and Eat’sy
Please tell us a bit about your professional background and where you are from.
I started my career quite early in my grandmother’s family restaurant in Milan, Italy. After working in Europe, I worked in the USA for over 10 years opening and managing stand-alone restaurants and my flight catering company. In the Middle East, my repertoire includes working at five-star hotels and as a personal chef for VIP dignitaries. I formerly managed Masso, a fine-dining contemporary Italian restaurant and The Orangery, a Middle Eastern-influenced café, tea room and patisserie. I now run Fishbone in Bahrain and Eat’sy in Khobar. I am into food and beverage consulting across the Gulf region and have three more projects in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain due to open by the end of 2019.
What drew you to the food industry?
I would say that was destiny.
How would you describe your professional journey this far?
It has been fantastic, exciting, memorable, extremely gruelling and highly successful in spite of, or thanks to, failures and mistakes.
What have been your greatest professional challenges?
To be seen as a chef, not a “female chef”.
What has it taken you to break the mould of men being masters of a commercial kitchen?
By disregarding this idea! I ignore the idea that only men are seen as masters in the kitchen, as they have never been the only ones ruling commercial kitchens.
What do you take most pride in while serving customers your food?
The passion, research and the attention I pay to source the ingredients that I use.
What are you most proud of?
I am proud of having ‘conquered’ people that I have the joy to now call my friends.
What would you say to women wanting to have their own restaurants?
Go girl! But be humble. Learn your craft first. Keep your head down while learning and learn only from the best, but ultimately trust your guts and go for it!
What would you advise women?
I’d tell them to be determined, to be self-centred, to be aggressive even, never to talk themselves down!
What do you believe are the special strengths of a woman?
Commitment; we were born to be committed, to be focused and to be self-reliant.
How do you overcome challenges?
By knowing deep inside that, as women, we are better, we are stronger and we will succeed. And if we don’t, that we have learned a very precious lesson.
Areej Matooq
Lifestyle Blogger and Recipe Developer
Please tell us a bit about your professional background and where you are from.
I hold a master’s degree in media studies. I fell in love with the art of cooking early on in childhood, and my background in media helped catalyse my social media presence as a healthy lifestyle blogger and recipe developer. As my passion for cooking grew to become a personal calling, I enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in London to enhance my cooking skills and immersed myself into French cuisine. I attend cooking classes in every country I visit so to learn more about its unique food cultures and techniques.
I am currently studying for a diploma in nutrition from the Future Fit Academy in the UK for a more in-depth understanding of health and nutrition. I host cooking classes and demos for children and adults, sharing posts of my creative recipes that include healthy alternatives to the foods we all love, as well as posting my kids’ healthy lunch boxes daily on Instagram. In my mission to spread awareness of a healthy lifestyle, I have participated in events like Food Is Culture, Bahrain Summer Festival 2018, and Youth City 2030 in 2019.
What are you most proud of?
Seeing other women being inspired to lead healthy lifestyles and noticing the change in their lives, seeing many of my recipes trending, my advice being followed and receiving ‘thank you’ messages makes me fly every day.
How do you overcome challenges at work?
By being well organised, planning well my day, week, month and beyond. As they say, failing to plan is planning to fail.
What makes women different?
Nowadays, a woman assumes many roles in life – that of wife, mother and employee. Despite this, she thrives and achieves success in whatever she involves herself with.
What would you advise women?
I would advise women to take care of their health by maintaining a balanced, healthy lifestyle. This will reflect positively on their overall wellbeing, which will help them in nurturing their families well.
How do you support other women?
As a healthy lifestyle blogger, through my social media accounts I help women, specially mothers, in maintaining a healthy lifestyle for them and their families by creating easy, healthy recipes, and suggesting healthy alternative ingredients for popular dishes.
