My UAE: Emirati chef Bader Najeeb is cooking up a following

Emirati food fanatic Bader Najeeb loves being creative in the kitchen, his passion has cooked up a serious foodie following on social media.

Bader Najeeb first donned a chef’s apron at the age of 13. Courtesy Bader Najeeb

Bader Najeeb may have learned his baking skills from his mum, and while she loves to eat what he bakes, this Emirati food fanatic admits he is more of an aggravation to her these days.

“She actually goes crazy on me when I cook in the kitchen, because I make a huge mess and never clean up for myself,” the self-made home cook says with a laugh. “I also use her rich and expensive ingredients and she just gives me the look.”

Najeeb, or “chef b” as he is better known on social media, first donned a chef’s apron at the age of 13. With the help of his mum and YouTube, he had two TV shows by the time he was 18 – which he admits was pretty good exposure for someone who to this day isn’t a professional chef.

“I’m still a student [business studies]. I am a home cook and I’m aspiring to be a professional chef,” Najeeb says, adding that his passion stems from his love for desserts. “What I love about desserts is that it is the best thing, the thing you look forward to after a meal. My favourite thing to bake is French eclairs … I use actual chocolate, I bake my own crust, I don’t buy anything ready-made and the best part is the cream inside, which is so delicious,” the 19-year-old from Dubai says. And it’s obvious from talking to this man who has about 26,000 Instagram followers, that the love of what he does is not about to fade.

“I love teaching people. I put recipes on Snapchat and Instagram, and I shoot videos – I would love to host cooking classes for people,” he says. And his talent is not going unnoticed – he has just returned from Expo Milano 2015. “I was sent by Abu Dhabi Tourism to be one of their representatives in Al Ittihad Alitalia, which is like the pavilion for Etihad Airways in Milan. Basically I hosted cooking classes and taught Emirati fusion dishes.” And with Expo 2020 in sight, the UAE’s kitchen is set to heat up, and Najeeb will no doubt be there front and centre. “It would be nice to do a talk or cooking classes at the Expo in the UAE pavilion; we’ll see what happens, there are still a few years ahead of us.”

And he has some pretty good advice for any young nationals who want to make it on social media: “When people try to make it on social media, people think it’s easy … you have to be consistent, you have to have good lighting, it takes time. Competition is huge here. Not everyone makes it. Whoever works hard usually earns the most.”

What is your favourite book?

Is It Just Me? by Miranda Hart It's a good read.

What do you do to relax?

Bake. I love how we start with several ingredients: mixing it is like magic to me – a weird magical process.

What’s your favourite holiday destination?

I always like to go to new places. I want to visit every place across the globe. I love New Zealand for the nature and the adventures.

What is your advice for young Emiratis?

Age is never a restriction: as long as you work hard and are passionate you can get where you want to be.

What is your favourite colour?

I don’t really have a favourite colour, they are always shifting for some reason. Last year it was black, but now it’s white.

If you could invite three people home for dinner, who would they be?

My friends Saleh Al Braik, Taim Al Salasi and an Instagram follower of mine, or anyone who wants to join.

What is your favourite food?

Depends on what I’m craving. I really like Mexican as long as it’s not spicy, so fake Mexican, or Italian.

If you could do anything that you haven’t already done, what would it be?

Skydive because it would be an amazing feeling.

What is your favourite thing to cook?

French eclairs that I bake from scratch. I just love them.