Fans of Arabic cookery channel Fatafeat will recognise Egyptian chef Tarek Ibrahim from his shows 100 Macaroni and Min Misr.
Ibrahim, who splits his time between Dubai and Egypt, has a fierce passion for all things food related. It is a love that was instilled in him from a young age.
“I grew up in a family where my mother, my two grandmothers, my two sisters and my aunt would cook almost every day,” he says.
“We used to make cheese, butter, ice cream – we would slaughter animals and cook them.”
As he grew older, he wanted to expand his knowledge of food and cooking.
“I tried going to culinary school but unfortunately it was taboo in my family and my country, Egypt, to become a chef,” says Ibrahim. “Everyone must become a lawyer, doctor or engineer.”
Reluctantly, Ibrahim studied engineering but once he had his degree, his father gave him his blessing to do whatever he wanted. “I started to explore,” he says.
“I bought books and I started teaching myself. I’m a self-made chef.”
He may have been self-taught in the early days, but he subsequently became highly trained, after moving with his wife, who he met in Greece, to the United States.
“I started as a pastry chef,” says Ibrahim. “I was in the US for about 23 years. I built my culinary career there. I lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was an outstanding experience.
“I taught for five years at The Art Institutes International, and owned five restaurants and a catering company. I was involved in many competitions and culinary arts. It was an eye-opening career builder.”
But it has always been important for Ibrahim to cling on to the culinary skills he learnt from his family.
“For sure, the biggest inspiration for me was my mother and my grandmother,” he says.
“My mother was an excellent cook. In the US, they called me ‘From Scratch’, because I used to do everything from scratch.”
Ibrahim will share his “from scratch” secrets with fans during cookery demonstrations at Taste of Abu Dhabi this weekend – but he won’t reveal exactly what he will be cooking up in the Etihad Chef’s Theatre. “It’s a surprise”, he says.
For Ibrahim, the benefits of participating in events such as Taste of Abu Dhabi go far beyond teaching others about food.
“As a celebrity chef, I always like people seeing us on TV, but I feel a huge distance between myself and the viewers,” he says.
“Being in the midst of people and cooking in front of them brings me closer to my fans. That’s why I really enjoy doing this event.”
Ibrahim will also host Delicio and Noor cooking challenges during the weekend, at which guests can sign up to cook alongside him.
During these events, Ibrahim will teach fans the tricks to making what he describes as the “perfect omelette and the perfect steak” – the kind of food that reflects his love of keeping it simple in the kitchen.
“I always like simple food,” he says. “So as simple as it gets, it would be a pizza or a very simple burger.” He does enjoy more extravagant fare when the occasion demands. When he has reason to celebrate in Dubai his go-to restaurants are Zuma, Nusret and La Petite Maison.
Even after a decades-long career, Ibrahim shows no signs of slowing down. He reveals that he is considering starting a new cooking show.
“I’m trying to create a new segment that will be different,” he says. “I want to do a talk show with a chef. I’m trying to get celebrities, dignitaries and guests to speak about food.
“Food is one topic everyone likes to talk about – the rich, the poor, the king, everyone.”
He is also working on a new book that focuses on meat.
Ibrahim’s passion for his career is palpable and it is clear he made the right move when he set his engineering degree aside to pursue a career in food.
“I feel an adrenalin rush whenever I enter the kitchen,” he says. “How you plan and create beautiful flavours, how you match things together gives me such a rush. It’s why I became a chef. I love it. I love every part of it.”
sjohnson@thenational.ae
