CHEF CHAT
BAHIG EL AKOUM
Restaurant: Zone Restaurants Complex Title: Executive Sous Chef
MY STUFF
Tea or Coffee: Coffee (chefs work long hours!) My Breakfast: Grilled cheese with fresh honey My Knives: Green knives - vegetable knives Most overused spice: Lebanese 7 in 1 spice (ground black and white pepper, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and coriander-livens up most dishes!) Favorite Travel Destination: Turkey Dream Car: BMW z4 Favorite Food Aroma: Fresh rosemary
When did you first get into cooking? I would say that would be pretty much all my life. (Lebanese are known for their love of good food). Where were you before you came to Kuwait? I worked in a renowned Lebanese restaurant in Russia, before coming to Kuwait. If you could choose, what would your “last supper” be? I couldn’t possibly pick one! I love to keep healthy, so I’ d go with fresh ingredients, simple cooking methods and superior taste every time. Describe your favorite dish from your home country. Shish Barak - a traditional Lebanese meal consisting of dough rolls stuffed with mincemeat and cooked in yoghurt. Name three ingredients you can’t live without in the kitchen. Water - the most basic - we can’t live without water! Spices - especially my 7 in 1 mix Vegetables - to add depth and flavor to any dish What is the most important part of a sandwich? The middle part—where the filling and bread combine. How does your personality differ inside and outside the kitchen? I am always extremely focused at work. Each area of operation is under my supervision and I am responsible for the food and experience - I try to ensure that our patrons are always delighted. Out of work, I am a lot calmer and some would say “friendlier!” What are the best and worst parts of being a chef? The most amazing part of being a chef is to have happy customers. The worst part would definitely be the hours…it’s not easy to strike a balance between personal and professional life. What are your passions outside the kitchen? I love cars and hunting. If you weren’t a chef, what would you like to be? I would have loved to be an officer in the army… A totally different career! What came first; the chicken or the egg? According to a leading scientist’s study only proteins are found in a hen’s ovaries... As the chicken ovaries are necessary for the formation of the egg, it stands to reason that’s it’s a joint effort. Eggs only exist when they are inside a chicken!