Meet Sahar Al Awadhi, the first Emirati pastry chef
Pioneering chef explains why she made the switch from marketing to working in the kitchen
The UAE is home to one of the fastest growing culinary scenes in the world. People living here have hundreds of different cuisines to choose from. Dubai alone houses a plethora of young chefs working hard to make a name for themselves.
Sahar Al Awadhi is one of them.
She’s hardworking, passionate and in love with the hectic life of working in the kitchen. The young woman is the first and only female Emirati pastry chef in the region. Her kitchen of choice: the Burj Al Arab.
DIFFERENT PATH
Al Awadhi’s career could have taken an entirely different direction were it not for her passion for pastry. After graduating from high school, Al Awadhi went on to study Communications and Design Management at the American University of Sharjah. Her first job was at Zayed University where she handled social media, communications, marketing and branding for four years.
“I loved that job,” she said. “I got to work on their social platforms and start them from scratch. It was amazing and creative and wonderful, but deep down I knew that I wanted to work in the restaurant business.”
That was when she took a leap of faith to follow her passion for pastry. “I quit my job without having another one lined up, I knew I would succeed because I wanted it bad enough.”
It was due to this that Al Awadhi applied to work at Dubai’s home-grown restaurant La Serre Bistro & Boulangerie in 2014, in the role of Pastry Commis.
Based in this position for one year, Al Awadhi worked alongside one of Dubai’s most talented chefs, Izu Ani, who recognised her talents and sent her to Paris to perfect the art of bread making.
Al Awadhi returned to La Serre for another year before joining the team at Burj Al Arab in 2016. She joined as a Junior Sous Chef and worked her way up to Pastry Chef.
She knew her whole life that she wanted to work with food.
“I love pastries and being in a kitchen. It is a very tough job,” she said. “I work 12 hour days on my feet and have to do the same thing over and over again and I don’t mind because I love it so much. I get to do what I am passionate about.”
LIGHTNING ROUND
What time do you usually wake up? 6.45am.
What is the first thing you do?
When my alarm goes off, Google Assistant tells me the weather, the time it will take me to get to work and what’s on my calendar. It then plays a podcast and I’ll listen in bed for around 15 minutes while I plan out my day and then I’ll check my phone.
When you check your phone, what do you look at first?
WhatsApp.
What do you usually choose to wear for work and why?
Chef jacket, it’s my uniform.
What do you have for breakfast? Green juice.
When do you have to be at work?
9am.
What does your usual day at work look like?
At Burj Al Arab, no two days are the same. Typically, I’ll have lots of emails to work through as well as food tastings and menu development which keeps things interesting and exciting.
What do you like to eat on your lunch break?
I very rarely take a lunch break, I am tasting food all day so I don’t get hungry or have huge amounts of spare time. If I get the chance, I’ll take a freshly baked bread roll from the bakery at 5pm and eat that with cheese.
What time do you go home?
There’s no specific time, but I usually work a 12 hour day. I love it!
“I quit my job without having another one lined up, I knew I would succeed because I wanted it bad enough.” SAHAR AL AWADHI | Pastry chef