Every once in a while, as one scrolls through their Instagram feed, they may come across a dish that looks so good that they could almost smell it, almost taste it even.
Instagram has become an increasingly popular platform not only for food enthusiasts to showcase their aesthetically pleasing plates, but also for young chefs to showcase their wonderful creations.
While Egypt may not necessarily be known for its culinary mavens, there are a number of young Egyptian chefs who are passionate towards making it big in the culinary world. Instagram has been a great way for them to both showcase their work, as well as actually getting work (getting orders from their audience).
There aren’t many famous chefs in Egypt, and even those who are well known will have reached fame as a result of being TV personalities – much like Chef El Sherbini for example. That being said, most of the already existing well-known Egyptian chefs are usually rather ‘old school’ and refrain from experimenting too much.
While that is completely fine and many people love classic dishes and feel more comfortable with what they are most familiar with, the following young chefs offer something a little extra to the table.
Having grown up with all the traditional flavors of any Egyptian household, but having a growing enthusiasm and curiosity towards various international flavors as well, these young chefs have worked on refining their palette by studying, practicing, tasting and evolving; ultimately offering an innovative variety of dishes.
Farah el Charkawy
A lawyer turned pastry chef, Farah el Charkawy is an innovative young chef who creates delectable pastries of all sorts. Whilst pursuing her Masters Degree in France eight years ago, she discovered a new found appreciation towards French pastries. “Living there for sometime made me more connected to the pastry and the beauty behind it. I experienced in France a whole new level of gastronomy,” she exclaims.
After having moved back to Egypt, she enrolled in the Culinary Training Center (CTC), a professional culinary academy affiliated to the Ministry of Tourism, and practiced her passion towards pastry-making alongside her career as a lawyer. Eventually, El Charkawy shifted her focus wholly on pastry making and she went on to study at the legendary Alain Ducasse’s pastry school Ecole Nationale Superieure de Patisserie.
El Charkawy hopes to one day own her own pastry shop in Egypt; for now, people may order her mouthwatering creations through her Instagram page.
Aida Shaaban
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Having always loved cooking, Aida Shaaban decided to make a career out of it by refining her skills and techniques, as well as offering her expertise in the form of consultation for F&B (Food and beverage) companies.
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Shaaban obtained a degree from the Culinary Training Center (CTC) and even took extra cooking, food styling and food photography courses at the Le Cordon Blue in London. As time passed, she established herself as one of the most promising young chefs in Egypt, garnering a large following for her diverse range of dishes.
Peri Saleh
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“It’s true that food brings people closer,” says Peri Saleh, a young chef who is passionate about experimenting with international flavors and going on culinary journeys around the world. Saleh had always dreamed of owning her own restaurant and she knew she always loved hosting dinner parties; it wasn’t until after graduating university however, that she realized food is her passion.
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“Throughout my travels I would take short cooking classes here and there, then I started discovering this is what I really want, to transfer an experience of a place I’ve been to into food, so I quit my corporate job and went for it,” she tells Egyptian Streets.
From then on she has travelled, taken workshops and even enrolled in a Chef’s Culinary Arts Degree at the Italian Chef Academy. Saleh’s passion towards international flavors shines through her vibrantly colorful Instagram account.
The young chef currently owns a restaurant by the name of Gracias, yet she is still keen to keep learning and exploring the world of flavors.
Suzanne Mokhtar
Suzanne Mokhtar has already had a long and vigorous culinary journey and has established quite a name for herself in Egypt’s culinary world. A certified cuisine and pastry chef, Mokhtar cultivated her passion towards food at a young age.
She had enrolled in London’s Le Cordon Bleu where she pursued a Grand Diploma in both Cuisine and Pastry Culinary Arts. From then on, she has gone on to appear on TV food networks, continued her studies and had even established her very own cooking school, ‘A la Suzanne’.
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Mokhtar is also a culinary consultant and instructor, as well as being an F&B menu developer. Her Instagram page gives audiences but a glimpse of her refined set of skills, all whilst providing mouthwatering content.
Karim Abdelrahman
Ducasse Certified chef Karim Abdelrahman has quite the impressive and extensive resume. Abdelrahman began his career at a very young age, but his passion towards food and making it look good (food photography) only grew more with time.
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He creates absolutely beautiful dishes that are both innovative and amazing to merely look at. The young chef has even worked in a number of Michelin starred restaurants, including Guy Savoy (a restaurant with three Michelin stars).
Abdelrahman is both one of the most impressive and youngest chefs to take Egypt’s culinary world by storm.
While the young Egyptian chefs listed throughout this article are surely amongst the most promising talents when it comes to tingling people’s taste buds, it is worth keeping in mind that there are plenty of young and talented chefs across Egypt who have a lot to offer.
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