How chefs in UAE 'taste' Iftar while fasting

For Ramadan, she tries her best to make it home for Iftar.

The Burj Al Arab's first Emirati chef, Sahar Al Awadhi, has devised a system to 'taste' the Iftar meals that are prepared during Ramadan. "I get three different people to taste and if they tell me the same thing, then it works."
Speaking about her experiences while working and opening her fast during Ramadan, Al Awadhi said: "It is really, really important to be very disciplined as a chef. It gets extremely busy a few hours before Iftar. We are helping people break their fast. We can't be late or take shortcuts."
She said her timings during Ramadan do "change a little bit". "There are always a couple of extra things going on. For example, there are corporate buffets in the ballroom, small events for Iftar and Suhoor. In the Arabic restaurant, the buffet changes around a little bit. We add local food and offer a lot more dates as people break their fast with them."
She said chefs often forget to eat, let alone sit down for a meal. However, for Ramadan, she tries her best to make it home for Iftar. "I make it a point to get back home for Iftar during Ramadan. However, on days when things are super busy and there's not much time, I break my fast on the go with water and dates. After that, I get back to work. It's the same on a normal day," she said. "Chefs often forget to eat, even though we are around food all the time. We are always eating on the go, standing up."
Having originally started her career in communications and marketing, the American University of Sharjah graduate realised that her dream was to work in the culinary industry. Al Awadhi said her parents' love of food was what drew her into becoming a chef. "My mom is an excellent cook. My dad loves food as well, and we're always experimenting with different cuisines," she said.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Ramadan 2021