Chef Mohammad Al Hajery’s road to becoming the Head Chef at Mia along with Chef Ziad Al Obaid didn’t begin because of his love for cooking, but rather it grew as he learned his love for cooking during his days at university before coming back and learning all the operations that go into operating a restaurant. After that, and a culinary degree, his admiration and passion in the kitchen has only continued to grow.
“I graduated from the United States with a Finance Degree and my first job consisted of taking different positions in the Al Hajery restaurants as a waiter, a supervisor and as a commis taking up each position for about a month each.” He looks back fondly on those early days where he learned what it’s like to run operations front of house in the restaurant. During that time, he was able to learn what diners are really looking for, how to interact with them, while also looking through the finances and all the back-end requirements. After understanding how the restaurant works, he was handling the brands a couple years later and about four years after beginning his career, he had a complete understanding of how the restaurant operations work to perfection
This played into what he loved because he started developing a passion for cooking during his time at university. Being in the United States, he like many others, missed home-cooked meals and therefore he decided to try cooking them himself. Whether it was the traditional Machboos or any other Kuwaiti dish, he wanted to learn how it’s done and after a few failed tries early on, he learned to perfect them for himself and his friends. At the back of his mind, a love for cooking slowly but surely grew and after spending time in the restaurant, he knew that what had to be done afterwards.
“I knew how the operation side works perfectly, but not the kitchen side. I decided to go to Madrid, Spain and get a degree from Le Cordon Bleu and got to know the different techniques, the kitchen operations, and the full picture of it all. I had a Finance Degree plus a Culinary Degree. A full package of what is required and I took charge initially at Solia.” As things went on, he now finds himself at Mia, a Middle-Eastern restaurant located in Al Assima Mall in Kuwait City where he and other chefs have been able to create a distinct menu which constantly changes and improves every few months in order to keep customers coming for more while competing in a very difficult and ever-changing restaurant industry in the country.
When speaking to Chef Mohammad, it’s easy to see his love for what he does. He loves trying out new ideas, recipes, and ways to cook things. It’s even clear in the menu with one of his personal favorites – the Chicken Schnitzel. “Finding the perfect technique took us some time and a few attempts. We try to do it with three layers so it’s the chicken, mashed potato, vegetables and cheeses all fried together. But once we perfected it, it was incredible and a dish that many of the customers enjoyed.”
That’s another important point for Chef Mohammad. It’s important that the diners return with positive feedback on the dishes. A response of “it was okay” doesn’t sit well with him as he looks back and sees why was it not at least “very good”? Was there something missed or was a step rushed? Perfection of the food being sent out is of utmost importance and that’s very easy to see with all the dishes at Mia.
One of the reasons behind this perfection is that because the F&B sector is extremely competitive in Kuwait, it’s very easy to fall behind. However, there is also a silver lining amidst this competitiveness. “There are a lot of great people who have done great things in the country. Because so much has been done, it helps you strive to be greater and evolve. We lean on the others that have elevated the scene to help us come up with new and innovative ideas to separate us from the rest while having our identity.” But also, because of this competitive industry, Chef Mohammad advises that no one should get into it if they’re not 100% motivated and passionate to do so. “It’s a beautiful industry for those who love it but it’s exhausting and it’s a 24/7 type of job. Unexpected things happen on a daily basis that you have to take care of so if this isn’t something that you are completely into, then it’s best for you to follow what your true passion is.”
