Jood in Arabic can have many meanings. Generosity, goodness and finery are some ways to translate the word. Sisters-in-law Suhair Al Jasim and Reem Al Mussalam chose a specific meaning when they started Tawla By Jood. ‘Jood’ means generosity. There’s an old saying that goes “الجود من الموجود” which بما تجود به الأرض من عطايا means explained Suhair. It is always ”,’الرحمن difficult to translate things like this because nuance and culture can be lost, but in essence it means that giving your all is the highest form of generosity and also that the land’s best produce is a gift from God.
In the Arab world cooking and serving food is part of the culture of giving. Your guests deserve the best china, the finest ingredients and the shiny silverware that is often handed down from one generation to the next. It would be an insult to do anything less. Suhair and Reem embody this through their concept, Tawla by Jood. One part catering and one part community table, the startup is all about joining people through seasonal home cooked feasts.
The women are self-taught and learned cooking by combing through videos on the internet that provided proper instructions. Suhair adds that her main motivator for elevating her cooking skills were her husband’s helpful and constructive criticism coupled with his good taste.
The sisters (as they think of themselves) started Tawla by Jood because they wanted to relive the same experiences they had when they travelled without actually having to book tickets. It is almost as if they were prescient and knew that we would all be putting our globe-trotting plans on hold this year.
“We wanted to make use of the short months where the weather is beautiful and cool and enjoy several different locations in the country. That’s why we always make sure to secure indoor and outdoor locations with beautiful scenery,” Suhair and Reem told bazaar.
The changing seasons and in turn the different fruits and vegetables of the time are a vehicle for inspiration and ideas. “I get inspired by simply going grocery shopping in supermarkets or veggie and fruits markets. Seasonal crops usually inspire most of my recipes and push me to become inventive. Anything that is fresh, ripe, and seasonal is pretty much my inspiration to create great dishes,” Reem explains. This philosophy is clearly visible in their menu. Every single dish is a painting that uses different colors, textures and flavors, balancing and playing with each other for a delicious dish.
The bright and enticing colors aren’t an accident. Suhair explains that she is a “strong believer that the eyes are always attracted to what is beautiful. So, I always make sure that my ingredients are fresh and I make sure every placement is to enhance the look of my dishes and add to its appeal. That’s something I’ve learned through constant practice and listening to my intuition and how I feel. There are no repeated presentations, every plate comes out differently every time. Every plate has a piece of my soul in it and it guides my creative instincts to do better every time.”
It is this kind of dedication and personal commitment that sets Tawla By Jood apart from everyone else.
The women are first and foremost mothers who are experienced in cooking for their families, but despite years of practice in their home kitchens. Tawla by Jood is a completely different ball game. The ladies agree that nerves and adrenaline are high and peaking during any Tawla event. They are constantly making sure that every dish is perfect from the moment they conceive it to the moment it is served on the table for their guests.
“The whole process is a different kind of rush from putting the tickets on sale, to preparing the menu and beginning the cooking process…up until seeing our guests’ happy and satisfied reactions and hearing their praise and endless compliments, that is when our happiness comes full circle,” Suhair tells us.
From the inception of the project, Suhair and Reem wanted to use seasonal products. “We rely heavily on fresh ingredients to ensure we deliver our flavours to their maximum potential; so creating seasonal dishes is highly dependent on what’s currently fresh in the market. For example: basil leaves differ from season to season so we make sure to include them heavily when their time comes,” they both explain.
When we asked Suhair and Reem what advice they would give for any aspiring cook or someone who is trying to host a large gathering they both agreed that breaking down the recipes into sections and preparing them a couple of days ahead of time is key, so everything runs smoothly on the day of the event. They both agreed that time management is one of the most important skills that they had to master to successfully host their events.
Tawla by Jood is an ode to slow-living, respecting time and fully enjoying the present; whether it is by focusing on fresh produce when it is in season or by using comforting home-cooking techniques that make us all feel like home. In today’s fast paced life, we appreciate the opportunity to be welcomed at a table where we are treated like family and offered food cooked with love.
Right now you can’t order a single menu item, but you can order a full Tawla buffet for 25-52 people by visiting their website tawlabyjood.com or contacting them on Instagram @tawlabyjood. We do recommend that you add their grilled asparagus salad with caramelized onions to your selection because everyone who has tried it fell in love with it.
