Chef Tala Bashmi and the sweet taste of hard-won success

Chef Tala Bashmi talks about the challenges and joys of her chosen profession

“Most people don’t know this, but I was a professional footballer when I was younger, playing with the national team for seven years. I think it’s important to show that I did not fit the norms of what a woman should do or how our profession should shape up,” says Bahraini chef Tala Bashmi.

Tala, who had to discontinue professional football due to injuries, says it was while she was in her 20s that she began to explore “what I truly wanted to do.”

Tala was recently in the city as a guest of The Chambers at the Taj West End where she curated a sit-down dinner that showcased her culinary heritage.

“As with a lot of women, cooking is my love language — it’s how I show people I care about them. Seeing the joy on the faces of my family and friends every time I fed them something they enjoyed made me happy, made me feel fulfilled.“

In order to make a career out of her passion, Tala began a home-based baking business in 2010. “For a year and a half, I handled every aspect of this business — from marketing and purchases to baking and delivery. That’s where I learnt the basics of the industry in terms of costing, overheads and other factors most people may not know about when they decide to start a cafe or restaurant.”

Fiercely competitive by nature, Tala says she wanted to be the best at whatever she did, so she decided to join the Gulf Hotels for formal training and hands-on experience as a chef. “That was in 2014. I joined as a trainee and I started from the ground up, working in the butchery and other sections for long hours.”

“For the first two years. I wasn’t allowed to cook a single complete dish; I was only prepping. I think that it’s invaluable and all young chefs need to go through it. You have to do the grunt work and endless hours of mindless preparation. Being a chef is not about working in a fine dining restaurant and plating with tweezers.”