Recipe For Success: The Powerhouse Women Championing Middle Eastern Hospitality

Em Sherif’s Yasmina and Mireille Hayek share the special ingredients that have led to them building a culinary empire

The mother-daughter dynamic is surely tricky enough without bringing in a working relationship to add another layer of complexity. Yet Yasmina Hayek and her mum Mireille – the ‘em’ or mother in high-profile Lebanese restaurant Em Sherif – stand shoulder to shoulder in the kitchen, with the former taking on the mantle of Executive Chef in the string of eateries the latter established. From Cairo to Monte-Carlo, with 16 restaurants across 10 locations and many more in the pipeline, this formidable duo are on course to conquer the culinary world. We sat with the two inspiring women to talk family ties, taking risks and the taste of home.

Yasmina, you must have grown up in an environment surrounded with sumptuous food; that usually results in people settling in to or rebelling against it. But you fully embraced your mother’s passion project…

Y: Since we were young, my mother used to host huge dinner parties at home and cook everything from scratch. She never bought anything or had caterers, so everyone was really impressed and used to tell us, “Wow, she’s an amazing cook!” and should really open a restaurant. But I wanted to be a doctor. After doing an internship at a hospital I realised it wasn’t for me. I re-evaluated and felt that cooking might work for me. It fit my personality, as someone outgoing who loves to travel, loves to meet people, who is very curious, and it’s artistic yet scientific at the same time.

Mireille, being a home cook and a restauranteur are worlds apart.

M: When I think back, it’s like a dream – and I’m still dreaming. Because what happened seems unbelievable. I worked so hard for it so I didn’t have time to think how it was happening, I went with the flow. For 15 years I didn’t even take a month of vacation, I became a workaholic. The goal was not to fail. I was scared. Every day was like my first, and that continues till now as this wasn’t my profession, it was my hobby. I was like a baby who wanted to win a game.

Y: I remember my mum used to go to work and treat it as if she was hosting people at home. I think that’s what made the difference.

M: I stayed late into the night to finish the cleaning of the restaurant, I behaved like it was my house not a business. Even with the expansion I didn’t change a lot. Personally I work the same way. I try to change through Yasmina, through my brothers, through the family, but when I work myself, I do it the same way.

Although you’re both on this culinary journey, you’ve approached the road in very different ways. Mireille’s path was organic, almost serendipitous, while Yasmina went to culinary school, got her Bachelor’s at Lyon’s Institute Paul Bocuse and Masters degree in Food Design and Innovation from Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan. Yasmina also worked as Chef de Partie at Copenhagen’s three Michelin-starred Geranium and took on the Commis role at Le Grand Restaurant and Restaurant Hexagone alongside Mathieu Pacaud.

Y: Exactly. It allowed our family business to evolve by bringing both forces together because each one of us has something different to bring to the company.

“It is a way to preserve our culinary heritage as even our techniques are getting lost. Nobody cooks these recipes at home,”

Do you tend to take work home with you? do you ever switch off?

M: Personal and professional is pretty mixed up but we like it honestly, it’s not something that bothers us. We love what we do so it’s never unpleasant.

Yasmina, because you have worked in other kitchens you do know about bosses who are not your mum! In a parent relationship there’s usually a hierarchy, and in a kitchen there’s also one – how does that work for you?

Y: She’s my mother and my boss at the same time. I always need her approval at the end of the day so whatever decision I take has to go through her. When I came back after my training and my different experiences I never used to take criticism well because I came with another vision. Then I came to understand that she knew the market and had very successful product so I had to ride the wave and not the other way around.

M: Since Yasmina is a part of the business I don’t do anything without asking her. So we share things. I’m not the boss, she’s not the boss, we plan things together.

What inspires your cooking? Em Sherif has a very strong Middle Eastern ethos and serves authentic Lebanese recipes, but do you take inspiration from other places?
Y: Definitely because at some point Lebanese cuisine and the concept of Lebanese hospitality needs to evolve. But we’re very authentic and traditional yet refined at the same time. I think it’s important not to diverge in what we do and need to stay true to ourselves.

M: People sometimes think we serve fusion plates but it is because they are not used to this refinement and presentation in traditional cuisine. We don’t play with flavour. We keep it very, very authentic.

What do you consider your signature dishes?

M: I still cook at home every day. But when you cook at home it’s very different as you can cook without balance, without measure. I’m very spontaneous at home. But what makes Em Sherif restaurants successful is their consistency. So whether you go to our restaurants in Dubai or London or anywhere else, the taste is the same. We compete with each other. Our clients are sometimes confused: they don’t know where the food is better.

And do you still love cooking at home?

M: Definitely. You can sometimes get more creative when working at home because unfortunately there are some limits to creativity when you open a restaurant, because there are things that people accept and things people don’t like. But you can play around with your friends or at home.

Do you have a mentor? Any personalities that have influenced your food or have helped you along your way?

Y: I have worked with some amazing chefs. Working in Denmark at Geranium was life changing for me and gave me another vision towards ingredients, how to work, team building. I would definitely go back for a while if I could.

M: Oh my God!

The way the restaurants look are really important too; they have a very strong, opulent aesthetic.

M: I wanted the client to feel at home. I wanted them to have this full Lebanese experience. We didn’t have that before in our restaurants. Lebanese women take pride in their home and pay attention to every detail, from plates to decoration, so that was what I wanted to convey.

Yasmina you also oversee the company’s social media and content creation strategy.

Y: I think it is a very important façade for any business because it’s kind of your catalogue, so I think it should reflect what you serve, how you treat people, your energy… You can feel the place’s energy through their Instagram page.

Mireille, this is still quite a male-dominated industry. Do you see yourself as a role model for other women?

M: I hope so. If it encourages women to work and do what they love then I would be more than happy. It’s a huge compliment. For me the biggest reward is when families come to our restaurant and the parents thank me saying: “It’s because of you that our children like to eat Lebanese food. Before they used to fight – the elders wanted to eat Lebanese dishes but their children wanted to go elsewhere. Our places gather families. You see a lot of young people. This is a continuity for traditional cuisine.

Y: It is a way to preserve our culinary heritage as even our techniques are getting lost. You can’t find the dishes you find at Em Sherif at other restaurants and nobody cooks these recipes at home. They take time.

What are some of your signature dishes?

M: You find everything at Em Sherif. But the difference is that everything you eat at Em Sherif is good. We don’t have just one dish that’s exceptional that nobody else does, but the difference is that everything on our table is delicious. You’ll love everything. Even the olives.

You’ve suddenly exploded with new concepts, Em Sherif Café and Em Sherif Sea Café, and new locations – with Greece, France and Switzerland on the horizon.

Y: Everything was on hold because of Covid so everything that was due to open ended up opening all together at the same time. We found ourselves with so many back-to-back openings all of a sudden. We had London, Monaco, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. You’ve got the most prestigious addresses overseas: Hotel de Paris in Monaco and Harrods in London.

M: In Monaco we started with the location. In London they approached us because they heard we were looking there and wanted to secure us for Harrods. You’ll have the opportunity to teach non-Arabs about more traditional food.

Y: We want to change the way people perceive Lebanese cuisine. They’re always used to super-kitsch restaurants with belly dancers… for them Lebanese restaurants are not that fancy. Now they are getting used to seeing a different face of the cuisine. People in Monte Carlo knew about food from this region but were amazed by the restaurant itself.

Where have you eaten that’s like made an impression on you?

M: I loved our experience at Paul Bocuse’s restaurant. It reminds me a bit of our place as its family-owned and has a generosity to it.

Y: L’Auberge for me. I had the chance to eat in his garden. I love his philosophy, how he treats his products, his emphasis on seasonality. Zuma is a big example for us because of their success and their consistency. I think they’re a great model to follow.

What have you learned that you wish you’d known to start?

M: Nothing. I’m happy because you learn a lot from your experience. That’s the best school. You can tell someone to do something, but it’s not the same. Having Yasmina with me makes things easier for me. Now when I want to do things the easy way, I call her: “Yasmina, help!”

Y: Perseverance is key. The more you do things, the better you’ll be.

M: You have to be very generous: success will bring business.

We’re talking about strong women from the region, so is there anyone who’s influenced you?

M: The women in my family were my inspiration. Everybody used to cook. We lived in the same building and everyone shared and sent food to others. I was raised with such a mentality and I loved it. I was surrounded by women who used to work without being tired, without complaining, and every time I work hard I remember them and feel like I’m like them.

Y: My mum is my biggest inspiration because she really went from nothing to something big. That drives me every day. Lebanese women are known for their sense of style – are you interested in the fashion scene?

Y: I go through so many phases and different styles so it depends where I live in the world. I adapt to the local style. When I lived in Copenhagen I had a very Danish look and when in London, whether you’re in the east or west, you also end up emulating their style. In Monaco everything was super-branded so you always felt underdressed.

M: I am practical. If I I like the brand I can buy 10 pieces of the same item.

The region is coming onto the global food map with Gault & Millau and MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants.

M: It’s definitely going to help the region, but I feel the spotlight should be on local cuisine. There are a lot of Asian restaurants and I think we should embrace our roots; that’s what’s going to differentiate us. We need to work with our ingredients, work with our products and what we find in our land, and not on other people’s land.

Photography: Efraim Evidor. Styling: Cristina Burca

From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s November 2022 issue