Aisha Al Tamimi is a Qatari trailblazer. Her journey from cooking sumptuous dishes for family and friends from the comfort of her own home to becoming a household name here as Qatar’s celebrated master chef is truly inspiring.
Considered a forerunner in the country’s hospitality scene, Al Tamimi is arguably the first Qatari chef in Doha. She started working as a chef over 20 years ago, published her first culinary book in 2005, and started her first television cooking show on Qatar TV in 2006.
While well-known to be one of the first Qatari chefs to specialise in international cuisine, Al Tamimi is also an ambassador of Qatari flavours. More recently, Qatar Airways in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, started introducing local Qatari dishes to passengers onboard its flights and at its lounges with the ‘refresh’ menu, courtesy of Al Tamimi. Previously, she also trained highly skilled chefs on Qatari dishes during the ‘Qatari House’ event in Brazil in 2017 and took part in Expo Milan in 2015 where she taught traditional dishes to non-Arab chefs.
Regarded as Qatar’s leading culinary artist, Al Tamimi has also launched her eighth book this year, which features traditional Qatari recipes.
With her sunny disposition in life, paired with an ‘I can do it’ attitude, Al Tamimi is like a ray of sunshine to family, friends, and people she interacts with. But, like any ordinary woman, life isn’t all sunshine and roses for Al Tamimi too.
In 2014, Al Tamimi was diagnosed with breast cancer. Confronted by the disease, she had two options: either give in to despair or pick herself up and fight cancer.
As the world celebrates Cancer Survivors’ Month in June, Al Tamimi reminds cancer warriors that it’s okay to feel down or even be depressed for a while, but it’s more important to get back up and move forward in one’s cancer journey.
In an interview with Qatar Tribune on the sidelines of the recently concluded Doha International Book Fair, Al Tamimi recounted her humble beginnings as a devoted wife and teacher, finding the courage to pursue her dreams, as well as her challenging season with breast cancer.
“I was not really planning to become a chef. I liked to cook. I was a teacher, and whenever I cooked something I brought it to school for my friends to try. And they kept saying ‘O Aisha this is very good, very nice’. They gave me very encouraging words and that gave me the confidence to do better. Initially, I was only cooking for my family and friends,” said Al Tamimi, who has worked as a teacher for 20 years before entering the hospitality industry. She was probably one of the first Qatari women to make a career change too, at a time when the terms ‘career change’ or ‘career transition’ were not even popular yet.
Al Tamimi also remembers so clearly, when she found the courage to tell her husband who was also a well-known journalist, that she wanted to do a television cooking show at a time when not a lot of Qatari women were appearing on TV.
She said: “I discussed with my husband one night, and I told him that I have a lot of ideas about food and I want to make a program. I want to go to Qatar TV. He said, ‘Ok, I will talk with the manager there’. I could not believe what I had just heard. My husband was really supportive of my career. He encouraged me to continue. And when he made the proposal to the TV officials, they said ok and tell her to make a food test. When I made a taste test for the first time, they said ‘You are excellent’. And from then (2006) on I started the live TV cooking show which achieved excellent ratings for many years”.
Asked how important her husband’s support has been in her success, Al Tamimi mused: “Too much. When I went on TV live for the very first time on my program, he taught me how to look at the cameras. He was also a journalist, and he kept reminding me saying ‘When you see the cameras don’t be afraid. Check the light, if it’s green it means start, and if red, not yet. There are three cameras, and always look at your camera’. He gave me pointers.
“Also, whenever I come home from the program, I always asked him ‘What score will you give me from 10’. And for my first show, he gave me 8. That gave me more confidence. And now, whenever we go anywhere he’s always happy to tell his friends and everyone that ‘my wife is a chef’. When we attended the Qatar Airways event, he kept saying ‘My wife is the chef and I’m proud of her’,” Al Tamimi added.
Speaking about her most challenging seasons, Al Tamimi said her breast cancer diagnosis, as well as working as a female chef in a male-dominated industry were some of her most trying times.
“When I went to Italy and Brazil, that was also difficult for me because I had to work with foreign people and most of them were men. I was a little nervous and stressed for the first two to three days. And then I began to challenge myself. Anywhere I go, I just try to overcome my own fears. And I’m very happy and proud as a Qatari to have reached this place. When I first started out as a chef, there were still no other Qatari female chefs or even male Qatari chefs. After about 14 years, then younger Qatari chefs started coming to the market,” added Al Tamimi.
However, one of her most difficult seasons in life remains to be her cancer journey. Al Tamimi, who is an ardent believer in regular check-ups and screenings, discovered that she had breast cancer during a routine check-up.
She said: “When I heard about the disease, I was shocked. Maybe for one month I was depressed and kept crying because nobody in my family has ever had this disease. I was the first one. But after I did the surgery to remove the tumour, I finally came to terms with my reality and accepted it. I reminded myself how I used to encourage family and friends who were sick. I used to tell them not to be afraid. When I got diagnosed with breast cancer, I was very afraid. After one month, I gathered myself together, and spoke encouragement to myself, saying ‘Aisha you must be strong’.
“After that, I felt better. I received radiotherapy treatment at Al Amal Hospital and went back to my ordinary self. I went for radiotherapy every day and I greeted all the nurses with a warm smile, and they said they liked it whenever I was there because I was sharing my positivity with them. I also brought some desserts for them. After beating breast cancer, I joined the Qatar Cancer Society to talk about my experience with the disease and to encourage cancer patients to keep going,” Al Tamimi added.
After 33 radiation sessions, Al Tamimi finished her cancer treatment and had to stay on medication for five years with routine check-ups.
“I must say, women aged 45 years and above, must go for the screening and routine check-ups. I discovered my breast cancer at stage 1, which is good because I always went for annual tests. Mammogram is really important. And when diagnosed with cancer, acceptance is very important. You will receive support from people around you, but no matter how much support you get from others, family and friends, if you don’t help and support and encourage yourself, you won’t win. If you want to fight, you will fight. All of my family and friends, my husband, they all pushed me to fight,” added Al Tamimi.
Today, Al Tamimi continues to pursue her passions in life after emerging victorious over cancer. Her recent partnership with Qatar Airways was just a start, she said. She also currently teaches at The Cooking Academy where she hopes some of the students will also become chefs in the future.
“I’ve also already written eight books, all of them were written in both Arabic and English. The first seven books were mainly focused on international cuisine, and the last one is highlighting traditional Qatari food,” she added.
Advising older women to not rest on their laurels, and to continue developing themselves, she said: “As long as I am healthy, I can do everything. I will continue to work regardless of my age. I say to every woman, take care of yourself. Yourself first, and then your family after. Don’t forget yourself. Do not let yourself go. Put on make up, wear nice dresses. Go out with friends and go to the mall. And work.
“I balance everything. I have time with my family, I go out with my friends, I sit with my grandchildren, and I travel with my husband. But my work is also my priority. I can manage. Discipline is the key. Also, positive and encouraging words from people continues to give me strength until now. When I read the comments from people on my Instagram or Snap, which are all positive, this encourages and inspires me to give them more and more,” Al Tamimi added.
