TEDx Talks - شغف و إلهام بعالم الطبخ السعودي | Sama Jaad | TEDxOkadh
The speaker, a Saudi woman, recounts her journey as the first Saudi woman to win Top Chef, highlighting the challenges and lessons in strength, patience, and discipline she gained. She then embarked on a journey across Saudi Arabia to explore and document the rich culinary diversity of the country, discovering unique regional dishes and flavors often overshadowed by the popular dish, Kabsa. This experience inspired her to open a restaurant, Tomio by Sama, focusing on Saudi flavors, although it only lasted two years. Despite its closure, she views it as a success and a learning experience, emphasizing the importance of sharing failures as well as successes. She also launched Sama Collection, integrating fashion with cooking, and successfully marketed Madeleine cakes, expanding to multiple branches. Her ventures aim to inspire and empower women, particularly in the context of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which encourages women's participation in various fields. She stresses the importance of resilience and learning from failures, aiming to be a role model for women balancing multiple roles.
Key Points:
- Winning Top Chef taught valuable lessons in strength and discipline.
- Exploring Saudi Arabia revealed a rich culinary diversity beyond Kabsa.
- Opening a restaurant focused on Saudi flavors was a learning experience despite its closure.
- Sama Collection combines fashion and cooking, showcasing entrepreneurial creativity.
- Empowering women and sharing both successes and failures are crucial for growth.
Details:
1. 🌟 Introduction and Personal Journey
- The speaker is honored to be present at the event and share a part of her journey.
- Initially, she prepared extensive notes but prefers a more spontaneous approach, indicating a focus on authenticity and adaptability.
- The speaker emphasizes the importance of being genuine and flexible, reflecting on how these qualities have shaped her career and interactions.
2. 👩🍳 First Saudi Woman to Win Top Chef
- The first Saudi woman to win Top Chef attributes her success to the strength, patience, and discipline developed throughout the competition.
- She faced numerous challenges, including high-pressure cooking tasks and the need to innovate with limited ingredients.
- Her experience underscores the importance of resilience and adaptability in culinary arts.
- Winning the competition has not only advanced her career but also inspired other women in Saudi Arabia to pursue their culinary passions.
3. 📺 Exploring Saudi Cuisine on TV
- The program 'من ديره لديره' was offered to the speaker following their participation in Top Chef in 2020, during the nascent stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The show, aired on MBC, involved a 45-day journey exploring southern regions of Saudi Arabia, focusing on their cultures and cuisines.
- The speaker was the only female among 30 men during this journey, highlighting a unique experience in cultural immersion.
- A key discovery was the rich culinary diversity within Saudi Arabia, which remains largely unknown to many people.
- Specific cuisines explored included traditional dishes unique to each southern region, such as Jazan's famous 'Maraseya' and Asir's 'Areekah', showcasing the region's diverse culinary heritage.
- The journey also revealed the integral role food plays in cultural traditions and communal gatherings in Saudi society.
- This exploration provided the speaker with a deeper understanding of regional differences and the significance of preserving culinary traditions.
4. 🍽️ Diverse Saudi Culinary Traditions
- Saudi Arabia's diverse geography influences its culinary traditions, with each region having dishes suited to its terrain.
- Southern regions favor hearty, warming foods often based on flour and ghee, reflecting the need for warmth in cooler climates.
- Coastal areas like Jazan and Farasan feature lighter, seafood-based dishes, highlighting the region's access to fresh fish, similar to Jeddah's cuisine.
- Saudi culinary culture showcases significant diversity, emphasizing the role of food in uniting people across different backgrounds.
5. 👩🏭 Opening a Saudi Restaurant
- The restaurant 'Tomeo Bay Sama' was launched to spotlight Saudi flavors, incorporating traditional dishes like 'Debyaza' from Hijaz, served during Eid, and international dishes with a Saudi twist such as 'Maglouba' and 'Musambeh'.
- The strategic objective was to introduce Saudi culinary tradition to international audiences, emphasizing the richness and diversity of Saudi cuisine.
- Despite initial success, the restaurant faced typical industry challenges over its two-year operation, reflecting the volatility of the restaurant business.
- Key lessons included the importance of resilience and adaptability, highlighting how setbacks can strengthen business acumen and provide critical learning experiences.
- The experience underscored the value of integrating cultural authenticity with international appeal in culinary offerings.
6. 💪 Lessons from Business Failures
- Failure is not a disgrace; it is integral to growth and strength.
- Publicly acknowledging business closure after three years and two years of preparation is seen as strength, not failure.
- Sharing failures and setbacks is as important as celebrating success; it builds resilience and strength.
- Discussing unsuccessful experiences helps in creating stronger individuals capable of handling future challenges.
7. 👗 Culinary Meets Fashion: Sama Collection
- Sama Collection creatively combines fashion and culinary arts by offering stylish cooking aprons for both women and men, reflecting the founder's dual passion for these fields.
- This initiative was sparked by the founder's desire to integrate fashion expertise with culinary creativity, aiming to enhance the cooking experience through style.
- An example of their unique approach includes serving French-madeleines with coffee in restaurants, which unexpectedly became popular, leading to their sale in takeaway boxes.
- The madeleines were initially offered in 12 branches across Mecca, Jeddah, and Riyadh, demonstrating a strategic expansion in key locations.
- Although the founder eventually exited the bakery business, this experience was viewed as valuable, showcasing the importance of adaptability and customer experience in business.
- The brand's journey highlights the significance of creating a valued customer experience by introducing novel dining concepts, like serving cakes with coffee.
- Despite facing challenges, the founder's innovative approach in creating a fashionable cooking line exemplifies the potential of integrating distinct passions into a successful business model.
8. 🤝 Co-founding New Restaurants
- As a co-founder of several restaurants in Jeddah, the individual has leveraged their experiences to build a strong foundation for growth.
- The co-founding journey involved overcoming challenges such as market competition and establishing a unique brand identity.
- Plans for global expansion are underway, highlighting a strategic vision for scaling operations beyond local markets.
- Success in co-founding has been attributed to innovative culinary offerings and a focus on customer experience, setting the restaurants apart from competitors.