By Lynda Schmidt
Growth change and new opportunities for women are increasing in Saudi Arabia. The successful launch of Blend Culinary by founder Sarah BinSaid, a proud Saudi Arabian woman and entrepreneur is an inspiring example.
Driving up to one of the malls in Riyadh, I’m not sure what to expect. An office at the fourth floor is the home of the newly-opened Blend Culinary. From the outside it is unremarkable, but as you walk through the door, you enter a culinary oasis. I love how the owner and founder, Sarah BinSaid, describes the transformation: “It is like a Kinder surprise egg.”
After walking through the small reception area, we enter a meeting room. The marbled floors and tastefully-decorated space create a welcoming vibe. There is a window to the adjacent room where the modern kitchen showcases a brick feature wall with the Blend logo. There are two large islands with six oversized sinks and 16 burners to accommodate up to 15 chef stations.
Sarah welcomes us warmly and introduces herself, gracefully answering my questions and posing patiently for photos. She is a confident, beautiful woman, an entrepreneur with passion and ambition for her culinary aspirations and her country. From a young age, Sarah learned to appreciate the art of food like her father. He loved to cook and exposed his family to new cuisines during extensive travels abroad as well as at home in Riyadh. Sarah admits that it is a part of her personality to try new things and be open to novel experiences.
When she first started this venture, Sarah wasn’t certain whether her dream of opening the first culinary school in Riyadh could become a reality. As a pioneer, she had no precedent to know if there was an interest from the public for this kind of institution. When devising her business model for Blend Culinary, Sarah had to rely on her intuition. She chose to start small, renting a cozy office space, to “test the waters”. In her opinion, the Crown Prince’s Vision 2030 has helped “big time” to transform her vision into a reality, with government sectors providing easy access to loans and paperwork for new businesses.
The response to Blend Culinary has been tremendous. The popular chefs are attracting clients and the feedback has been positive. Sarah is already dreaming of expanding to more branches in the region and is offering classes in the Diplomatic Quarter.
Blend Culinary offers classes showcasing a variety of international cuisines, including two of Sarah’s favorites: French and Asian Fusion. Skills include basics of food, baking, recipes, knife skills and coffee artistry by chefs from all over the world. There are public and private classes as well as classes for families, corporations, aspiring chefs and children. Options include: Meat and Fish, Pastry & Baking, Healthy & Vegan and Pasta Making. Sarah is most enthusiastic about attracting a wide variety of clients from different backgrounds and even plans to offer a Gluten-Free class in September.
We had the privilege of observing the second session in a five-part Ramadanyat series being conducted by Chef Eman who is a food festival winner and a graduate from Goody Academy. We learned the importance of the meal that breaks the Ramadan fast which is usually an elaborate, family affair, traditionally featuring five courses.
The first item on the menu was an oat and chicken soup prepared with sauteed red onions and a variety of spices that made the room fragrant with savory aromas. To follow, students learned how to create tuna, potato and fresh cilantro kofta. The third course was a rocket and halloumi salad with fried eggplant and a delicious dressing combining flavors such as balsamic vinegar and molasses. The fourth dish was vegetable and cheese sambosa dipped in zaatar. For dessert, muhalabia, an Arabic custard topped with kunafa, completed the meal.
We were thrilled with our experience at Blend Culinary. The exquisite space designed by Sarah BinSaid, her passion for food and the extensive variety of cuisines and culinary skills offered have captured our interest. We will definitely sign up for a class in the near future. We hope you do too!
Upcoming Classes
May 2019: Ramadan Nights
Adult Classes featuring Saudi Cuisine from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Childrenís Classes (Friday) from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Adult Classes (Saturday) from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Blend Culinary
Contact No.: +966-583 676 105
Sign up for classes and the newsletter!
Email: info@blendculinary.com
Website: blendculinary.com
Photo Credit to Danielle Papsdorf
