Chef Faisal: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Chef

An Interview With Vicky Colas

Marketing your business is necessary. Competition is very tough. I saw that coming. But what I did not see coming is the marketing aspect of the business which I do not know is important. I did not allot a budget. What happened next was that nobody knew about my restaurant and never heard that it existed because no marketing happened. Neither print nor broadcast advertisement has been conducted. In return, the sales were low which made the restaurant unstable. It is vital to advertise your business especially if it is a newly established one to promote and inform the public consumers and get acquainted.

As part of our series about the lessons from influential ‘TasteMakers’, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Chef Faisal.

Faisal is a Banker, a world-renowned Chef, a consultant, and a humanitarian soul at heart. Chef Faisal gave up a successful, 10-year Banking career to follow his passion for cooking and founded the Chef Faisal Consultancy in Bahrain. For the past 11 years he has mentored and tutored restaurants of various sizes in the fast food, and casual dining sector in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the Capital City of Riyadh. One such establishment has expanded from a single outlet to a chain of 30 under his tutelage. Chef Faisal has also mentored other businesses in the food and beverage industry. According to Faisal, opening a restaurant is an exciting but challenging adventure. One needs to have a balance of business as well as a culinary experience, which he has. Faisal learned about the professional art of cooking and global food techniques in Italy and studied further in England. He also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Master’s in Business Administration from the New York Institute of Technology and is therefore well-placed to provide all-around expert knowledge, skills, and guidance to the industry. Faisal is a member of the World Master Chefs Society.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know’ you a bit. Can you share with our readers a story about what inspired you to become a restauranteur or chef?

They said, “I am good at cooking.” Never in my wildest dream until a simple menu changed the whole course of my career path.”

I never imagined becoming a chef consultant. All I ever wanted was a modest life and a career that is close to my heart which is being a banker. But what I never expected became a reality and a reality that seemed unexpected. All happened from a simple cooked menu which drew a positive response from other people. So I pondered and considered their opinion while doubting at the same time. But my instinct was pushy and told me to accept their responses. So I opted to give myself an iota of a chance. I quitted my job as a banker and bet on uncertainty which is not an overnight decision as it seemed. I traveled to Europe and Italy to gamble with this minute opportunity of improving my hidden talent and took the necessary course for me to become a professional chef. The course is not like a bed of roses as I have thought. The challenges were difficult and I almost quitted considering that it is not my cup of tea. But faith kept my fate from moving onward. And after a few months, I gained the skill and triumphed. I went back to my home-grown country and was in full swing to put up my restaurant. At first, it was a bit shaky but I was able to manage and recover swiftly.

Do you have a specific type of food that you focus on? What was it that first drew you to cooking that type of food? Can you share a story about that with us?

Cooking fusion cuisine and a signature salad with a twisted sauce flavored with passion and genuine commitment.

The choice of my customer is always my major priority. I usually fused two different cuisines which gave my customer an element of surprise that was unimaginable to them combined with a creative plating that mostly featured the authentic and enormous Japanese and Middle Eastern cultures. I offered the best fine dining experience with my signature salad twisted with a flavored sauce that was uniquely conceptualized in a creative and trendy plating that hooked their taste buds. But what made my cuisine and signature salad hooking are the touches of flavorful passion and a mixture of genuine commitment to serve my customer the best experience and satisfaction they deserve.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you became a chef or restauranteur? What was the lesson or take away you took out of that story?

It was challenging before but it is funny now.

There was this one guy whom I hired to work with me. He fitted the qualification. But I never imagined that he would desert me unexpectedly. After he left, everything changed. My finances began to collapse and the restaurant started to become unstable. I was so perplexed. But I never allowed this challenge to drown me. Instead, I rose from where I had stumbled. I used the experience as my motivation to move forward. Until I discovered that there was a better plan in store for me. Interestingly I realized that I was not just a plane chef but became a chef consultant. There is always a reason for everything and in return is more than what I have expected.

Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? How did you overcome this obstacle?

Challenging business or successful career

I have this guy who had experience working in Sweden and Europe as a chef. He is the best candidate for the job. So I hired him to help me in designing and innovating unique menus. I invested my trust and money believing that he was of great help to me. Unexpectedly the guy I hired left me hanging in the air when the sales plummeted. The guy thought that my restaurant would not prosper and it was a threat to his career. He quitted. And nobody was going to manage the restaurant full time. It was one tough thing to face. I was in between two clashing rocks which of the two I would give up, my career or my business. I have to decide immediately. I gave up my career knowing that it was my bread and butter and was the main source of living that supported my family for a very long time. Then I started having financial difficulty and instead of running away. I opted to pursue it. It is my passion to become a chef consultant. And fate agreed with me, it pushed me to become more independent and motivated me to strive harder until eventually became the best chef consultant and worked to teach aspiring and budding chefs the skill necessary for them. And for other people who are a novice and venturing into a restaurant business.

In your experience, what is the key to creating a dish that customers are crazy about?

Elements of surprise — taste and flavor

With my experience, I do not believe in a secret formula. I think the key is resiliency anchored with an “element of surprise” and put a twist by adding things that make it more unique focusing on flavor and taste and include the presentation as the final touch. Summing up all these create a unique and satisfying dish that hooks the taste buds of the customer.

Personally, what is the ‘perfect meal for you’?

A burger is life!

For me, the perfect meal is a burger. It is the best-selling meal close to my heart precisely because of its simple and basic ingredients which include the catsup, mayonnaise, and the patty plus it suits my taste buds.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? What impact do you think this will have?

Up to the next level!

I’m always working on many projects in the kitchen and outside. At this moment I’m passionate about the “Cooking for World peace” campaign.

Currently, I have partnered alongside Michelin Star Chefs to promote the World Food Program, a humanitarian organization that is delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and eradicate starvation. ​​Through the Cooking for World Peace Campaign, we will be sharing our recipes that unite cultures through our dishes all done to create awareness about the ongoing starvation of millions of children across the world and therefore raising funds for this cause. We are hoping people can acknowledge that having food is a privilege that most of us don’t even second guess, while millions of others still only dream of having even the smallest of meals. We hope this awareness encourages donations for this magnificent cause.

What advice would you give to other chefs or restauranteurs to thrive and avoid burnout?

Ego will kill you.

For aspiring and budding chefs, I would advise them to think outside the box by working hard and learn from their own experiences and experiences of other people. Do not forget to love yourself at the same time do good things to others by respecting them and always feet on the ground.

Now we are ready for the main question of the interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started as a Restauranteur or Chef” and why? Please share a story or an example for each.

1. Hire the right people and not looking for the cheaper option because that will cost you more money in the future. Do not hire heartless contractors. I hired a contractor to help me run the business and the expected return of investment which is within two months failed and that cost me a lot of money. The people I hired do not have the heart in running the business. They are only up to the salary and the compensation and worst the location is not very strategic. So If you invest for a long term goal, it is safe to hire people whose heart is filled with so much passion, willingness to sacrifice, and with pure intention and do not compromise your plan for cheaper costs and options because investing in cheaper value leads to possible failure and several problems arise which cause more financial losses.
2. Right (a) menu for right concept and name. Fine dining vs Fast Food Chain(s). I have a restaurant that offered fine dining but its coined name sounded like a Fats Food chain. One time a lady asked me if my restaurant is a Fast food chain because she was looking for a Fast Food chain but only to find out it was a restaurant and that confused her. It was so embarrassing. I realized that the name of the business was very important. When you create a name. It should match with the concept of the business and what it offers. It should not only sound nice to the ears but captivating, remarkable, and worth remembering. Otherwise, everything will be ruined just like what I have named mine. Remember the name is always what they remembered first and the food was just a second thing.
3. Choose (a)right location to (a) right concept. Opportunity vs Threat(s). I built my restaurant in a location surrounded by various food establishments. It was a busy place. Though, it was a flawless location for my business. I was so dumbfounded. All of them were Fast food chains while I served fine dining in which the food I served was different. Adding to the burden was the confusing name of my restaurant which sounded like a Fast food chain. Knowing that the competition is hard-hitting. And there are numerous possible options for the customers to choose from. This affected the sales and the entire restaurant itself. Despite the mistake made. I remained positive and composed. And just move forward and carry on with me the greatest lesson I have taken from that experience I had. Having the right location and concept are vital components of a business but consider also the whole surrounding because it could either be an opportunity or a threat to you.
4. Put Marketing budget from day one. Marketing your business is necessary. Competition is very tough. I saw that coming. But what I did not see coming is the marketing aspect of the business which I do not know is important. I did not allot a budget. What happened next was that nobody knew about my restaurant and never heard that it existed because no marketing happened. Neither print nor broadcast advertisement has been conducted. In return, the sales were low which made the restaurant unstable. It is vital to advertise your business especially if it is a newly established one to promote and inform the public consumers and get acquainted.
5. Work as a team and have a clear manual so do not depend on one or more people so when they left everything will be collapse. A contingency plan is necessary. I was devastated when a senior chef left the country without leaving any pastry manual and did not even train others to do the same skill as he did. When he left, nobody was ready to take his place and no one could surpass the quality and standard of pastries he made. The pastry section became substandard until eventually became unstable. The only option left to us was to work as a team. Guess what? Teamwork is successful. It is important to always have a contingency plan so that in case of an unexpected situation there is already an available option to support what needs to be supported.

What’s the one dish people have to try if they visit your establishment?

A blend of sweet, spicy and sour

Chicken slider doughnut is one dish that I want people to try. The flavor and taste are incredible and unique. It is combined with sweet, spicy, and sour tastes which are perfectly blended to suit the taste buds of the customers.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

Cooking without rules is getting outside of the box.

I do not believe in rules. It limits your creativity. It is better if you go out of the usual rules and create your version. Innovation is the key and blending it with an ambitious imagination results in a “wow factor”. Do not be afraid to take the risk and fail. Failure teaches us to become the best version of ourselves. Explore beyond the usual. Do not contain yourself in fear. Instead, eat your fear and follow what your instinct tells you. Only the bravest and toughest of mind succeeds. Bend the rules into a better version of itself and it is only then that you will appreciate how powerful these rules are.

Thank you so much for these insights. This was very inspirational!