Qualifications
Culinary Arts and Management
Place of study
Institut Paul Bocuse, Lyon
First job
Chef de partie, Geranium (3-Michelin stars), Copenhagen
Motto
“Opportunities come to those who create them.”
Ultimate goal in life
“Raise the culinary level in Lebanon and develop upscale Lebanese cuisine on the international scene.”
Advice for the next generation
“Stick to your dreams and never give up. Always aim for higher, don’t settle.”

Profile
Yasmina Hayek embarked on her culinary career at the Institut Paul Bocuse and trained in Michelin-starred restaurants, with Jean-Francois Piège and Matthieu Pacaud, before moving to Copenhagen to work with Danish chef Rasmus Kofoed. Hayek then returned to Lebanon to work at the family restaurants Em Sherif, La Parilla, Em Sherif Café, Numero 6 and Em Sherif Sea Cafe – for which she personally developed the menu.