Chef Issa Al Balushi, head chef of Al Mouj Muscat and Al Mouj Golf Club has over 13 years of experience and is a man of many titles, including president of Oman Chef’s Guild and brand ambassador of A’saffa. Here, he gives us the lowdown on what’s cooking in Oman.
How are you impacting the culinary scene in Oman and helping new talents?
I have been promoted from executive committee member to president of Oman Chef’s Guild. As an Omani chef, I always go back to my roots to discover the story behind authentic recipes to teach the new generation of chefs how to preserve our food culture.
Omani cuisine is greatly influenced by other cultures and by neighboring countries, as well as the use of fresh ingredients, making the Omani culinary scene unique.
We offer a great deal of support to new chefs in order to motivate them and help them develop their skills, sending culinary students to the World Young Chef’s Olympics and visiting them at culinary school or at their workplaces, for instance.
As a previous Top Chef contestant, what did you learn from the experience?
It was one of the best experiences of my life and career. I was one of the 17 best chefs in the Arab world at that time.
Participating in Top Chef wasn’t easy. It took a lot of sacrifice, several interviews, videos, auditions, and I had to compete against a large number of chefs from different nationalities to be shortlisted. The competition to me was like a masterclass; I rediscovered my strengths and weaknesses and worked on improving myself to become what I am today — one of the top chefs in my county.
What are your plans for the future?
Like every chef in the world, I dream of running my own restaurant where I can add my unique touch and showcase my skills.
I also dream of having a cooking academy, the place where I can nurture a new generation of chefs.
Rita Ghantous is a hospitality aficionado and a passionate writer with over 9 years’ experience in journalism and 5 years experience in the hospitality sector. Her passion for the performance arts and writing, started early. At 10 years old she was praised for her solo performance of the Beatles song “All My Love” accompanied by a guitarist, and was approached by a French talent scout during her school play. However, her love for writing was stronger. Fresh out of school, she became a freelance journalist for Noun Magazine and was awarded the Silver Award Cup for Outstanding Poetry, by The International Library of Poetry (Washington DC). She studied Business Management and earned a Masters degree from Saint Joseph University (USJ), her thesis was published in the Proche-Orient, Études en Management book. She then pursued a career in the hospitality industry but didn’t give up writing, that is why she launched the Four Points by Sheraton Le Verdun Newsletter. Her love for the industry and journalism led her to Hospitality Services - the organizers of the HORECA trade show in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan, as well as Salon Du Chocolat, Beirut Cooking Festival, Whisky Live and other regional shows. She is currently the Publications Executive of Hospitality News Middle East, Taste & Flavors and Lebanon Traveler. It is with ultimate devotion for her magazines that she demonstrates her hospitality savoir-faire.
