From homely food to refugee camp inspiration: How 2 Emirati women found love for cooking

Mariam Almansoori began her professional journey as an engineer in the oil and water resources sector. However, after marriage and having children, she discovered a growing passion for healthy food and traditional Emirati cuisine.

Encouraged by her husband and children, who regularly praised her home-cooked meals, Almansoori gradually explored her interest in cooking and turned it into a business opportunity.

In 2019, she founded Montauk, a multi-concept restaurant in Abu Dhabi, alongside her husband. The business later expanded to four additional branches.

Her achievements reached an international level in 2024, when she became the first Emirati citizen to win gold at France's Best of Gastronomy award. She also serves as a judge at culinary and Arabic coffee competitions.

Alongside managing her business, Almansoori is raising six children. Her passion for cooking has also influenced her nine-year-old son, who has taught pizza-making to hundreds of children.

For Almansoori, the transition from engineering to cooking was about discovering her true identity and having the courage to pursue her passion rather than remain on a familiar career path.

Kashtat Amina Brings Authentic Emirati Cuisine to Sharjah

In July 2025, Almansoori opened Kashtat Amina in Sharjah, her first restaurant dedicated entirely to authentic Emirati cuisine. The restaurant is named after her mother and reflects her commitment to preserving traditional food and family heritage.

She explained that opening the restaurant required waiting for the right time, location and purpose.

The menu draws inspiration from two important influences in her childhood: her mother's intuitive approach to cooking, guided by aromas and experience rather than precise measurements, and her father's emphasis on presentation and hospitality.

Almansoori believes Emirati cuisine is more than a collection of recipes. It carries the memories, traditions and identities of families and generations.

Her goal is to preserve these stories while presenting traditional dishes in ways that connect with younger generations without compromising their authenticity.

She is also developing a culinary academy and hopes to achieve Michelin recognition for her restaurant if the guide expands its coverage to Sharjah.

Empowering Emirati Women Through Knowledge and Experience

Almansoori's ambitions extend beyond building successful restaurants. She is equally committed to helping other Emirati women develop their skills and confidence.

She believes that knowledge becomes more valuable when it is shared with others. Through her work, she aims to ensure that every Emirati woman on her team gains the confidence, experience and abilities needed to establish her own professional identity.

Reflecting on her journey, Almansoori said that support helped strengthen her, while challenges provided valuable experience and determination.

Her advice to women who are uncertain about taking their first step is to begin, even if the step is small, and learn from every experience rather than wait for the perfect opportunity.

She believes Emirati women have the potential to succeed internationally, provided they first believe in their own abilities.

Abeer Al Louz: From Banking to Social Entrepreneurship

While Almansoori discovered her calling through family cooking, Abeer Al Louz found hers through humanitarian work.

A business graduate from UAE University, Al Louz also completed an early entrepreneurship diploma through the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SMEs. She spent several years working in banking before realising that her interests lay elsewhere.

Her turning point came in 2018, when she travelled with the Emirates Red Crescent to Syrian refugee camps in Jordan.

There, she conducted pastry workshops for children who had experienced significant hardship. Seeing their happiness during the activities helped her recognise the potential of baking to bring comfort, connection and joy.

The experience inspired her to establish Tajrubah in 2019, a training platform designed to provide people with opportunities to learn new skills and take a break from the pressures of everyday life.

For Al Louz, the initiative is about much more than baking. It is about creating meaningful experiences that make people feel included and supported.

Tajrubah Creates Inclusive Baking Experiences

One of the defining features of Tajrubah is its focus on people who may otherwise be overlooked.

Before designing an initiative, Al Louz considers who might be excluded and how the experience can be adapted to welcome them.

This approach has led to workshops for elderly Emirati citizens, including sessions where participants prepared English scones for the first time. She is also planning workshops for people in recovery, working with a psychologist to explore the potential wellbeing benefits of baking.

These initiatives demonstrate how cooking can create opportunities for learning, social interaction and personal development across different age groups and circumstances.

Cooking Workshops Break Communication Barriers

One of Tajrubah's most memorable initiatives was a cooking workshop designed for participants with hearing impairments.

With support from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Al Louz organised the session with a professional sign language interpreter, despite having no prior knowledge of sign language herself.

Before the workshop, she met with the interpreter to learn essential kitchen-related terms that would help her communicate more effectively with participants.

The experience became a two-way learning opportunity, with Al Louz explaining that the participants taught her as much as she taught them.

For her, the workshop reinforced the belief that hearing impairments do not prevent people from participating fully. With the right communication support, everyone can take part and enjoy the experience.

Al Louz is now working on a baking book and a wellbeing study, continuing her efforts to explore the broader value of baking beyond the kitchen.

Two Different Journeys, One Shared Mission

Although Almansoori and Al Louz come from different professional backgrounds, their journeys share a common purpose: using food to connect people, preserve traditions and create opportunities.

For Almansoori, cooking is a way to protect Emirati culinary heritage and pass family traditions on to future generations. Through her restaurants and plans for a culinary academy, she hopes to keep traditional cuisine relevant while supporting women in the industry.

For Al Louz, baking is a tool for social inclusion, learning and wellbeing. Through Tajrubah, she creates experiences that welcome people from different backgrounds and abilities.

Both entrepreneurs demonstrate how a passion for food can develop into a meaningful career and a platform for positive change.

Their stories highlight the growing role of women-led businesses in the UAE, showing that success can extend beyond commercial achievements to include cultural preservation, empowerment and community impact.