At an age when most girls were obsessed with playing with dolls, Amena was in love with baking.
Her earliest memories are of making an orange cake in her mother's kitchen at home. She was ten. As her mother watched, she measured the ingredients and prepared the batter before carefully placing it into the oven and plating a delicious baked orange cake.
“I can still remember that taste in my mouth. A delicately soft, moist cake bursting with flavours of fresh orange. The experience is still fresh in my mind. And precisely that day, I realized I wanted to become a cake decorator.”
That was how ICCA Student Chef Amena Salem Hameli’s culinary journey took flight.
Coming from a traditional Emirati family, her parents, especially her mother, a culinary enthusiast, encouraged her passion. They let her explore her ardent interest in baking. Soon Amena was baking cakes for her family, relatives, and friends. Her confidence grew, and she soon started her own cake-designing business. Marriage and Motherhood didn’t deter her from her dreams. On the contrary, they further fuelled her aspirations.
“My husband is among my biggest supporters. Whenever he travels abroad, he goes on a cake-tasting spree, returns home, and asks me to make the cakes. This way, I have learned to make an assortment of cakes: from Victorian Cakes to Pound cakes, Carrot cakes, and many other delectable cakes.”
She also talks about how her passion for cooking and baking has also trickled down to her children.
“My 16-year-old son loves cooking steaks while my daughter is making brownies. They love experimenting and whipping up new dishes every now and then. I have always encouraged them to follow their culinary passions.”
Despite the success of her business, this Emirati Chef secretly nursed the dream to widen her culinary experience. She sought out cake designing courses to better hone her skills. Even after completing several courses, she felt there was more to learn.
“It was during my quest for advanced learning I chanced upon the ICCA Weekend Program in Baking & Patisserie. I was very impressed when I read about the course and visited the Dubai facility. I so wanted to join; however, there were challenges. I lived in the western region of Abu Dhabi and had a full-fledged business that I singlehandedly managed. The question was how I would juggle it all.”
Amena soon had an epiphanic moment. She had come within breathing distance of broadening her culinary knowledge and was not ready to let it go. Thus Amena took the plunge. She closed her business and dedicated all her working hours to the course at ICCA.
“The experience was well worth it. Earlier, I had worked with limited knowledge and skills. After the course, I increased my repertoire of cakes, pastry dishes, and desserts. I have gained many culinary skills that now allow me to taste the dish and realize what’s missing or even the ratio of ingredients.”
While doing the course at ICCA gave her more knowledge and technical prowess in baking and making pastry items, it also awakened in her another aspiration. The desire to share her learnings with other aspiring chefs, especially Emirati homemakers.
“Today, I have decided to explore teaching. It gives me great joy to share my culinary learnings and experiences with others. I aim to simplify cooking and make it more fun and accessible. I want to take culinary-related initiatives that will encourage Emirati women like me. I dream of being a mentor and role model for young Emirati women. There are so many opportunities these days. “
Today, Amena is inching towards fulfilling her culinary teaching goals and imparting her culinary experience to Emirati women like herself.
ICCA Student Chef Amena Salem Hameli 's journey is a testament to the Five Ps of the learnings for life at ICCA Dubai– Passion, Persistence Performance, Perfection, and Patience for success in life.
At an age when most girls were obsessed with playing with dolls, Amena was in love with baking.
Her earliest memories are of making an orange cake in her mother's kitchen at home. She was ten. As her mother watched, she measured the ingredients and prepared the batter before carefully placing it into the oven and plating a delicious baked orange cake.
“I can still remember that taste in my mouth. A delicately soft, moist cake bursting with flavours of fresh orange. The experience is still fresh in my mind. And precisely that day, I realized I wanted to become a cake decorator.”
That was how ICCA Student Chef Amena Salem Hameli’s culinary journey took flight.
Coming from a traditional Emirati family, her parents, especially her mother, a culinary enthusiast, encouraged her passion. They let her explore her ardent interest in baking. Soon Amena was baking cakes for her family, relatives, and friends. Her confidence grew, and she soon started her own cake-designing business. Marriage and Motherhood didn’t deter her from her dreams. On the contrary, they further fuelled her aspirations.
“My husband is among my biggest supporters. Whenever he travels abroad, he goes on a cake-tasting spree, returns home, and asks me to make the cakes. This way, I have learned to make an assortment of cakes: from Victorian Cakes to Pound cakes, Carrot cakes, and many other delectable cakes.”
She also talks about how her passion for cooking and baking has also trickled down to her children.
“My 16-year-old son loves cooking steaks while my daughter is making brownies. They love experimenting and whipping up new dishes every now and then. I have always encouraged them to follow their culinary passions.”
Despite the success of her business, this Emirati Chef secretly nursed the dream to widen her culinary experience. She sought out cake designing courses to better hone her skills. Even after completing several courses, she felt there was more to learn.
“It was during my quest for advanced learning I chanced upon the ICCA Weekend Program in Baking & Patisserie. I was very impressed when I read about the course and visited the Dubai facility. I so wanted to join; however, there were challenges. I lived in the western region of Abu Dhabi and had a full-fledged business that I singlehandedly managed. The question was how I would juggle it all.”
Amena soon had an epiphanic moment. She had come within breathing distance of broadening her culinary knowledge and was not ready to let it go. Thus Amena took the plunge. She closed her business and dedicated all her working hours to the course at ICCA.
“The experience was well worth it. Earlier, I had worked with limited knowledge and skills. After the course, I increased my repertoire of cakes, pastry dishes, and desserts. I have gained many culinary skills that now allow me to taste the dish and realize what’s missing or even the ratio of ingredients.”
While doing the course at ICCA gave her more knowledge and technical prowess in baking and making pastry items, it also awakened in her another aspiration. The desire to share her learnings with other aspiring chefs, especially Emirati homemakers.
“Today, I have decided to explore teaching. It gives me great joy to share my culinary learnings and experiences with others. I aim to simplify cooking and make it more fun and accessible. I want to take culinary-related initiatives that will encourage Emirati women like me. I dream of being a mentor and role model for young Emirati women. There are so many opportunities these days. “
Today, Amena is inching towards fulfilling her culinary teaching goals and imparting her culinary experience to Emirati women like herself.
ICCA Student Chef Amena Salem Hameli 's journey is a testament to the Five Ps of the learnings for life at ICCA Dubai– Passion, Persistence Performance, Perfection, and Patience for success in life.