Cooking Academy continues to enthral at QIFF

Speaking to Gulf Times, The Cooking Academy founder and CEO Mohamed “Malik” Alhammadi said their shows have been attracting a huge number of people at the Live Cooking Theatre and online.“People were participating, engaging with our shows,” he said, noting that their Instagram page has seen more than 1,500 new followers since the event has started.The Cooking Academy is taking part for the second time at QIFF with 12 chefs – including Alhammadi – catering for different cooking demonstrations and workshops, including bakery and pastry chefs/vloggers.“I am not a chef but a son of a chef and I understand the food business very well and an F&B (food and beverage) consultant and an event manager co-ordinating all those chefs. I'm a father of two boys, I travelled to 52 countries, I enjoy hiking, camping and exploring other cultures,” he said.

The Cooking Academy founder and CEO Mohamed Malik Alhammadi

Alhammadi, who worked in the oil and gas industry for 20 years, is a holder of a bachelor's degree in Engineering and Strategic Management. He specialised in Organisation Development and Change management. He is also the head of Talent Development at Commercial Bank.As an F&B company based in Qatar, the Academy aims to “bring people together to learn and enjoy the art of cooking,” linking “culinary professionals and food lovers through innovative concepts, high-quality products, and special events.”Alhammadi said a recent workshop for children by Cucina Chef Claudio Trovato, general manager chef at Cucina – one of the best Italian restaurants in Doha, has been successful, where participants learned how to make homemade pasta.“All of the chefs have brought in fantastic recipes, the tasting that we’ve been doing have a lot of engagements with the customers,” Alhammadi said.