Journey From Zero Gallery Menus Recognition Contact
Chef de Cuisine · 25+ Years in Culinary Leadership

Mohamed Sayed Saleh

From a first commis post in Aswan, Egypt, to running a Doha kitchen — more than 25 years building kitchens, catering divisions and teams across Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, one service at a time.

See the Journey View Credentials Download CV ↓
25+Years in Kitchens
3Countries
120+VIP Menus Designed
3,000Guests, One Event
Scroll
Chef Mohamed Sayed Saleh at his desk, with training certificates and a medal on the wall behind him Chef de Cuisine
The Person

From hands‑on passion
to culinary leadership

"I was never the person who enjoyed memorizing as much as I enjoyed working with my hands, thinking, solving problems, and creating something from the ground up."

Born in Aswan in 1982, Mohamed started as a commis in his home city, studied at the High Institute for Tourism and Hotels in Alexandria, and moved to Sharm El Sheikh, where years across Jolie Ville, Domina Coral Bay and Iberotel Lido took him from first commis to senior sous chef.

From there the work took him further: building a kitchen from zero in Saudi Arabia, structuring a catering department in Qatar, and — throughout — chasing the same instinct that started it all, to build something with his hands that people remember.

WACS · Egyptian Chefs Association HACCP & ISO Food Safety Kitchen & Catering Operations Menu Development Arabic · English · Italian Event Production
The Journey

Every kitchen taught a different lesson

September 2026

The Next Operation

Building kitchens. Building teams. Building operations.

Concluded fourteen years at Batteel on 1 September 2026, with an experience certificate commending his leadership and culinary expertise. Every difficult kitchen became part of the education — the journey continues.

2012 – 2026

Batteel (Green Oasis)

Chef de Cuisine · Doha, Qatar

Fourteen years running the kitchen: more than 120 VIP menus, food cost, purchasing and quality assurance, HACCP discipline, and a team coached to perform. Found a sandwich kitchen with no hierarchy and built an organizational chart and a dedicated Catering Department — expanding into large events, school meals and corporate functions.

Employee of the Month, Aug 2021 · Experience certificate, Sept 2026
2019

Al‑Sharq Newspaper Feature

Ramadan Supplement · Qatar

Featured for reviving an Aswan tradition — Eid kaak filled with southern Egyptian dates — alongside menu development for restaurants and cafés, and culinary competitions.

See the feature below ↓
2009 – 2011

Karan Hotel Suites

Senior Sous Chef · Saudi Arabia

The challenge wasn't to cook — it was to build the operation. Ran a kitchen serving up to 1,000 covers a day, helped establish it from the ground up, then delivered the SABIC STM‑9 event: three days, three meals a day, roughly 3,000 guests.

See the signature moment below ↓
2005 – 2009

Jolie Ville Golf & Resort → Domina → Iberotel Lido

Chef de Partie → Sous Chef → Senior Sous Chef

Four years of rising responsibility: the 2006 World Economic Forum, a New Year's Eve gala at the Sharm El Sheikh Congress Center, a BBQ restaurant and dinner buffet, seafood and buffet operations — capped by an Employee of the Month award.

Egyptian Chefs Association / WACS member since 2009
2004 – 2005

Domina Coral Bay Resort & Casino

Demi Chef de Partie, Garde Manger · Sharm El Sheikh

Held the line through more than 3,000 in‑house guests during a VIP Unicredit Bank stay — commended personally by management for the extra load carried without missing a beat.

Letter of Commendation, July 2004
2000 – 2004

Jolie Ville Mövenpick Resort & Casino

1st Commis, Kitchen · Sharm El Sheikh

Four years of "work, learn, repeat" across à la carte and buffet production, building the fundamentals of five‑star kitchens while stacking professional courses on the side.

97.2% — Quality Assurance Audit, 2003
1997 – 1999

Basma Hotel → Semiramis Floating Hotel

Commis · Aswan, then Cairo

The start: the pastry kitchen at Basma Hotel in Aswan, then a move to Cairo's Semiramis Floating Hotel, rotating through several kitchen sections and learning hygiene, teamwork and hotel service from the ground up.

Where it began
The Signature Moment

Building an operation,
not just a menu

In Saudi Arabia, Mohamed joined a hotel with no established kitchen operation. Before the SABIC Mega Petrochemical Event, STM‑9, could even be discussed, the kitchen itself had to be built — workflow, structure, and a team that could hold under pressure.

Then came the test: three days of service for the 9th SABIC Technical Meeting, roughly 3,000 guests, three meals a day, with production, timing, quality and manpower all required to move as one.

"A Chef's responsibility goes far beyond the plate. A successful operation depends on people, systems, preparation, communication — and the ability to perform under pressure."

0Days of Service
0Meals per Day
0Guests Served

View the event certificate ↗

From Zero

Opening a new operation: the kitchen before the first service

Chef Mohamed standing in an empty commercial kitchen during pre-opening
On site, pre-opening
Empty commercial kitchen shell with drainage channels and stainless steel counters
The empty shell
Combi ovens and chiller being installed in a new kitchen
Equipment going in
Cold room doors and wrapped equipment in a kitchen under construction
Cold rooms
Floor drains and service lines laid out across a new kitchen
Drainage & services
Kitchen taking shape with stainless steel prep lines
Taking shape

Before there is a menu, there is an empty room. Mohamed worked on site through the build-out, preparing and managing the kitchen from scratch — workflow, equipment, and the team that would run it.

Recognition & Credentials

Two decades of paper trail

Al-Sharq newspaper feature on Chef Mohamed Sayed's Eid kaak
In the Press

"Egyptians of the South line up for Aswan dates"

Al‑Sharq's Ramadan supplement featured Mohamed for a very Aswan idea: filling the traditional Eid kaak with dates from his home city, reviving a regional flavor for a Gulf audience during the last days of Ramadan.

The feature sits alongside a broader creative thread through his career — menu development for restaurants and cafés, and teams that went on to win medals in culinary competitions.

Al‑Sharq newspaper · Ramadan supplement, Doha, Qatar

What the Journey Taught

Being a chef was never only about cooking

"A kitchen without structure taught me how to build systems."

On joining an unorganized kitchen in Qatar

"A large‑scale event taught me how to manage pressure."

On the SABIC event, Saudi Arabia

"Building teams taught me that leadership starts with people."

On establishing the Catering Department

"Menu development taught me that creativity must work together with cost, operation and guest expectations."

On restaurant & café concepts

Building kitchens. Building teams. Building operations. Creating experiences. And the journey continues.

Get in Touch

Let's talk about your kitchen, your event, or your next opening.

Open to chef de cuisine and executive chef roles, catering leadership, kitchen pre-openings and consulting across Egypt, the Gulf and beyond.

Connect on LinkedIn ↗ Download CV ↓

Qatar  +974 3376 1156
Egypt  +20 113 149 6188