Through her cooking school in Nakheel Mall and healthy frozen meals range in supermarket aisles, Lama Jammal makes it her mission to support and empower on-the-go women and mothers
“We’re lucky to live in a region where we have access to the support of incredible women”
You studied hospitality, worked in fashion then switched to food. What made you gravitate toward F&B?
Creativity helps me blow off steam and makes me feel alive. While I loved running my boutique stores in Beirut, I found creativity to be ‘seasonal’ whereby you only use your imagination to its full extent before collections. With food and especially with Mamalu Kitchen, I feel creative all the time; I change the menu every month, so my creative juices are constantly flowing. I now can also involve my children in my business and raise them while pursuing my entrepreneurial journey.
Why was it important to host cooking classes for nannies and families at Mamalu Kitchen?
Families had a lot of help raising their children in the past; they had sisters, aunts and neighbours within arm’s reach. Today, most families are expatriated and away from that community. We’re lucky to live in a region where we have access to the support of incredible women, housekeepers and nannies, who have become our chosen family; they’ve become the sister, aunt and neighbour. I launched Mamalu Kitchen to empower these women and help them become independent at home. With that, we slowly built a community of like-minded families connecting over food.
What is a piece of advice that helped you in your entrepreneurial journey?
Get rid of mom guilt; we’re all trying our best. What helped me was compartmentalising my life and ‘rating’ each part – whatever scores the lowest is what I focus on to achieve balance as a working mum. It’s also important to surround yourself with the right team at work and at home. When hiring people, I look for the values I seek in friendships; the right people can help you do your job better.
What have your children taught you?
Launching my business when my twins were only two months old helped me realise that time is incredibly precious; any moment you’re away from your kids, if you’re not giving it your all, then it’s not worth it. When you have children, you’ll also realise you can’t control everything, that life doesn’t work that way, so you learn to live in the moment and to find peace in that.
What’s your advice to anyone who wants to start a business?
Passion is a huge word; whatever you decide to pursue doesn’t have to be something you’re passionate about. Don’t complicate it, instead, find something you’re good at or keep going back to and turn it into an obsession. You’re going to work really hard, so if you’re not obsessed with what you’re doing, you’ll find it difficult to excel. After that, it’s time to execute.
What advantage does being a woman in the industry give you?
I started my business to help women tackle the same problems I was facing. I’m my own market, which is a mom with kids and a hectic life; I understand what women like myself are looking for and I cater to their needs.
Who do you look up to in the industry?
I love Julia Child – her quotes are all over my cooking studio – and Nigella Lawson. They paved the way for food enthusiasts to explore cooking. They also challenged the notion that one needed professional training to master the art of food.
What’s your take on associating gender to merit, i.e. female chef, female CEO?
I’m a total feminist, but I see the beauty in highlighting gender in the professional world. There’s another dimension to being a woman; we’re more intuitive, emotional, we can procreate, juggle so many things and we lead with empathy – that’s worth celebrating.
