The young Emirati chef Bader Najeeb Al Awadhi shared his passion for desserts and met his fans at the Sharjah International Book Fair on Wednesday.
The 18-year-old, self-confessed Social Media addict is an Internet sensation with thousands of people viewing his videos on his Youtube Channel “WithChef B”. “I love using social media like Youtube, Instagram and Snapchat to share my creations and to get feedback from people. People don’t have the time to watch a long 30 minute cooking show but these videos are short enough and ideal for them to learn how to make a dish.” Speaking to the visitors of the fair at the Social Media Corner, Bader shared tips and recipes and spoke about his beginnings and the challenges he faced.Things didn’t always look bright for Al Awadhi. When he started, Bader said that there was a lot of criticism because he was a man and cooking has long been viewed as a woman-dominated area in the UAE. “I think in life in general it’s important to disregard the negative comments that people throw at you if you are passionate about what you’re doing,” he said.
Today he has thousands of subscribers on various social media channels and things seem to be looking only upwards for this aspiring young chef.
In 2014, he was asked to judge a cake decoration competition at Emirates Palace alongside Buddy Valastro, the renowned cake-decorator from the US. His skill and charming personality has also given him the opportunity to host two of his own shows on Television, the first was “Sukkar Zyadah” (Extra Sweet) on Sama Dubai TV and “Ma’a Bader (with Bader)” on Abu Dhabi TV Al Emarat.Though he says that he stays clear from cooking local classical dishes, he still manages to add a touch Emirati cuisine to his mouthwatering desserts. He doesn’t just make an orange curd ice cream tart but adds a dash of saffron that transforms the dish. He even did a date-flavored gelato (from scratch) and used that to stuff the Emirati delicacy, lugaimat.
When it comes to cooking, Al Awadhi, who studies Business Administration, said that he doesn’t have a cooking routine. “Sometimes I would cook every day for two weeks and then I’d not cook for a month,” he said. Al Awadhi said that his friends are the first people to try his dishes. “They are very frank. They will tell me immediately if it lacks anything,” he said adding that his dishes may not be the healthiest but they are ideal to be shared with friends.When asked about the ingredients that he uses Al Awadhi said that they can be easily found in the local market. “I encourage you all to try and cook, keep trying,” he said. Al Awadhi is self-taught and says he learnt everything from watching YouTube videos. His favorite cook internationally is Jamie Oliver and locally Sheikh M. Al Ali, owner of the blog “When Shaikha Cooks”.