Tala Bashmi, a leading voice in modern Bahraini cuisine, has won the Best Female Chef Award 2022 in Middle East & North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants awards. Bashmi, chef-patron of Bahrain's Fusions by Tala restaurant, will be presented with the inaugural award at the debut edition of MENA's 50 Best Restaurants, set to take place at Abu Dhabi in February next year. The award forms part of the 50 Best organisation's mission to honour female role models within the culinary industry.
A passion for creating nostalgic culinary experiences for her guests drives Bahraini-born, Swiss-trained Bashmi. Beginning her career through a home venture called Baked by T, the chef's desserts became especially famous in Bahrain, garnering her numerous fans. Following this initial success, Bashmi held roles in Europe at the Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois and Michelin-starred restaurant Prisma, learning how to run restaurant operations as well as working in fast-paced kitchen environments.
Upon her return to the Middle East, Bashmi competed in the acclaimed MBC show Top Chef (Middle East & North Africa) show, finishing in the finals and showcasing the modernised Bahraini cuisine that she would become famous for. She opened her inaugural restaurant, Fusions by Tala, at the renowned Gulf Hotel, Bahrain in September 2017, priding herself on the concept's willingness to experiment with ingredients and techniques used around the world and incorporating these into native Bahraini dishes.
William Drew, Director of Content for 50 Best says, "Chef Tala epitomises the spirit of this award with her ardent commitment to highlighting Bahraini cuisine around the world whilst simultaneously modernising many of its traditional dishes. She is a hugely worthy winner of the MENA's Best Female Chef title."
Find out more about Fusions by Tala here.