Alumni Stories: Nada of Egyptian Tummies
From Egyptian mummies to Egyptian Tummies, chef Nada Gamal El-Din studied archaeology in her hometown Cairo before pursuing her passion of cooking. She uses her food as a portal to her home, juxtaposing the bustling streets of Cairo, to the villages and farms where butter is made fresh by her grandmother. She completed our program in 2020, becoming a cooking instructor and sharing dishes like her punchy tomato salad (tomato grows abundant in Egypt) and her Kushari (كشرى) – Egypt’s national dish, and the one Nada now uses in the logo of her own catering company. We sat down with her to get to know more about Egyptian Tummies, and her experience in our program.
Your background is archaeology, is that correct?
Yes, I studied archaeology in Egypt. When you study there, you study in the right country. Egypt has a lot of historical sites and archeology and monuments. I really enjoyed it because I went to see all the historical sites that I studied. After my studies, I discovered my passion in cooking and studied cooking in the Academy of Culinary Arts. It was an academic-style study, learning about the basics of cooking, and different methods.
Do you have many significant memories of food from Egypt?
All my memories actually are about food! Usually, it’s the smell of the streets. When you walk the streets in the early morning in Cairo you smell the Ful (فول), which is the fava beans, and Ta'ameya (طعمية) which is the falafel. People eat ful and ta'ameya for breakfast in Egypt, so the small shops and food trucks open early to make it. When I fry the ta'ameya here in my house in Melbourne, I remember walking in the streets in the early morning on the way to my workplace, smelling the frying of the falafel and ful.
Nada in Cairo
An old cafe in the market in Cairo, and servings of falafel and ful
What would you say are the biggest challenges for those who come to Australia through forced migration?
There are a lot of challenges, because we’ve come to a completely new place. We don't know how to start. Finding a job is the most important and the most hard challenge. Especially if you have a family, it’s your priority to find work. Finding full time work is difficult as companies always require local experience, which we don’t have because we are new immigrants. For some people, it’ll take one year, for others two. I remember we asked an Australian lawyer who was helping us come here what we should do when we arrive. She said the same thing: the first thing is to find a job. This is the most important advice to do when you come to Australia.
There’s also the challenge that you don't know anyone. You don't have any community. If we have any celebrations and feasts in our culture, we usually have it in our home–we gather together with families, and we have a meal together and go out together, spending time with family. Here we don't have any family or friends. So when Ramadan comes, it’s only us. That was a bit hard, but all these challenges, in time, get better.
You arrived in Australia in 2017. How did you find Free to Feed? Was it long after you arrived?
It’s a funny story. I follow Free to Feed on Instagram. I wasn't sure exactly of the structure of what they're doing–if the instructors were volunteering or working there. Either way I really liked what they're doing. In 2019, I messaged them, introducing myself and saying I cook Egyptian food. I told them I’d love to join, that I’m happy to volunteer, or be a part of what they do. They didn’t message me back because Covid happened and everything was shut for a year. At that time I went to Egypt and was also stuck there for one year. When I came back, they messaged me, saying they were starting a new leadership program and invited me to join.
I went to the practice class of Zalika, an Ethiopian instructor who was working then. I really enjoyed the class, the food, the stories and the setting–everything. Afterwards, they told me how the structure of the program worked, and to come for a cooking trial and interview. I cooked the kushari, my vegan dish. They really liked it, and I joined the program and started to work at Free to Feed.
Nada preparing her famous kushari
Can you describe your experience in our program?
The program helped me to go outside my comfort zone, because before I came here, I’d only meet people from my community. I am shy with people outside of my community. I feel my English is limited, and that it won’t be easy to communicate. Free to Feed helped me break this. I started to meet people not only from Australia, but people from different cultures. I met people, refugees, that I didn't know anything about before. I learned how they suffered, how everyone has a different story, and such inspiring stories. I remember in my group there was Wahida, an instructor from Burma, and she had many challenges before she came here. We also had Laila, from Afghanistan. So, the program is good because we learn from other cultures and make a group together. It’s really a very helpful thing to learn from other cultures and hear other peoples experiences. Some countries you don't really hear about, it's only the news and the wars and, but they have culture, and nice food, and many other things. Much more than what we hear in the news.
In the program, they're not teaching us how to cook–they’re telling you how to teach people how to cook. For example, I remember there was a training that was to show people how to cook without speaking, only moving our hands. The storytelling is also important. I have plenty of stories, but didn’t know how to necessarily share them. They helped me tell a story and make it related to the dish that we are cooking.
Instructing without speaking sounds creative…
It was creative and challenging! There was also a part of the program where we met people who used to be instructors who now have cafes and restaurants. We went to the cafe of Hamed, a Persian instructor.
You also have your own business. Did the program prepare you at all with your journey with Egyptian Tummies?
Yes. Actually, I worked here in the catering kitchen for one year, alongside being a cooking instructor. This helped me a lot with my business, because I learned more about how to work in commercial kitchens. I restarted my business after I finished with the kitchen. It helped me a lot, really. My business was doing well, but working from home is totally different from working in the commercial kitchen. I needed to know things like how to keep the food in the safe zone the whole time, or how to cook very big quantities of food, or tips about suppliers and packaging. All this was very helpful. The team was also really nice and helpful, giving tips. They also always tell us, if you see anything wrong, try to say, don't be shy.
They helped me to build a very good network with people working in catering and hospitality, to be with people who support you and you support them in return. When I started doing food stalls at markets, people sent me which markets were on. Verena, who does markets as well, offered that I could cover her place when she couldn’t do a market. It creates this huge resource pool because everyone can point you in the right direction.
How did you start Egyptian Tummies?
I started Egyptian Tummies when I arrived here in 2017. It started with Eid cookies, because I make good Eid cookies. At the time, there wasn’t much Egyptian catering, if any. People suggested that I should make Eid cookies and sell them. I decided to try, and posted on community groups for the Egyptian community that I’m taking orders for Eid cookies. Many people messaged me. They really liked the cookies, and started to ask if I made other food. Then, I started to offer savoury food and some products we don't have here in Melbourne, like Egyptian bread and pies we’d get from the bakeries in Egypt. I started to sell Egyptian bread and pies like Feteer Meshaltet ( فطير مشلتت) and other foods like dolma. This is how it started. People liked my food and they ordered more.
Now, it’s a catering business. I make Egyptian food and desserts and sometimes I do food stalls in markets. I offer large catering, like for companies or for the Council. It started with smaller batches, but naturally it gets bigger and bigger. I just participated in the Sydney Road Street Party. It was the biggest event I've ever participated in, and it was really successful.
Nada preparing for catering at “Rhythms and Rice” at the Darebin Intercultural Centre
If it's my first time eating your food, what should I try?
I would recommend the dolma, because the dolma is the best thing I make. It's very popular, especially with the vine leaves. In the Egyptian language, we say Mahshi (محشي). They can be wrapped with vine leaves, cabbage, zucchini, eggplant, capsicum… they're all so yummy!
Rolling dolma
What do you find most valuable about running your own business?
The most valuable and joyful moment is when people call me the day after eating my food to tell me the food was really amazing. Also when I do food stalls, some people take the food and leave, and then they come back to say thank you and that the food was really nice. I really love that. If I'm tired, I don't feel tired at all after someone tells me that. I started to do that too when I buy food from restaurants, because I felt that it really makes a difference to the chef. Now every time I go to a restaurant and I enjoy the food, I go back to the chef or the waiter to say thank you, and tell them the food was really amazing.
What is your hope for yourself, either personally and professionally, from here?
I want to see my family always happy and safe and healthy. Professionally, I hope to have my own food truck or restaurant. I want to have my own place where I can cook the food that I love and serve it to people and see people eating the food and enjoying it. This is really my passion.
Follow Nada’s business Egyptian Tummies on Instagram and Facebook, or book her for a private class at Free to Feed here.
Photos of Cairo courtesy of Nada.
All other photos by Savannah van der Niet.