The only independent art centre in Doha sadly may be closing it’s doors soon so they decided to host an event to say farewell. This of course was devastating news as it is, in my opinion, one of the best things about Doha! I was chatting with my friend Faissal about how I feel like I’m not really doing what I truly want to be doing career wise, and when he asked me what I would ideally be doing, I realised that I am happiest when I am cooking, reading about food, researching and experimenting with recipes etc. So we somehow ended up with the wild idea of me offering to do the catering for the Katara Art Centre’s closing event, for free, in support of all the amazing work they have done. So next thing I know I am pitching the idea to the art centre and writing up a menu! They were delighted with the offer and so I embarked on a mad rampage around town to find the bits and pieces I would need to make this work. The whole time thinking to myself, “I hope people will like my food”! Three days later, with minimal sleep and the help of my amazingly supportive friends, I was driving to the art centre with a car full of food, and some flowers in the cup holder hoping these strangers would like my food!
We managed to set up a table of my mini treats and it wasn’t long after that people started arriving and curiously heading over to check out what was on offer. I was actually quite surprised and flattered by the number of people who were interested in knowing what everything was and where my “cafe” was located. It felt good to know that there are people in Doha who understand and appreciate clean eating habits. So overall the catering was a success and I was so happy I could do something in support of the Katara Art Centre, as well as evaluate how I would potentially move forward with pursuing my dream of working with food. Even though it was stressful, and tiring, it didn’t matter, because I enjoyed every minute of it, and the best gift was that people liked it!
Chalkboard Menu of all the mini treats that were on offer at the Katara Art Centre event
A few days later I got a call from my friend Shaima, who is a pretty awesome human being/food blogger*, saying that she was interested in me doing a lunch at her work, The Doha Film Institute, to promote healthy eating during Ramadan. So I wrote up a menu and sent her the proposal and soon after got the go ahead to do it for 80 people!! Again I was going on 3 hours of sleep in 2 days but I didn’t care because I was doing what I truly love doing, and for the first time I realised what it felt like to do something that I really have a passion for. I always have heard my dad say “if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life”, which I never really understood until I decided to embark on this crazy catering adventure. However, I do have to say that it did feel great to just get home, meditate, and go to sleep after the countless hours on my feet and mad adrenaline rush of feeding and meeting complete strangers.
*You can check out Shaima’s blog here
The wonderful staff at the Doha Film Institute
Sample plate full of what was on offer – Spelt Pizza, Cauliflour “tabbouleh”, Moroccan Crunchy Carrot Salad, Brown and Wild Rice with Barberries and Lentils
These two experiences have taught me a lot and helped me understand and develop how I would like to move forward with making what started off as a hobby, into what may be a career. Only time and perseverance can tell what the future holds for the Vegetarian Tree House, however, for the meantime I will still be posting up recipes on here and quietly working away on my masterplan…
The Vegetarian Treehouse 