Mar 6, 2026 · 34 min · 13 segments
Yasmina Hayek is the Executive Head Chef at Em Sherif restaurants and cafés, and she is based in Beirut, Lebanon. She grew up in a family where food brought people together, told stories and upheld…
Yasmina HayekGuest
Kenneth NarsHost
in Lyon, France, and I got a chance to work with several Michelin-starred chefs in Paris and Copenhagen, such as Mathieu Paco, Jean-François Piège, and Erasmus Cofford in Denmark.
And after finishing this culinary program, I went back to Beirut and COVID happened.
And I've decided, like, since the world was kind of slow and the F&B industry was kind of slow, I have decided to enroll to my master's degree in finance.
in Milano in Scuola Politecnica di Design in which I studied food design because I wanted to have a different angle about the food business and the food industry that's not necessarily cooking.
So it was mainly providing solutions for the food industry and like having a broader vision for the industry.
And I thought that if I'm not the one that's going to cook Lebanese food, like who will? And who are the grandmothers of tomorrow? So I've been with my family business since.
And so today our group has around 30 restaurants across the world, from the Middle East to North Africa and Europe.
in Lyon, France, and I got a chance to work with several Michelin-starred chefs in Paris and Copenhagen, such as Mathieu Paco, Jean-François Piège, and Erasmus Cofford in Denmark.
And after finishing this culinary program, I went back to Beirut and COVID happened.
And I've decided, like, since the world was kind of slow and the F&B industry was kind of slow, I have decided to enroll to my master's degree in finance.
in Milano in Scuola Politecnica di Design in which I studied food design because I wanted to have a different angle about the food business and the food industry that's not necessarily cooking.
So it was mainly providing solutions for the food industry and like having a broader vision for the industry.
And I thought that if I'm not the one that's going to cook Lebanese food, like who will? And who are the grandmothers of tomorrow? So I've been with my family business since.
And so today our group has around 30 restaurants across the world, from the Middle East to North Africa and Europe.
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