Rasha Dahrouj loves mixing her personal and professional lives. She grew up in an Arab community in Maicao, Colombia, but has lived in the UAE for 12 years, running a family food business.
Along with her mother and brother, she runs Deli Bite, fusing Latin American and Middle Eastern cuisines, and a Colombian pop-up food company, El Rincón Colombiano. Her mother, Faten Said, organises the kitchen in International City in Dubai and is responsible for food quality and training the chefs.
“My mum has always loved to be in the kitchen; always loved and enjoyed feeding people,” says Dahrouj, 32. “It was always a dream of hers to get everything she learnt and everything she knew from her mother in Lebanon and put it all together.”
The initial reaction to the stall when it was launched in 2013 was “very good”, she says. At the end of 2014, she took part in an Emirati Launchpad entrepreneur competition at the Impact Hub Dubai, and won the Crowd Favourite award.
Dahrouj’s parents migrated to Colombia before she was born because of the political situation in Lebanon. She and her three brothers were born and raised there, before returning to the Middle East when she was 13. Dahrouj is married to an Emirati, and has one daughter, Layal, who’s 5.
“There was a big Arab community over there. It was good to have input from our origins and our parents and at the same time experiencing that culture. We didn’t go back to Lebanon until we were older, so we didn’t know anything except for Colombia.”
Dharouj studied and graduated in chemical engineering from the American University of Beirut.
“What I love about the way my life has unfolded is I don’t have a specific place to call home, because everywhere I go I have friends and I have relatives.”
What’s your favourite book?
One I always recommend to people is 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. It's very creatively written. It's about family and interactions of all these different people.
Which one item can’t you live without?
My car. A red Jeep Grand Cherokee. It’s something I have a connection with – if I didn’t have it I’d feel like something was missing.
What are your favourite places to visit?
Two places. Medellín in Colombia [pictured]. It has a certain charm; it’s green and cold most of the year. The people are beautiful and there are views of the mountains. And I love Sintra in Portugal. It’s magical. From the castle, you can look down at the whole city.
What’s your favourite Middle Eastern food?
Warak enab – vine leaves stuffed with spices and rice, and vegetables or minced beef.
Favourite Latin American dish?
I love arepas rellenas. It’s chilli flat bread made of maize flour. You can cook them any way, fried or grilled, and have them plain or stuff them with cheese or something else.
Favourite restaurant?
Boardwalk at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club. Mainly for the view – it has a very tranquil feel.
Are you on social media?
Yes, we're at www.facebook.com/delibiteuae and @delibiteuae on Twitter and Instagram.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve heard?
Be present. And no matter how many problems you have to solve and obstacles you face, they will keep coming, so feel each moment and keep going. If you feel like you’re going to have a regret, act on that and do something.
Who do you admire?
I try to learn something from everyone I meet; I try to take an essence of something good.
What do you do to relax?
When I’m not working, I’m spending time with my daughter. We go to the beach or the park, anywhere that’s outside, and she just does her thing.
What’s your favourite outdoor space?
I enjoy sitting by the beach. These days, a big chunk of Jumeirah Beach is closed, but there’s a big section of the Kite Beach that has been opened – it’s still quiet during the afternoons.
munderwood@thenational.ae
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