Bahraini chef Tala Bashmi steps away from award-winning Fusions by Tala restaurant

Voice of Modern Middle Eastern cuisine reflects on 'rewarding journey' as she announces departure

Bahraini chef Tala Bashmi became the first recipient of the Mena's Best Female Chef Award. Photo: Mena's 50 Best Restaurants

Celebrated chef Tala Bashmi, often described as the voice of modern Middle Eastern cuisine, has announced her departure from Fusions by Tala, the restaurant where she brought her vision of Bahraini cuisine to life.

In an emotional post on Instagram, the Bahraini reflected on her decade-long journey with the restaurant, which is located at the five-star Gulf Hotel Bahrain Convention & Spa.

“This chapter has been one of the most rewarding journeys of my career,” she wrote, emphasising the creativity and growth that defined her tenure at Fusions by Tala.

Known for her innovative approach to reimagining traditional flavours, Bashmi has elevated the region’s culinary identity on the global stage.

In 2022, she became the debut winner of the Middle East & North Africa's Best Female Chef Award by the World's 50 Best organisation, which also recognised Fusions by Tala as the best restaurant in Bahrain and third best in the Mena region. In the same year, she became the only Arab ranked in the top 100 list of The Best Chef Awards.

“What I’m currently doing is trying to put Middle Eastern cuisine on a global scale, so for me to be the only Arab on this list means I’m taking one step forward to doing that and to give our cuisine its moment in the spotlight and its culinary renaissance,” she told The National at the time.

At Fusions by Tala, Bashmi combines the opulence of fine dining with nostalgic Arabian home cooking. The seasonal menu changes frequently, but signature dishes in Bashmi's repertoire include mini ghoozi taco, softshell crab with mehyawa aioli and her famous bamia, a traditional okra and meat stew, which she has modernised using Wagyu beef cheek, crispy okra glass and tomato broth rice.

Bashmi's love for food comes from her father, and she has also trained in the culinary arts in Switzerland. She worked for a few award-winning restaurants in Europe, including Michelin-starred restaurant Prisma in Vitznau, where she learnt more about restaurant operations, as well as working in fast-paced kitchen environments.

Since returning to the Mena region, the chef has competed on MBC's Top Chef Middle East, where she reached the finals. In February 2020, she took over the helm at the decades-old Fusions restaurant, and it was renamed Fusions by Tala.

“I worked my way up to sous chef for the hotel, which has 10 restaurants in total, but I always had my eye on this restaurant, Fusions,” Bashmi told World's 50 Best. “It wasn’t doing so well, it was more like a tacky bar, but I knew I could transform the space and make it my own. Eventually, they gave me one year to turn it around with the existing equipment, team and set-up. If I succeeded, they would renovate the space. Thankfully, we made it work.”

The chef didn't specify a reason for her leaving, a decision she describes as “bittersweet”, but says she is “excited for the new opportunities and challenges that lie ahead”.

The restaurant's name has already reverted to Fusions, as per the hotel's website.

“Rest assured, my journey with food and cooking is far from over,” she writes in the Instagram post. “Stay tuned for what’s next, we’re just getting started.”