Like a Chef  Program Empowers Egyptian Women

Like a Chef Program Empowers Egyptian Women

• Feed the Planet partners Worldchefs and Electrolux Food Foundation have launched the Like a Chef employment training program in cooperation with Wahda Gedida Initiative, Baheya Hospital and the Egyptian Chefs Association.
• 20 women undergoing or recovering from cancer treatments are receiving culinary skills and job placement assistance to help them identify suitable employment and secure a source of income.
• The unique Like a Chef initiative was launched in 2017 with a goal to educate and train 3,000 people worldwide by 2030. Learn more about Feed the Planet programs including Like A Chef at feedtheplanet.worldchefs.org.

Paris, 23 of March 2023 – Feed the Planet partners Worldchefs and Electrolux Food Foundation have launched the Like a Chef employment training program in cooperation with the Wahda Gedida Initiative, Baheya Hospital and the Egyptian Chefs Association (ECA). The five-week culinary training program trains and empowers women in Egypt with culinary skills that will help them identify suitable job opportunities and secure a source of income.

Baheya Hospital selected 20 women undergoing or recovering from cancer treatments to participate in the latest Like a Chef training in Cairo, Egypt. Professional chefs from Worldchefs’ National Association member ECA provide culinary training and assistance to program graduates to obtain jobs at a number of major restaurants and hotels. 

“Our goal with the Like a Chef program was to develop women’s culinary skills by bringing in global expertise to help them secure promising job opportunities and sustainable income,” says Maissam Hannawi, Managing Director of Electrolux Egypt. “It was equally important for us to be part of this initiative because we are doing something special for these women who have faced health challenges. We are giving them back a sense of empowerment and belief in what they can accomplish. Because we believe in the principle of equal opportunities and the need to support women in all possible ways.”

Impacting Communities

The Feed the Planet partnership provides meaningful community initiatives that educate, empower and mobilize people in professional kitchens and at home to create real change. Developed by Electrolux Food Foundation, Worldchefs and local partners, the unique Like a Chef initiative equips underprivileged people with culinary workplace skills. Like a Chef is currently active in Brazil, Sweden, Poland and Egypt.

The Wahda Gedida initiative amplifies inspiring stories from women throughout the region, highlighting equality and empowerment issues aligned with Egypt’s Sustainable Development Plan 2030. Together with Baheya Hospital, a renowned hospital for the support, research and treatment of breast cancer, Like a Chef Egypt is making an impact for women in the local community. 

Culinary Training

Divided into three waves of students, each wave of the Like a Chef Egypt program delivers five weeks of training to attendees. Participants learn how to prepare and cook local cuisine with a sustainable mindset to minimize food waste. At the end of the training, Electrolux Group employees teach additional business skills, including basic accounting, sales and marketing. Each day the women arrive ready to learn, with a sense of comradery building as they boil, whisk and steam their way through the lessons. 

The Like a Chef initiative was launched in late 2017 with a goal to educate and train 3,000 people worldwide by 2030. The Cairo program is the latest development in Feed the Planet partner’ mission to achieve this goal. Providing more than cooking skills, Like a Chef graduates walk away with a renewed self of self-confidence and job assistance. Most importantly, they tie their apron with a new sense of empowerment. 

“This experience meant so much to me,” says Dina Medhat, Like a Chef trainee from Baheya Foundation. “Going through cancer treatments wasn’t always easy. Sometimes you lose a little bit of yourself. This program gives back. Together, we become close like friends with a shared experience. And it gives us skills and self-confidence to know we can do so much.”

To learn more about Feed the Planet and the Like a Chef program, visit feedtheplanet.worldchefs.org. Visit Egypt Vision 2030 to read more about sustainable development and women empowerment programs in Egypt.

For more stories about the 1,000 lives changed by the Life a Chef initiative to date, click here.