Saudi chef Badr Fayez. — Courtesy photos Mariam Nihal Saudi Gazette With a vision that is far beyond his time, Badr Fayez is a story comprised of fascination for food and life as we know it. A chef by profession and passion, he is a spiritualist and nationalistic soul. He does not talk about food more than he does for the love and understanding of his country and people, but he allows you to figure his heart is in the right place. He returned to Jeddah and gave life to his muse by opening up a high-end contemporary restaurant by the Red Sea. Muse marks the progression of fine dining in Saudi Arabia. Prime in its location in Al Hamra, by Park Hyatt, he chose to give it a Mediterranean twist, with European flavors and a mix of cuisines. Understated and elegant, the fine dining restaurant offers an idealistic and unique dining experience. Every weekend, Fayez hosts a gala brunch for the relaxed Saudi lifestyle and churns out new recipes while scoring brownie points with the kids and elderly alike as he whips up scrumptious fluffy pancakes. Fayez is a firm believer in enriching life's experience. “Create entertainment venues that vitalize the surroundings and elevates ones own life experiences.” High ceilings, artwork from Saudi's greatest art galleries and a delectable array of platters to choose from, you might have to fish for things you cannot enjoy at an evening at Muse. “The way we present our dishes are an art form.” Fond of making Italian, French, American, Chinese and Japanese dishes, he plans to incorporate them with Muse. In an exclusive interview with Saudi Gazette, the Muse owner recollected his past and spoke about his present and future thoughts on the restaurant and explains the vision of Muse. Delving into the mission statement of Muse and Badr Fayez himself, he aims to educate, resolve and cater to the esteemed fine dining cuisine in Saudi Arabia. A graduate from Darul Fikr, Fayez went on to Colorado and studied architecture. Knowing he had an aptitude for design, he discovered his calling for cooking in a conversation with his university mentor. “He said to me, it is your life. Do what makes you happy. And so I did.” He went on to study culinary art but also managed to obtain his MBA during his sojourn in the United States. “I lived in the Sates for 11 years but I felt like I needed to come back home and start my business. I lived in Paris for seven months, just because it was my gateway to work in the food business. Got a degree from Le Cordon Bleu Paris and I am back here.” His management skills paved way for him to connect with the people and corporate aspect of business. Asked him why he called it Muse, he said, “It is my Muse.” The mermaid he said is the source of inspiration, “Like in medieval times where writers used to refer to the mermaid as a muse because she was such an imaginative thing, it kept them going and it worked out altogether.” Fayez wants to recondition the standards of Saudi cuisine. Not only does his distinguished background allow him the advantage to compare the best international cuisine with the local cuisine, it allows him to redesign the thinking of the locals and give them what they are missing out on. Far from being commercial minded, Fayez was astounded by the local definition of contemporary restaurants in the Kingdom. All he saw was a jigsaw puzzle of items and services incorporated into menus and offered at restaurants. He was surprised to see sheesha being served at luxury hotels and high-end restaurants, as the case is different in the outside world. But Fayez is all in to do everything, exactly how he wants it to be. Recalling his past experiences with restaurants in Jeddah, he remembers trying out the big names in the city. He said most times there are major inconsistencies with the chef, where established names are hired during the launch and are later substituted by cheap labor. He admitted, “It loses the philosophy behind what the chef was doing.” Fayez said not everyone can create the same dish, as the chef makes it and recreating his recipes will only get others so far, but the true essence of the dish is lost. “Putting too much or too little of anything, you won't know what is right or what is wrong.” His two entities, Muse and Kome (Japanese), both located at Marina Equestrian, “My concept is not to just serve good food. The idea is to make the restaurant experience just that-a whole experience. From food to ambience, service and that is very important.” He jokes and adds, “It should not take you twenty minutes to grab a can of Pepsi. Basically premium service for them to enjoy the whole experience.” Entertaining a crowd of 25-45-year-olds, he hopes to enlighten those who enjoy food, are well-traveled, exposed to elements and exposed to other cultures. “It's about the love that goes into food and service that makes people want to come back.” Fayez said Muse is supposed to be a destination to have fun. “It's not those once-in-a-while places, it should be a regular stop.” He admitted the experience in working in Saudi Arabia's food industry has been a huge learning curve for him. He said he cannot stand a customer being disappointed. “It's not about making money. It is about bringing them back.” Admitting fearlessly his love for food, he said he can never give up on it. “I work out just so that I can eat more.” He goes back in time and reveals, “When I was the fittest in my life, I used to have a whole container of Nutella every two days.”
The realist in Fayez said the experience of Muse should be celebrated in the essence of one's state of mind. He said, the whole point is to enjoy living here, meaning that it only makes sense to give the customers a time they like to spend with their family and friends channeling good feelings and enjoying life in Saudi Arabia.
He believes his love for food keeps him going against the odds and hopefully will last him a long time. For every man, there is a dream and in this quest Fayez is determined to last the course with his undying spirit.
