A catering service run by Saudi women, the first in the Eastern Province, has opened in Dammam. The food center named ‘Nouryat Center' located in Shafa Mall at Abdullah Fuad Street is a first ever endeavor by Saudi women in the field of catering. Run by young businesswoman, Nourah Bint Bander Al-Muqaithib, with ten Saudi women working under her, the food center is a “women only” enterprise, with a separate counter where men can place orders. “Ours is not a restaurant. It is a catering service and the only one of its kind in the Kingdom,” Al-Muqaithib told Saudi Gazette. “We prepare all types of food from Mexican, American sandwiches to Chinese noodles, pasta, biryani and of course, Saudi and Arab food. We offer a catering service for working men and women where they can pre-order the menu for a month, and we deliver it to them accordingly. They just have to tick their preferences for the whole month on the special menu card we provide, and we deliver the food,” she said. “Our service is not meant for women only, so I have opened a separate counter for men, operated by men, where they can place orders, and so far we have had a lot of male customers,” she said. When asked about the inspiration behind this unique enterprise, she said that she always had a flare for cooking. “I was always interested in cooking, and I have published a cookbook with my own recipes and traditional Saudi recipes. My aim is to open a chain of restaurants. I look at the success of McDonald's and hope to have something similar in the coming years,” she said. “I believe that Saudi women are extremely talented and capable and to prove that, I have involved Saudi women in my center. Saudi female interior designer Aala Al-Hariri designed the interior of Nouryat Center, and as you can see, she did an excellent job,” said Al-Muqaithib. “My message to Saudi women and to the world is that Saudi women can do everything; we are no less capable than other women in the world,” said an enthusiastic and determined Al-Muqaithib who previously worked as a journalist in Al-Youm Arabic daily. Her cookbook “Nouryat lilthabakh” is filled with innovative recipes and shares its name with the food center. “I have given the same name to the center as my cookbook so that people can easily recognize it, and hopefully Nouryat will become a household name in the near future,” Al-Muqaithib said. The receptionist and cashier, Ahlam Mahmoud Abu Nadi told Saudi Gazette that she was happy to be a part of the center. “I am proud and happy to be a part of such a venture, and I believe that Saudi women will definitely be inspired by the work that we are doing and utilize their time and facilities effectively. There is no need to look down upon any job as every job has its own dignity,” said Abu Nadi. Customers are very happy with the Nouryat food center. Abu Ahmad, a Saudi, said that he was planning to make an order for a month so that even at work he can have home cooked food. “The food here tastes as if it were homemade. Perhaps that is because the cooks are women, which is always different from men cooking, or at least so it seems to me. I wish all the women involved success in their venture, and I am planning to place an order for a month. This is definitely better than the canteen food we have in our office,” he said.
