“When you know how to cook, you have control over your health and appearance, so I substituted junk and fast food with healthy and organic food. I added grills and big salads. I also added some exercise to my strict daily diet,” he said. “And with that I lost 35 kilos in six weeks and I felt light, fresh and healthy,” he added.

Shaheen, a 25-year-old businessman, goes to work everyday and at lunchtime goes home to fix himself a healthy lunch in the kitchen. He randomly throws whatever ingredients he has in the fridge and cooks himself a fast, tasty yet healthy lunch. “What I like the most about making my own lunch is that I don’t feel guilty afterward and I also feel energetic and light when I go back to work,” he explained.

After a while, Shaheen thought of sharing what he knows about random cooking and healthy eating with young men and women, especially those who study abroad, and is starting his own cooking show, Khushu Al-Matbakh (“Get into the Kitchen’). “The show targets the youth by introducing cooking as a fun activity and shows that home cooked meals are better than fast food. I also want to lead them to adopt healthier lifestyles,” he said.

“I believe anybody can cook; you just have to look at it in a positive way. You can make cooking fun and enjoyable. This is why I’m hosting Khushu Al-Matbakh. I just want to encourage people to cook their own dishes instead of their cooks or maids,” he added.

Shaheen recently hosted a live cooking show at Red Sea Mall in Jeddah. Dozens of shoppers stopped to watch him randomly boil, fry, steam and grill in front of them. He made bread pizza, apricot smoothie, spinach crêpe, shrimp penne with rose sauce, and fondant chocolate.

“I actually wrote the recipe of the bread pizza he made to try at home as it looked mouth-watering and easy to make,” said Lama, who was at the mall on a shopping trip. “What made me intrigued is Shaheen’s attitude. He is a breath of fresh air. He cooks in his own breezy and spontaneous way. His cooking was nothing fancy but random,” she added.

The part-time cook does not classify himself as a chef saying that cooking is something he is passionate about. He loves food and this is what has driven him to cook. “A chef is a certificated individual who graduated from a culinary school. I’m just a natural born cook,” he explained.

Shaheen has the passion of cooking in his blood and says he grew up watching his mother cook. “I have always enjoyed being in the kitchen. When I was younger I spent time learning from my mother, the best cook in the world! I started cooking because I love to eat, and I couldn’t always rely on other people to cook for me,” he added.

When asked about what makes his cooking special and what will make people watch his show, Shaheen said his cooking is spontaneous and uncomplicated. He just throws ingredients together without precise measurements and doesn’t even bother to garnish his dishes to make it look fancy. They, however, somehow look delicious. “I believe that throwing the right ingredients together can make a decent, tasty and balanced meal,” he said. “What makes my cooking special is that it’s guaranteed that my dishes are always fresh, light and full of flavor and you’ll be guilt-free afterward. So what are you waiting for? Get into the kitchen,” he added.

If you shop at Al-Danube supermarkets you’ll see Shaheen on plasma screens advertising his show. Shaheen is on a mission to make people across the Arab world know how to cook and it is because of this that he is writing his first cookbook. Stay tuned.