DUBAI: For Lebanese chef Marc Mahfouz, food has always been about more than what’s on the plate. As chef de cuisine at Mila, Rosewood Doha’s Levantine restaurant, Mahfouz explores how familiar dishes can evolve while remaining rooted in the memories, flavors and traditions that shaped them.
Mahfouz’s connection to food began around the family table, where he experienced firsthand the power of a shared meal.
“Before I understood technique or ingredients, I understood that food could bring people together,” he tells Arab News. “That feeling has stayed with me throughout my career.”
Mahfouz’s connection to food began around the family table, where he experienced firsthand the power of a shared meal. (Supplied)
His path to becoming a professional chef was shaped by another family ritual.
“On Sundays, my father and I would go to the fish market and the butcher to choose the ingredients for our family meal. Back home, my parents would cook and we would eat together. I loved the entire ritual: choosing ingredients carefully, treating them with respect, and creating something for others. Becoming a chef allowed me to carry that feeling forward.”
Within six months of its opening, Mila was awarded a Bib Gourmand by the MICHELIN Guide Doha.
When you started out, what was the most common mistake you made?
My biggest early mistake was confusing complexity with creativity. I concentrated on making dishes look impressive instead of asking whether every element belonged and whether the flavors were balanced. Restraint, consistency, and respect for the ingredients create a much stronger dish.
His path to becoming a professional chef was shaped by another family ritual. (Supplied)
What’s your top tip for amateur chefs?
Start with good ingredients, learn the foundations, and keep the dish simple enough to understand what each element contributes. Be patient with yourself. Confidence in the kitchen comes through repetition, and every meal teaches you something.
What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?
Good-quality extra-virgin olive oil. In Levantine cooking, it’s not simply a finishing touch; it brings richness, aroma, and depth to even the simplest ingredients while still allowing their natural flavors to come through. For me, it’s also a direct connection to the Mediterranean.
When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?
I do, even when I try not to. I still find myself noticing consistency, technique, and hospitality. For me, the real test of a restaurant is whether it can deliver the same standard across the entire experience, not just in one excellent plate. That is something I emphasize strongly with my own team.
What’s your favorite cuisine or dish to order?
I’m most drawn to food with a clear sense of place. Every country I’ve worked in has taught me something new, and when I dine out, I enjoy discovering what local people cook and what those dishes reveal about their culture. That curiosity often finds its way back into my own cooking.
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?
My go-to is a simple Lebanese potato-and-egg fry with olive oil, garlic, sumac, salt, and pepper, served with fresh Lebanese bread. My mother used to make it when she was rushing to work or when times were tight. It’s a humble dish that reminds me of home and that food does not need to be elaborate to be meaningful.
What customer behavior most frustrates you?
What I find difficult is when someone decides they will not like a dish before tasting it. A chef can explain the idea behind a plate, but the dish deserves to be experienced before it is judged.
What’s your favorite dish to cook?
I don’t have a single favorite dish, but the lamb shank kibbeh at Mila is one of the most personal. It is my interpretation of my mother’s recipe and captures the way I approach Levantine cuisine: preserve the memory and identity of the original, then consider how it can be expressed in a contemporary way. That balance between tradition and evolution is what I enjoy most.
What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right?
Simple dishes are the hardest to get right. Complexity can distract, but simplicity exposes every decision. This idea guides my cooking. When a dish has only a few ingredients, the quality of each one, the seasoning, and the technique all have to be precise.
As a leader, what are you like?
I believe in discipline, respect and leading by example. I do not believe that shouting creates better chefs. I set high standards, but I also focus on teaching, supporting and helping my team grow. A strong kitchen is built on trust, communication and consistency.
Chef Marc’s tomato kibbeh nayeh (aka Kamouneh Banadoura)
Chef Marc’s tomato kibbeh nayeh. (Supplied)
ABOUT THE DISH
This is a traditional dish from South Lebanon and one that is very close to my heart. It is the kind of simple, generous food found in many Lebanese homes. For me, it represents the warmth, resilience and strong family traditions of the people of the South. At Mila, I wanted to reinterpret it without losing its soul, keeping the character of the tomato, bulgur and traditional kamouneh while giving it a more contemporary presentation and pairing it with labneh.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
450 g Ripe tomatoes, peeled and blended
100 g Tomato, finely chopped
250 g Fine bulgur
150 g Walnuts, finely chopped
125 g Onion, finely chopped
50 g Green bell pepper, finely chopped
14 g Garlic, minced
50 ml Olive oil
25 g Tomato paste
20 g Pomegranate molasses
5g Red bell pepper paste
6 g Paprika
3 g Ground coriander
5 g Ground cumin
40 g Parsley, finely chopped
1 g Sumac
6 g Ground allspice
10 pcs Heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
200 g Labneh
10 g Homemade South Lebanese Kamouneh (recipe below)
To taste Salt
*Homemade South Lebanese Kamouneh Kamouneh is the aromatic spice-and-herb mixture that gives Southern Lebanese kibbeh its distinctive character. The exact blend varies from household to household.
2 tbsp Cumin seeds
1 tbsp Dried rose petals
1 tsp Black peppercorns
2 tsp Dried marjoram
2 tsp Dried basil
1 tsp Dried mint
1 tsp Ground allspice
½ tsp Cinnamon
1 tbsp Lebanese seven-spice
Grind the kamouneh ingredients together and use 10 g of the finished blend. Store the remaining blend in an airtight container for future use.
METHOD
1. Prepare the kamouneh. Lightly toast the cumin seeds and black peppercorns in a dry pan. Allow them to cool, then grind with the dried rose petals, marjoram, basil, mint, allspice, cinnamon, and seven-spice until finely ground. Set aside.
2. Rinse the bulgur briefly, then drain well.
3. Reserve a little of the olive oil for serving. Heat the remainder in a pan over medium hear. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and green bell pepper and cook gently until softened.
4. Add the tomato paste, red bell pepper paste, paprika, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground allspice, and 10 g of the prepared kamouneh. Cook briefly to release the aromas.
5. Add the blended tomatoes and pomegranate molasses. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes, allowing the mixture to reduce slightly and the flavors to develop.
6. Remove from the heat and fold in the bulgur. Allow it to rest until the bulgur absorbs the tomato mixture and becomes tender.
7. Fold in the chopped tomato, walnuts and parsley. Season with salt and most of the sumac sumac, then adjust the balance to taste.
8. Serve warm or refrigerate for 1 hour if you prefer to serve it cold.
9. To plate, spoon the tomato kibbeh onto a shallow plate and finish with labneh, halved heirloom cherry tomatoes, drizzle with the reserved olive oil. Finish with the remaining sumac.
CHEF’S NOTE: The kamouneh is the heart of this dish. Its warm spices and herbs give the tomato kibbeh its unmistakable South Lebanese character, while the heirloom tomatoes and labneh bring a fresh,contemporary finish to the plate.
