Saudi chefs decry paltry salaries

Haute cuisine, or even fine dining, for the general public is an elusive commodity in Saudi Arabia and a number of Saudi chefs lay the blame for that unfortunate fact to the paltry salaries offered them by local restaurants.
“The salary of a foreign chef is more than SR 10,000, while that of a Saudi chef is only about SR 3,000,” a group of unnamed Saudi chefs reportedly told a local newspaper.
In addition to the small salary, these same chefs lamented the lack of serious culinary training available in the Kingdom and the lack of real investment in the restaurant sector.
The chefs demanded the establishment of an academy for culinary arts, with the aim of producing professional chefs and providing the necessary financial and moral support to improve the profession.
They also criticized the Saudi Arabian Chefs Association, which is operated by foreigners.
“We pay the cost of the training courses we attend from our own pockets, while employers of foreign chefs pay all of their costs,” said chef Hani Haiba. He added that the differences in salaries prompted the Saudi chefs to complain to authorities but to no avail. “We hope that we can gain the confidence of the Saudi people and business community, as some of us have worked in renowned restaurants around the world, but cannot find a decent job in the Kingdom,” he said.
Another chef, Said Majreshi, said that Saudi youth is ambitious, and is looking for job opportunities in a fledging sector such as food services in the country. “But the small salary is not encouraging. We demand that our salaries match those of foreigners,” he said.
He also maintained that most members of the Saudi Arabian Chef Association are foreigners. “This is why they have extended no support to us,” he added.
Yasser Jad, head of Saudi Arabian Chefs Association, said that there are several obstacles facing Saudi chefs. “The way our society regards chefs is one of these obstacles. Many families still refuse to allow their sons to work in this sector, as most of them start working as cooks, then work their way up to being a chef. This is not an easy job,” he added.
He referred to the competition between Saudi and foreign chefs and said that family commitments on the part of the Saudi employee make the job harder for him.
Responding to criticism, he said, “The association was established by my own efforts, but when I looked for Saudi members, I couldn’t find anyone qualified.”
Nevertheless, he maintained that there should be more support from the state for Saudi youth to study the culinary arts on scholarship in order to be able to compete with foreign chefs.
He also pointed to the lack of investment in this sector as a major obstacle.
Taking aim at businessmen, Khalid Al-Harthi, head of the Hospitality Committee at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, agrees with Jad that there is no support for Saudi chefs. “Their numbers are limited, and culinary arts, in general, demand a special kind of competence and talent, as well.” He noted that there no specialized institutes of culinary available in the country which results in the poor qualifications of Chefs working in the sector.