A smiling and familiar face around Maison Libanaise, our all day Lebanese canteen, Chef Teya Mikhael’s culinary journey began in Qobayat, near Beirut, where family gatherings, always centred around food and drink, inspired her passion for shared meals with friends and loved ones.
From humble beginnings in a front-of-house job at age 14, she discovered her own talent for cooking while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Events Management, graduating with top marks in her culinary class.
While her journey into the kitchen began away from her native Lebanon, the allure of her homeland’s vibrant and diverse culinary traditions eventually became irresistible, pulling her back into its flavorful embrace.
Her style is deeply influenced by her roots, mentorship from industry luminaries and extensive travels. Today, she attributes her success to a simple combination: 70% skill and 30% luck, and advocates for hard work, curiosity and constant learning for aspiring chefs.
Above all, Chef Teya’s approach to cooking is a reflection of her warm and generous spirit. Se continues to delight guests (and her Black Sheep teammates!) with both her flavourful and innovative dishes, and the deeply ingrained passion she carries for her craft.
As Chef Teya prepares to join forces with Chef Gizzy of Hotal Colombo for a vibrant, seafood-centric feast, our Maison Libanaise star offers a glimpse into her typical daily routine in this “Day In The Life” diary.
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7am: I wake up and check my phone for urgent messages. After that, I need 30 minutes of complete silence in the morning. I put my phone away, pray, and sit on my couch for a while.
8am: I love having coffee with my mom in the morning; I do it every day back home. Although I am not a morning talker — and she is the biggest — I enjoy just spending this time with her, and also not answering any of her questions! We still try to do this daily; she wakes up before 5am Beirut time so we can video call and have coffee together.
9am: By now I am usually ready to head to work. I grab another quick coffee somewhere before I arrive.
10am: I get to work and check on the team in the three kitchens. I catch up with the leaders in each for updates, a little brainstorming and talk about issues faced.
12pm: Maison Libanaise service starts. I do all three hours of lunch service with my team; it’s usually a nice rush, and the three hours fly by.
3pm: The restaurant is closed and I sit down to get some work done. I then join the team for lunch in our Black Sheep Team Canteen.
5pm: Prep time! We gather the whole team and prepare them for service with training and briefings. This is one of the most essential things before service — it fuels you up with positive and energetic vibes to host your guests.
6pm: The restaurant is open again, and it’s an even bigger rush than lunch. There is a beautiful chaos to it — everyone knows what they are doing, but cannot know what might and might not happen.
10pm: The storm has calmed, and it is time for a very well needed glass of wine as we all start preparing for closing.
11pm: I am usually at home; that is the only time I get to speak to my family and fiancé! We FaceTime for around an hour or two to catch up on our days.
Midnight: I start a movie that I never, ever finish; I usually make it through 20 minutes of the film, and I am asleep!
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Craving more? Read more ‘Day In The Life’ stories here and here to find out what our teams do to make that Black Sheep magic happen every day.
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