A Home Made DishMeet our chefs: Dr. Laila Anwar, head of Fun Yard Summer School and Miss Dina Maghawry, Jewelry Designer.

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Meet our chefs: Dr. Laila Anwar, head of Fun Yard Summer School and Miss Dina Maghawry, Jewelry Designer.

 

The Chef:

Dr. Laila Anwar is a graduate of the American University in Cairo, class 1977 majoring in Chemistry. Later, she got her PHD in Material Science. A daughter of a diplomat and a mother of two, Dr. Laila stirred her "one-country-each-summer" theme in her traditional motherhood qualities, to come up with:

Dish:

Fun Yard, an original, non toxic summer school and nursery.

Serves:

All thoughtful parents who want their kids to enjoy a cultured and fun summer.

Why this dish?

Left on their own, kids from age 6 to 10 are being pushed all year. They desperately need some fun. A summer school is nutrient and rich with sports, arts, drama, culture and cooking.

Ingredients:

150 g peeled motherhood

metres of ground ex-barn in a family’s farm, cubed into small rooms

1 tsp chilli assistant

250 kg books leaves

1 tbsp child raising course

1 tsp dedication puree

1 kid lover halved and thinly sliced (to fit all)

1 large enjoyment of what you’re doing

At least 4 fresh kids

 

1.      After two trials to resign from a plane factory in 6th of October, Dr. Laila Anwar was fired. She then put her PHD and years of hard work, experience and unemployment because of her over qualification in a bowl, and left to marinate. 

2.      Wanting to work in her field of study, Dr. Laila taught in the American University in Cairo and other schools, but the age of 16 and up is not her cup of tea.

3.      Realizing, it was the younger age she had passion for, Dr. Laila added all her convincing powers and skills and brought them to the boil in front of her father and husband who believed that opening a summer school in an ex-barn in her father’s farm located on the Cairo-Alex. Desert road 13 years ago was simply insane. "No one would come to you!" they claimed.

4.      But her dish was too tempting, it had to be cooked. Since the whole family is fond of nature, rules were made to ban cutting any tree what so ever while building up the summer school. Fun Yard was built around trees.    

5.      Then, Dr. Laila melted down a lot of reading and child raising courses in a large saucepan over low heat. And added her other ingredients very slowly- starting with four kids in her first summer in 1993, then 8 kids the year after; stirring occasionally, until her mixture grew and was held together.

 

The Chef:

Dina Maghawry is a graduate of the American University in Cairo, class 1998, majoring in Mass Communication. I could immediately spot the artist in Dina from her sunshine colored outfit and the way she expertly dabbed her necklace and earrings while she’s talking.

The Dish:

A Dina Maghawry line of jewelry (don’t you just like having your name on something).

Serves:

    Women of all ages who are addicted to stones and collecting a one of a kind tailour made jewelry.

    Why this dish?

Like a dough, jewelry making is for those who fancy working with their hands.

Ingredients:

1 idol, to garnish

10 years reading books about stones, finely chopped

1 lean boneless jewelry making course, trimmed of fat

1 liter girlfriends stock

400 g canned colorful stones, rinsed and drained

1 large empty table in your room

1 ripe flavorful website

1-2 tbsp risk taking

1 frozen will

1 creativity, quartered lengthways and sliced

2 tsp dried competition spirit

2 kg advice, cut into very thin strips

 

1.      Dina thought that the most logical door she should have knocked on after graduation with a specialization in Public Relations and Advertising was an advertising agency, then two different magazines. Only to discover that working behind a desk wasn’t what she was made for.

2.      As a fashion editor in one of the magazines, she stirred frequently in fairs and galleries, where she took her first bite of her future meal. She simmered with jewelry for no longer than three years until the idea was cooked and flaked easily in her head. 

3.      Dina wanted to work with her hands and have her own business. She tasted a few courses in jewelry making to take the basics of the craft. Then she started adjusting the seasoning of her designs, adding more unusual colour combinations if wished.

4.      With her friends’ support and encouragement, she ladled her first designs into warm welcoming hands of close clients.

5.      In spite of her parents’ shock of her leaving a steady job for an "uncertain, risky business", Dina heated her efforts in a cast-iron casserole over high heat.

6.      After considering all batches of marketing options, she thought of having a website for her jewelry line. That boosted her sales along with her confidence, getting her to skin more stones to shape into cool designs.

7.      After proving herself right with a yummy aroma, her parents now reduced the heat and started supporting her financially.

 

These two fabulous women disregarded every obstacle of all seasons, making their lives an ongoing summer. They could have easily chosen the easy way out and taking delivery menus on their laps and remained in their steady jobs. But they didn’t. They got into their kitchens, rummaging through their cupboards for their calling. Be it a summer school or jewelry, these ladies took working from home to another level. They used every resource they had, recycled all dreams and left us having no excuse to make a difference. Remember, it was never about the dish itself, it was who cooked it and how. Waiting for your recipes.   

 

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