Real hard work, falling down, getting up and continuing - Najat Kanaache
Najat Kanaache, Chef and owner restaurant Nur and Nachō Mama in Fez (Marokko) and Cús in Mexico-Stad.
In 'Chefs who change the world', (Food Inspiration) we spotlight international chefs. Chefs who are a pioneer in the field of social impact or sustainability. This time: Najat Kaanache, Chef with Spanish roots and restaurants in Morocco and Mexico. Above all, she wants to be at peace with herself.
Najat Kaanache is well-known in the Netherlands. The Chef and owner of Nur and Nacho Mama in Fez (Morocco) and Cús in Mexico City learned the trade from François Geurdts. “He taught me a lot, but it was also one of my toughest times. I was broken down and rebuilt". In 2019, she was in Amsterdam as a nominee for the "golden cookbook' with her beautiful book Nur. She was planning to open a restaurant in Amsterdam. That has not happened so far. Well, Najat is not the only one whose business has not turned out the way she expected over the past year and a half.
At the end of 2021, the city of Cueta (a Spanish enclave in Morocco) awarded her the "coexistence" prize, for people who champion justice, brotherhood, freedom, peace, inclusiveness and equal opportunities. Not only did she win €30,000, but she is also following in the footsteps of famous fighters for peace and equal opportunities including Bishop Juan José Aguirre, Malala Yousafzai, Mario Vargas Llosa, Helen Lieberman and Muhammad Yunus. 'This award is especially fantastic because it allows us to keep the farm running, to keep people in work and to train them,' explains Najat via Whatsapp. 'It's a recognition of all our hard work'
How does she do it? Not only run three restaurants, but also setting up schools in Fez, keep a farm working ánd promoting the culinary wealth of Morocco? Kaanache: “People think things happen by themselves. But that’s not true. Everything that happens, happens after a lot of work, with a lot of preparation and willpower and dedication. Never give up and never surrender, that's my mentality. Something you work so hard for is not a matter of luck. In fact, I think the harder you work, the luckier you are'. Najat believes in showing up, whether she feels like it or not, whether it succeeds or not.
“The day gives you many hours and opportunities. You can decide what you do with those hours.”
Kaanache obvioulsy sometimes starts things that don't work out. 'Two steps forward and then three steps back again, you can't help it. The more seeds you can plant, the more choices you have for the next step. It gives me peace. I am so selfish that I want to be at peace with myself. That when I'm done with my shift, with my task, with my project that I can breathe out and think: 'I did it'. I don't watch TV, I don't have time for it. I do read a lot and am creative. I cook seven days a week, even in my sleep. The day starts at a quarter past four and by eleven o'clock I have already had a full working day. Then a second one begins, until the end of the service. The day gives you many hours and opportunities, and you can choose what to do with those hours.
I only do things I like, and I push my team to do things they like. For example, we have just developed an entire concept for three outlets of a well-known hotel chain: The menu, the decor, the clothing. We are just a small company. There is no creative director or PR person. There are no middlemen. So we have to choose very carefully what we spend our time on.
With Nur she won the 'hidden gem award '2021 from La Liste, a restaurant for which it is worth travelling more kilometers. ‘And that's why I keep fighting. I want to inspire women of all ages to make their dreams come true by showing what you can achieve. And why? The same reason I make delicious dishes. I have respect for the land, for nature, for animals and plants, for the sea, for the mountains. I am not an inventor, I come along, collect the knowledge that is already there and continue to create. Create dishes that when you taste it and close your eyes, it reminds you of something'.
Published at www.foodinspiration.nl - January 8, 2022