Graduating from solving equations and working in some of the top restaurants of the world to season nine of MBC’s Top Chef, Amer Alhawaj, a renowned Bahraini chef and Culinary Director at Legacy, knows no bounds. He shares his culinary journey, lessons learnt along the way and his one big obsession. 

You went from studying engineering to working in Michelin-starred kitchens. Looking back, what was the moment you realised cooking was your true calling?
I’ve always known, deep down, that I was going to become a chef. The only reason I pursued engineering was because my parents genuinely believed it was the right path for me – stable, sensible, secure. But no lecture hall or formula ever made me feel as alive as I did standing beside my grandmother in her kitchen as a kid. The smell of garlic hitting hot oil, the way she’d taste and adjust without measuring a thing – that was my real education. Engineering was what I did for my parents. Cooking was what I did for my soul.

You’ve had both early failure and major success in your career. How did the experience of opening – and losing – your first restaurant shape the chef and leader you are today?
Losing my first real project, the first thing I poured everything into, was absolutely heartbreaking. I’ll never forget that gut-punch feeling of watching it fall apart. But looking back, that failure didn’t break me; it forged me. It made me tougher, more stubborn, more determined to push harder. More importantly, it forced me to ask the hard question: What did I do wrong? I sat with that question until I found honest answers. And I learnt. I really learnt. Sometimes the best teacher is a beautiful disaster.

What is your favourite dish to cook for friends, and what makes it special?
I’ve always been obsessed with making pasta from scratch. There’s something almost meditative about it – the rhythm of kneading, the silkiness of the dough under your palms, the patience it demands. It’s therapeutic, yes, but also deeply satisfying in a way that’s hard to explain until you’ve tasted your own hand-rolled noodles. If I had to pick one favourite to make, it would be Napoli pasta. Simple, soulful and absolutely delicious. To me, that’s perfection.

Which signature dish at Legacy best represents your culinary style, and why?
The Mushroom and Truffle Agnolotti isn’t just a dish on the menu; it’s the accumulation of who I am as a chef and what I bring to the table. Every fold of that pasta, every layer of earthy mushroom and aromatic truffle, tells a part of my story. But more than that, it holds a very deep, personal, sentimental meaning for me. I don’t put it on the plate lightly. It carries memories, losses and quiet victories. When someone takes a bite of that agnolotti, they’re tasting a piece of my heart.