Some dreams begin long before the world is ready to understand them. For Mona Mosly, that dream started as a teenager watching Top Chef France, fascinated by the energy of professional kitchens. Years later, she would find herself on the other side of the screen, judging talented chefs on Top Chef Middle East. Today, she stands among Saudi Arabia's pioneering female professional chefs, with a career spanning international kitchens, regional television, and entrepreneurship.
Her journey reflects more than personal success. It tells the story of determination, cultural pride, and a Saudi woman who turned her love for food into a profession that inspires others.
Foundations & Beginnings
Raised in a family that appreciated good food, Mona Mosly discovered the kitchen through two important influences. Her Syrian mother introduced her to the rich flavors of Levantine cooking, while her father encouraged culinary curiosity by taking the family to different restaurants.
These experiences shaped her understanding of food as something connected to culture, family, and discovery. By around 15, Mona already knew she wanted to become a chef. However, pursuing professional cooking was an unconventional choice for a young Saudi woman at the time. Her mother initially preferred a more traditional educational path.
Mona's first step was studying at Villa Pierrefeu in Montreux, Switzerland, where she learned etiquette, hospitality, table service, and cooking. What began as a compromise became an opportunity to discover her passion more deeply. With her family's growing support, she later attended Le Cordon Bleu in London, studying cuisine and pastry. For Mona, education was only the beginning. She understood that becoming a respected chef would require much more than a qualification.
“It’s essential to go through the struggles, work late hours, and experience the kitchen heat. This is how one grows, not only as a chef but also as a person.”
From Jeddah to International Kitchens
Mona Mosly's professional journey took shape in Jeddah, where she gained experience with the Leylaty Group before working at Al-Multaqa, Toki, and Byblos restaurants. Her early career exposed her to wedding catering, restaurant operations, and private aviation catering. Each environment demanded different skills, from preparation and timing to consistency and service.
During her early training, a senior hospitality professional she called Uncle Hani gave her advice that became a guiding principle: climb the ladder one step at a time. The lesson stayed with her. Real expertise, she believed, comes from understanding every stage of the profession. Her ambition eventually took her to Paris, where she would discover what it meant to work at one of the world's most respected luxury hotels.
Learning from Philippe Marc at Hôtel Plaza Athénée
At Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris, Mona trained in a demanding culinary environment associated with world-renowned chef Alain Ducasse. An important figure in her experience was Philippe Marc, a senior chef at the hotel whose kitchen exposed her to the precision, discipline, and expectations of French gastronomy.
The work was far from glamorous. Mona has recalled cleaning hotel kitchens, handling waste, enduring long hours, and adapting to instructions in a language she did not fully understand. Yet she approached the experience with excitement. Even the most demanding responsibilities became opportunities to learn. Working across different departments, she developed her technical knowledge while introducing colleagues to Arabic dishes inspired by her upbringing.
“My training in France changed me. The sleepless nights, aching feet and hard work were worth it, as everyone in the kitchen shared the same passion. I could see it in their eyes,”
Among her memorable experiences was preparing stuffed vine leaves and Tripoli-style hummus that impressed Alain Ducasse. Some of her Arabic creations were also incorporated into the hotel's offerings. The experience strengthened her belief that successful chefs must understand the profession from the ground up. Technique mattered, but so did patience, discipline, and respect for every responsibility inside the kitchen.
Top Chef Middle East
From Childhood Dream to Regional Recognition
In 2016, Mona Mosly reached a defining milestone when she joined MBC's Top Chef Middle East. The teenager who once watched the French competition had become a professional judge on its regional counterpart. Appearing alongside chefs including Maroun Chedid and Bobby Chinn, she introduced audiences to her culinary knowledge, energetic personality, and demanding standards.
For Mona, judging was never simply about personal preference. She has explained that contestants are evaluated through taste, presentation, technique, and their ability to meet each challenge's requirements. By 2026, her involvement had spanned eight seasons, establishing a lasting presence on regional culinary television.
"I am truly happy that this show has left a lasting impact, changing people’s perspective on the culinary world. Ultimately, it has highlighted the remarkable talent and culinary excellence of our region."
A significant milestone came in 2022, when the fifth season of Top Chef Middle East received an International Emmy Award nomination in the Non-Scripted Entertainment category. The nomination recognized the production rather than Mona individually, but it represented an important achievement for a program closely associated with her career.
Another major development came in 2024, when NEOM hosted the production of season eight, connecting the popular culinary competition with Saudi Arabia's expanding media and entertainment industry. In June 2026, entertainment media also reported plans for Top Chef VIP, a special edition featuring celebrities and content creators taking on culinary challenges. Through these developments, Mona Mosly remained part of a television franchise that helped introduce professional cooking to new audiences across the Arab world.
The Art of Memorable Dining
For Mona Mosly, a memorable dining experience is about much more than the food on the plate. Her travels have taken her through local markets, street-food destinations, and fine-dining restaurants. She enjoys discovering how different communities express their identities through ingredients, traditions, and hospitality.
Street food holds a special appeal because it offers a direct connection to everyday culture. In countries such as Thailand, Morocco, and India, local markets and food stalls reveal flavors and customs that cannot always be experienced through luxury restaurants. At the other end of the culinary spectrum, Mona has drawn inspiration from creative dining concepts in Italy and Spain.
She has spoken about restaurants where food presentation, cultural history, and unusual ingredients come together to create experiences guests remember long after leaving. For her, outstanding hospitality is not simply about expensive ingredients or sophisticated cooking techniques. It is about making people feel welcomed, introducing them to something meaningful, and creating moments they want to share with others. That understanding became an important part of the culinary identity she would later bring to her own business ventures.
Founder of Sweet Atelier
After years of developing her skills and working with established hospitality brands, Mona Mosly reached a point where she wanted to create something that belonged to her. Her move from Jeddah to Riyadh opened new professional opportunities. With several projects bringing her to the capital, she began imagining a space where she could share her creativity, generosity, and passion for food directly with customers.
That vision became Sweet Atelier, her Riyadh-based dessert business. For Mona, the project was not simply about opening another pastry shop. It was a way to turn personal memories into experiences that other people could enjoy. Her recipes draw inspiration from childhood, family traditions, and familiar flavors, reflecting her belief that desserts often carry powerful emotional connections.
"This land, filled with generosity, hospitality, and the power to achieve great dreams, drives me. Through my desserts, I strive to showcase our vibrant culture, from its music and landmarks to its ingredients and heritage."
Sweet Atelier also marked a new chapter in her professional life. After years spent contributing to other kitchens and brands, she was creating her own culinary identity. It was an opportunity to bring together everything she had learned: international techniques, regional flavors, hospitality, and the joy of giving.
Reimagining Traditional Desserts at Sweet Atelier
Mona Mosly's creativity becomes particularly visible in the way she approaches familiar desserts. One example is Kudrat Qader (قدرة قادر), a layered dessert combining cake and caramel custard, popular across the Hijaz and Levant.
Rather than simply reproducing a traditional recipe, Mona explores its textures and presentation, developing her own interpretation with elements such as sponge cake, chocolate cream, and crème caramel. Her approach respects the dessert's familiar identity while introducing a contemporary expression.
Sweet Atelier also offers desserts such as tiramisu, reflecting her experience with international pastry traditions. Together, these creations represent her broader culinary philosophy: traditional recipes can evolve through technique and presentation without losing the memories that make them special. Through Sweet Atelier, Mona has created a space where Saudi, Levantine, and international influences meet in desserts designed to offer both familiarity and discovery.
VOX Cinemas: Bringing Culinary Creativity to Entertainment
Mona Mosly's entrepreneurial journey has also expanded beyond traditional restaurants and pastry businesses. In 2023, she collaborated with VOX Cinemas to create a premium dining menu featuring more than 20 dishes for cinema audiences in Riyadh and Jeddah. The collaboration offered an opportunity to introduce regional ingredients and inventive flavor combinations into an unexpected setting. The menu included kibbeh nachos, a Dukka Madani chicken burger, BBQ chicken bao, Armenian tabbouleh, and halva cookies served with Syrian ice cream.
“The menu I’ve crafted for VOX Cinemas reflects that sense of belonging—it’s from my heart to yours.”
These creations reflected Mona's ability to combine flavors from different culinary traditions while keeping them approachable. For Mona, the collaboration was about more than creating food for moviegoers. It offered another way to share the tastes and memories that shaped her identity. It also demonstrated how Saudi culinary talent can contribute to the Kingdom's evolving entertainment and hospitality experiences.
La Petite Maison: Bringing Saudi Memories to Mediterranean Dining
In 2026, Mona reached another important milestone through a Ramadan collaboration with La Petite Maison (LPM), the internationally established French-Mediterranean restaurant brand. The partnership was reported as the restaurant group's first collaboration with a chef in the region. Mona helped develop a special iftar menu available across LPM's Middle Eastern locations, including Riyadh.
The menu brought together Mediterranean ingredients, regional flavors, and personal memories through dishes such as cauliflower hummus, date-and-farro salad with tahini vinaigrette, and shawarma-spiced ribeye steak. A carefully crafted date-inspired dessert provided another connection to the Kingdom's traditions of generosity and hospitality. One particularly personal inspiration came from Mona Mosly's father, whose love of farro soup during Ramadan influenced the menu's date-and-farro salad.
Through these dishes, she explored how food can communicate family stories without depending entirely on traditional recipes. The collaboration demonstrated her ability to bring Saudi-inspired flavors into an international dining environment while respecting the established identity of the restaurant. For Mona, it was another expression of a simple belief: food becomes more meaningful when it carries a story.
Mona's Table: Turning Food into Conversations
Mona Mosly's interest in culinary storytelling eventually extended beyond restaurants and television competitions. In 2025, she launched Aala Tawlet Mona (على طاولة منى), also known as Mona's Table, a podcast produced by Thaqafeyah. The program invites well-known personalities to explore their lives through dishes connected to childhood, family, and important personal experiences. Rather than treating food as the final subject of conversation, Mona uses it as a way to uncover memories and bring guests closer to their audiences.
The series has featured personalities including Syrian singer Assala Nasri and has a documented 16-episode first season. For Mona, the project represents another evolution in her career. She is no longer only preparing dishes, developing menus, or evaluating other chefs. She is also using food as a way to help people tell their stories. It reflects the same philosophy behind her restaurants and collaborations: meaningful food can bring people together, preserve memories, and create lasting connections.
Taking Saudi Cuisine to the World
Mona Mosly's approach to culinary development is closely connected to her pride in Saudi culture and the wider Arab culinary heritage. She admires how Lebanese cuisine became familiar to international audiences and believes Saudi food can achieve similarly broad recognition. For her, making Saudi cuisine accessible does not mean transforming every dish into fine dining. Traditional flavors can reach new audiences through street food, sandwiches, casual restaurants, and creative culinary concepts.
The important thing is to preserve the identity of each dish while exploring new ways to present it. Her own cooking reflects this balance. Saudi ingredients and traditions meet the Levantine influences of her family and the international techniques she developed throughout her career. This vision connects naturally with Saudi Vision 2030, particularly its emphasis on cultural heritage, entrepreneurship, tourism, and expanding opportunities for Saudi talent.
Mona Mosly's career began before many of today's opportunities existed. Her journey reflects how individual ambition can develop alongside a country's wider cultural transformation.
Inspiring the Next Generation
Mona Mosly's journey is not simply about becoming a recognizable television personality or launching a culinary business. It is about the years spent learning, the expectations she challenged, and the opportunities she created through persistence. Her work has also shown that cooking can be many things at once: a profession, a business, a cultural expression, and a way of bringing people together.
For young Saudis considering an unconventional career, her story offers a reminder that ambition does not always follow a familiar path. Sometimes, it begins with a teenager watching a television program and imagining a future that has not yet arrived. Mona Mosly pursued that future. Today, her journey continues to inspire others to create their own.
Follow her journey on Apple Podcasts, Instagram, and X.
