OUR FOUNDER OF THE WEEK- Every Tuesday, Founder of the Week looks at how a successful member of Egypt’s startup community got their big break, asks about their experiences running a business, and gets their advice for budding entrepreneurs. Speaking to us this week is Dina El Sabban (LinkedIn), founder and CEO of Mawlay Experience.

My name is Dina El Sabban and I’m the CEO and founder of Mawlay Experience. It’s a project that ties together Egypt’s culture, heritage, and cuisine every Ramadan in the form of an iftar and suhoor dining experience at historical sites around the country. This year, Mawlay is being hosted in four locations: Abdeen Palace in Downtown, Qubba and Tahra Palaces in Heliopolis, and Haramlek Palace in Montaza, Alexandria.

This all started because I love food. I trained to be a chef in Lyon, at the Paul BocuseInstitute on a program that also incorporated management and operations. You typically needed at least three or four years of experience in culinary school to be on that course — and I was definitely the one with the fewest culinary skills and qualifications in the cohort when I started off at that time — but the dean would tell me that I had the raw talent.

Later on in France, I worked at two Michelin-starred restaurants to pick up more techniques: The first was a two Michelin-star restaurant, the second was a three Michelin-star restaurant owned by Paul Bucose himself. Back at home in Egypt, I worked at the Four Seasons for a while.

Mawlay was the first initiative to open up certain historical sites to the public. The Cairo Citadel, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Abdeen Palace, Al Qubba…some of these sites might have only hosted one-off events for high-level officials before, but Mawlay opened up a market for dining experiences and tours to be hosted in sites like these.

Travel is one of my biggest passions in life. I’ve been to 74 countries so far, and I want to have traveled to every country in the world by the end of my life. I love to try new cuisines and get a taste for both local street food and haute cuisine alike.

The idea for Mawlay came up four years ago during the pandemic. Traveling abroad wasn’t possible and I was traveling to the Western Desert. On the way — it was around a 10-hour journey — we stopped so many times on the way to try local food and it struck me how unique and distinct each of the local products were as we progressed on the journey. I met two women on the way who had heard about my work and some informal food pop-ups I used to run for friends and family, and they encouraged me to start a formal dining experience.

Growing up, my father would take us to a lot of historical landmarks in Cairo. Weekends weren’t for going to the sports club or the mall. We’d go to heritage sites and learn about them. My family has a company that works in restoration for furniture manufacturing, design, and heritage. I think this is one reason I was so keen to host Mawlay in historical venues.

The first night of Mawlay was the opening of the Royal Mummies Hall at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in 2021. My uncle had mentioned that there would be a parade of the mummies, but I didn’t realize how big it would be at the time. I thought, why not do something like a Night at the Museum? I pitched the idea to the Culture Ministry, but they instantly refused it. “Are you crazy? We’re not going to open a museum for you,” they said. But I persisted with them, and it eventually worked, and that was the first iteration of Mawlay.

What did I give up to get to where I am? My physical health took a big toll in the month before and during Ramadan because of the stress and sleepless nights. I like to do my best on every element of the project, and I don’t leave anything to chance.

The best part of the job is customer feedback. When people tell me, “Wow, what you’ve done here is amazing,” and when they appreciate the efforts that have gone into smaller details, like the napkin, or the sous-plat [underplate], for example. On the flip side, the worst part is when you put a lot of effort into a particular aspect, and it unfortunately doesn’t go as planned, and of course, when we receive a complaint.

I look out for genuine excitement when selecting people to join the team. I need to see that candidates are keen to perform and have a real appreciation for this project. My close management team is actually my brother and sister — my best friends.

The one piece of advice I’d give to other entrepreneurs is: Persist. Many people will tell you that you can’t do it. I got rejected so many times before I got to where I am, and there are so many contracts that were made and then unraveled. I’d tell others, don’t take no for an answer.

What I’m most excited for this year? I’m excited to host at Haramlek Palace in Alexandria. It elicits a certain nostalgia: We’ve all seen the palace, we know it, but none of us have ever been inside. It’s completely new for me, and it’s not easy for people to just visit easily. It’s special going as a team all together and staying there for four or five days in the hotel.

What’s next? I’d love to take Mawlay outside of Egypt — that’s the long-term goal.

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