about us

about me

My name is Monif. I am the Chef/Owner of Boudoir le Mariage and I want to dedicate this section to talk about me, on how I became a Chef and how did I end up in The Netherlands doing what I love.

It is important to get to know each other. Specially these days when transparency, backgrounds and safety are so important. People should know who is cooking for them.

I was brought to this world by a Spanish mother and a Lebanese father and therefore it was already a fact that diversity ran through my veins. I spent 3 quarters of my life between Venezuela, USA, Lebanon, and Spain. In my house there was always exceptionally good food. Whether it was breakfast or dinner, any meal of the day was important. In general, it always had to be rich in flavour, fresh and dedicated. I officially started cooking behind a commercial kitchen in 1993 in Venezuela in a Lebanese restaurant and it was thanks to my father who supported me financially to undertake this project that would become the first step of my career as a Chef.

Over 10 years, we managed to open 4 more restaurants in different locations and different concepts. The market in America was more aggressive and allowed risky investments since the return and demand were tangible. So, while my father invested and negotiated, I cooked, cooked, and cooked. Which I appreciate, since 80% of my life was cooking and learning to begin to develop the ability of transforming food into the flavours that I previously established in my mind.

Now the time comes when I am no longer comfortable where I am, and I feel that there is much more for me … and during a vacation trip with my wife in 2007 to Barcelona made me realize that something was missing in my life and in my career, it was Europe. That is how I decided that I would want to move to Barcelona indefinitely. By December 2008 I was able to achieve this goal. Of course, all this always under constant consultation with my wife 🙂 it is worth saying that without her by my side I do not know if I would have succeeded. We managed to open a restaurant that we called Cuina Viva and it was in Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava de Catalunya. But things did not turn out as we expected since we had practically no experience in this continent plus the bad timing of the economic crisis in Spain was at its peak. So, in the fall of 2011 we closed the restaurant and decided to move to the Netherlands. Which we did in November of that same year. After a month I had already got a job as a kitchen chef in a small restaurant to open in the city of Delft. I set my mind in a way to let me start all over did not matter to me if it was as an employee, and in a period of 6 years and many jobs later, I managed to become an entrepreneur again.

In spring 2018 I started The Cooking Coaching Company which gave me the strength I needed to emancipate myself from the ties of a paid job and to start the search for my next restaurant.

Until in February 2020 I ran into Boudoir Le Mariage. And it was love at first sight. It had everything that was in my checklist for my view of a perfect restaurant and although we were in the middle of a world crisis, my internal voice kept on telling me to continue and I did. Many things conspired in my favour to get my hands on this restaurant and make it mine and even though 2020 was a terrible year financially and specially for me as a new entrepreneur… I will be here consolidating my restaurant to create a space in your senses that always brings you back to me every time you crave my food.

Get ready and let me show the other side of food.

Chef Monif

What we do and for whom

The Gastronomic formula is based simply on fresh products with certified origin, culinary techniques, and specific procedures to enhance textures and synthesize flavours. Combining this with my experience in different latitudes around the world creates a wonderful opportunity to offer it directly, face to face in my open kitchen where you can always see us cook. Our operation is transparent, and we are proud of our working methodology.

for all those who love good food. for those who do not settle for average. For irreverent, daring, and curious people. Those who only want to be surprised, pleased, and transported to flavours not felt before.

Our culinary model is only ours; nobody can do it since it is created and not copied.

If you feel identified with what you read … then you are already part of our gastronomic bubble.

My team

that makes the experience of coming to Boudoir Le Mariage a reality

Hosting en management

Ana

-Sense of Beauty
-Proactive
-Flowers are her secret weapon
-Positiveness is her strongest ally.
-My beloved wife

Waiter

Tim

-Fast learner
-Effective
-Very smart
-He is not afraid of work
-He loves to eat

Future chef

Gabriël

-Always having fun
-Energetic
-Demanding
-According to him, he can do it all.
-My beloved son

SOUS CHEF

Samir

-Meticulous
-Driven
-Responsible
-Always improving
-Human Dynamo

Web ontwikkelaar / marketing

Ifraah

-Empathic by nature
-Supportive
-Always a great attitude
-Creative
-Extremely fast for everything she does.