US-born chef Vanessa Bayma inherited her passion for food from her fiery Sicilian and Brazilian grandmothers during childhood cooking sessions.
Born to New York Italian and Brazilian parents, and raised in California, Florida and Saudi Arabia, Ms Bayma's lawyer aspirations faded after a friend paid her $1,000 to run a pasta station at an event.
Ms Bayma’s 20-year hospitality career includes executive and catering chef roles and consulting for hotels, resorts and private yachts.
She moved to Dubai 12 years ago and later established CBC Consultancy and Events, which provides concept, menu and recipe development, private chefs, large-scale event management, training and evaluation.
Ms Bayma, 38, has worked with many high-net-worth individuals, royal families, footballers, TV stars, companies and festivals, and credits a near-fatal car accident at 16, which left her almost unable to walk, for her financial epiphany.
She lives in Dubai South with her husband and rescue cats, Shadow and Chloe.
Did you have a wealthy upbringing?
I got a taste of both worlds. My father was a self-made millionaire by 25. We lived in a mansion in LA, I got everything I wanted as the oldest of three sisters. When I was about eight there was a huge crash in the states.
My father was in corporate real estate and we hit rock bottom, sold the Ferrari, the house, and my uncle offered my father a position in Saudi Arabia. We switched gears, worried about money, counted pennies, I had chores. I guess my father realised he might have spoiled me when I was younger. He started to focus on instilling values with regards to money.
What was your earliest taste of commerce?
I wanted to have a lemonade stand (while in LA). He (my father) made me sign a contract, rent the table, take a “loan” to buy lemons. I was eight, made 200 bucks. For a child, that is like millions, but I had to pay everything back, plus interest. At the end of the day, my profit was $40, still a lot for a kid. It lit the fire but I realised your profit isn’t what’s in your hand.
When was your first job?
We got back (to the US from Saudi Arabia), my parents had divorced and I got a job at 13 to help my mother, lots of side hustles. AOL had recently started and there were chat groups where I was selling Beanie Babies for thousands of dollars.
I worked at a pizzeria, a vet clinic and in telemarketing. At 18 or 19, I started going to auctions, buying and flipping cars. Then, I was interning for a lawyer in corporate real estate law. My father was the positive influence on my spending. I started to learn about saving for rainy days.
What brought you to Dubai?
I previously came for a wedding and loved it. There was a gap in the market for consultancy and events, private chefs, so I capitalised on that. It started out just me and we morphed into this animal.
Some of my chefs make close to Dh20,000 to Dh30,000 a month and work 10 to 15 days, so they are happy. That is important in our industry, you cannot cook if you are miserable.
What is your spending outlook?
I stopped living the Dubai lifestyle. Now we have people over; I’m a chef, why would I not? If I want to go to a fancy dinner, I’m not going to deprive myself but it is once in a blue moon.
Generally, I am frugal but also a realist. You need to spend more on certain things … the $20 pair of shoes will break in one year. You get what you pay for. My utensils for work — not crazy expensive knives but German-made, good for a lifetime.
Be frugal but be smart, get good quality at inexpensive prices. And work-life balance is important. Do what you love, what you are good at, and save, save, save.
How do you grow wealth?
With regards to regular savings, I diversify, several accounts. We have a couple of long-term investments. We want a couple of investment properties, mainly in South Africa, and we own a piece of a company there. The next property, we are going to transform it into either a bed-and-breakfast or a rental.
What expense brought most satisfaction?
We have rescued a few cats and found them homes, at one point an injured black kitten. It cost us Dh7,000 but we fixed her, found her a home. That is the best money I spent because I got to save a life. That is rent for the month, but I can make money back, it brought me joy and she is living a happy life.
Any financial shocks?
I have had ups and downs to the point where I filed for bankruptcy (in the US); I won a lawsuit after a car accident when I was a kid and spent all of it. I ended up in and out of hospitals.
After paying the lawyer, I was left with about $500,000, which you shouldn’t give to a teenager. Dad put it into savings for me, but I splurged, got an apartment, bought motorcycles. I sat down with my dad and started to learn how to manage money better. That was a wake up call. What that taught me was to act like I am broke. So, when I get money now, that immediately goes into savings.
My relationship with money has become one of heavy respect; it can destroy your life if not handled with respect. It will come and go
Vanessa Bayma,
chef
How do you feel about money?
Money is a fickle mistress. It is a lot easier to be happy with money but, at the end of the day, it is what's inside you [that] you need to be comfortable [with]. My relationship with money has become one of heavy respect; it can destroy your life if not handled with respect. It will come and go.
Any spending regrets?
I had a nice, reliable Ford hatchback and was jealous of my sister’s red Corvette convertible. I technically bought it from her and told her she could have my car. That thing broke within a day of me having it. I had to dump so much money into getting it fixed.
What are you happiest paying for?
I will treat myself, maybe fly business class so it doesn’t hurt my back. I would rather spend on others than myself, spend on experiences and enjoy those with others. I am not really into physical things; I like adventures. One of my most cherished experiences was when I flew my (then) new husband and I to South Africa for my first safari. I work really hard and want to build memories versus simply buying a TV.
Are you shocked by some client budgets?
I used to be very surprised when they were willing to spend Dh14 million on only 200 people for one night, only the food — for a private gathering. But after being in the region for a while …
What are your future financial goals?
Within five years I want to have at least three rental properties and, as soon as everything calms down with cryptocurrencies, we are waiting for the crash to heal so I can get my investment back.
I would like to grow my company in a manner so it is self-sustaining and I simply have to pop in every once in a while to make sure it is moving forward.
I really would like to have a bed and breakfast or a vineyard in Italy, have people over for cooking classes and host weddings.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Sri Lanka Test squad:
Dimuth Karunaratne (stand-in captain), Niroshan Dickwella (vice captain), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Milinda Siriwardana, Dhananjaya de Silva, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohamed Shiraz, Lakshan Sandakan and Lasith Embuldeniya.
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MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Scoreline:
Barcelona 2
Suarez 85', Messi 86'
Atletico Madrid 0
Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results
Stage seven
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
