Mariam Nihal Saudi Gazette “Cupcakes do bring a little piece of joy to a day. They are an affordable luxury that can be easily purchased to enjoy for a bit of “me time,” to share with friends or as a gift to brighten up someone else's day. “Part of their appeal comes from their size; they are a highly individual treat and you can take your time choosing one that's just right for you,” said Tarek Malouf, the proud owner of Hummingbird Bakery, In an exclusive interview with Saudi Gazette, the dynamic entrepreneur and sweet aficionado passionately spoke about the fairy-tale journey that led to the birth of Hummingbird Bakery. “Since childhood I've had a love of American baking. I studied at an American school in London and while I was there I got to try some delicious home-baked treats that my classmates would share,” said Malouf. While studying at a university in London, Malouf realised there was virtually no place in the city that did good American baking. “I'd have to go from one end of town to the other just to get a decent brownie. It was on a visit to the US to see some relatives that I realized I should open my own bakery and bring the authentic taste of American home baking to London. From there it was just two years of research and recipe testing before I opened my first Hummingbird Bakery branch in West London's Notting Hill.” Malouf said he had no idea American baking would catch on in the UK, and had no plans to open more than one bakery at first. “I just wanted to create a warm and welcoming environment where customers could relax and enjoy the aromatic smell and taste good quality American baking.” One afternoon while working at the bakery, Malouf realized that the concept could turn into something more significant too. “Customers seemed to just keep on coming in and we couldn't serve them fast enough. I stepped outside for a quick break and saw a queue of happily smiling customers stretching way down the road. It was an incredible sight and a moment that told me we were onto something big!” And that is when Hummingbird Bakery spread its wings and set out for a sweet and everlasting journey around the globe. Sighting of celebrities – Lady Gaga, Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rihanna, Robbie Williams, Lisa Snowdon, Jonathon Ross, Whitney Houston, Kelly Osbourne, Keira Knightley, among others – with Hummingbird products is a regular occurrence. Hummingbird Bakery has recently opened in the UAE and it plans to expand in the GCC to spread its love with the Arabs. “As the leading mall in Dubai, The Dubai Mall seemed like an obvious location for us to open a branch. In terms of why we chose Dubai to start our international expansion, we already had a fairly good idea that we'd be well received here. So many of our customers at our South Kensington branch are from the Middle East and many of them have urged us to open a branch in Dubai. Anyone familiar with our branches in London will feel right at home in our Dubai Mall branch.” The style and ambiance are very much in line with the Hummingbird Bakery's London branches. The design is bright and modern with warm colours and welcoming furnishings. When customers visit the bakery they are greeted by the smell of fresh baking and not to mention a great array of cupcakes and other treats to choose from. In the UK, Hummingbird Bakery has a department called “Cakes by Consultation” that is dedicated to making bespoke cakes for occasions of all kinds, including birthdays, weddings, or any other types of celebration. They plan to introduce this service in Dubai soon. Hummingbird Bakery plans to open a total of 20 bakeries across the Middle East in the next few years with branches in other parts of UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon and Egypt. Customers can expect a broad range of delicious American baked treats including cupcakes, layer cakes, brownies, cheese cakes, whoopie pies and much more. “One of the things that we really pride ourselves on is the quality of our baking. Every single one of our branches has its own kitchen and team of resident bakers. This means everything we serve is baked on site by hand at each of our branches and served completely fresh. We also only use the finest quality ingredients. We do all this to ensure our cakes taste as good as they possibly can taste,” said Malouf. Hummingbird Bakery's most popular cupcake is their red velvet cupcake — the deep red vanilla sponge with a hint of chocolate topped with cream cheese frosting. Constantly surrounded by cupcakes, does Malouf still enjoy eating them? “I do still enjoy cupcakes. I see cupcakes as an occasional treat and when enjoyed in this way, every single one is a delight to savor.”
