The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Doing our due diligence to the mango season, we’ve decided to meet up with Chef Yehia Ahmed, Executive Pastry Chef at Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza, to take a closer look at his masterly inventions, and what he’s set to offer us this year.

Chef Yehia, tell us more about yourself.

After graduation,I decided to go for a profession I’m passionate about. I trained in several local restaurants, hotels, and pastry shops. Later on, I joined several renowned hotel chains until I finally settling in Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza.

What made you choose the art of pastry?

The uniqueness of creating a dessert for a special occasion, incorporating textures, layers, and flavours for sheer enjoyment; it’s not about routine or chores. The craft and joy of creating something from scratch.

In terms of taste and flavour, describe Mango as an ingredient in 3 words.

I’d say: original, moist, and leathery sweetness.

What’s new about this year’s edition of the Mango festival at Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza?

This year’s collection is for hurried hosts or hostesses who want to dazzle their guests with simple yet sophisticated recipes. No worries, whether you’re craving a light fruit pie or a delicate mille-feuille stuffed with cream, we have got you covered. All you’ve just got to do is to make sure you leave enough room for dessert.

You offer this year a host of mango-inspired delights, which one is your personal favourite and why?

It’s hard to choose a favourite, every creation is special. However, creating this year’s list has been the silver lining amid the energetic ambience of the kitchen. It turns out that baking is just more than creating something sweet to dig in to. Pastry, especially when it’s done for others, can be accompanied with a unique sense of enjoyment and fulfilment.

Tell us about the creative process behind this year’s selections.

For this year, we are offering a selection of heavenly dessert items: Tapioca Coconut Mango Glass, Mango Dacquoise, Mango Eclair with mango glace, Mango Mille-feuille, and Mango Cheesecake.  We chose to avoid artificial food colouring, and decrease the amount of sugar and food additives, to get the best results for our guests.

What other ingredients work well with Mangoes?

In my opinion, mangoes work with almost everything, both savoury and sweet foods. Culturally, we’re used to mangoes in desserts, although lately mangoes are used in cooking scrumptious steaks, and various seafood dishes.

Which kind of mango is suitable for dessert items, and which is for savoury items?

You have to make sure to pick the sweet ones for desserts, such as owais, zebdya, and sinara. I prefer using zebdya for after-meal cravings. Also, the kent and keitt mangoes are sometimes useful for their sweetness. As for the savoury items, depending on the season, I’d go for the one that helps me balance the dish I’m serving.

Kissing the mango season goodbye, from your own professional perspective, how is it possible to incorporate this sweet and fragrant stone fruit into your creations after the summer to satisfy your clients’ cravings?

Mango season moves with the weather across the country. There are assumptions that they are only fresh during summers, but I debunk this myth! Mangoes are always in season. We are lucky to have access to varieties these days; especially that each has its own unique flavour.We can definitely enjoy mangoes all year long; I personally incorporate them within my list until mid-December, and starting all over again from almost mid-May.

What to expect in the next edition of Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza Mango Festival?

We’re planning out new ideas for our buffet; something a bit out of the box, served within our signature frame of luxury. We’re still working on it as a team.

You can enjoy these delicious mango cerations until the 25^th of September, at Beymen Café and Lobby Lounge at Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza.

For further information regarding the reservations call 02-27917000 or for more inquiries check their Facebook page and Instagram.