Morris Place Kebabs and Turkish Bakery’s Haider Alkaabi and Meng Zhang.
Camera IconMorris Place Kebabs and Turkish Bakery’s Haider Alkaabi and Meng Zhang. Credit: Supplied/Marcus Whisson

Pastry chef’s winning mix

Tom Rabe, Stirling TimesStirling Times

Mr Alkaabi said he took great pride in producing homemade breads, pastries and kebabs, introducing Australians to an authentic alternative to the average kebab shop.

‘The food is great here but I work hard to show people how to do it right, I don’t like the pre-mixed things with chemicals ” just leave it as natural as it can be,’ Mr Alkaabi said.

‘The kebab is traditionally meant to be cooked in charcoal. It’s what’s right, traditional is best and I want to bring more traditional cooking to Australia.’

PerthNow Digital Edition.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

Mr Alkaabi, originally from Baghdad, said he was taught to bake in Iraq but developed a deeper love for food, leading him to study chocolate and sugar art in Malaysia and Australia.

‘When I arrived in Australia I already had a good knowledge about baking, but I needed the certificates,’ he said. ‘I studied hard, I worked night shifts and during the day I would study.’

Mr Alkaabi’s shop, Morris Place Kebabs, was awarded first prize for Turkish bread, after never entering before.

The pastry chef said though he had qualifications in management, he enjoyed a hands-on approach to his business.

‘It’s a family thing but my passion is different ‘