This week, Emirates Woman speaks to Maryjoe Srouji, the founder of a Dubai-based culinary brand, Mjays Kitchen.
Welcome to the Emirates Woman weekly series ‘How I got my job as…’, where we speak to some incredible entrepreneurs and businesswomen, both based in the UAE and globally, to find out about their career paths that led them to where they are now, what their daily routines look like, the advice they’d give to those starting out, and the hurdles they’ve had to overcome.
As we talk with Maryjoe, for her, cooking has never been just food; it started as a Mjays Kitchen, a mother-daughter business born out of necessity when the pandemic upended both her career and her mother’s plan to return to Lebanon. From selling homemade meals out of their own kitchen to curating a full-scale experience for luxury brand La DoubleJ, Maryjoe and her mother have built something rooted in comfort, nostalgia and shared purpose.
What was your first introduction into the culinary world?
My first introduction to the culinary world wasn’t in a professional kitchen, it was at home. Cooking started as something deeply personal, almost therapeutic. Over time, that quiet passion turned into discipline and curiosity. I taught myself by experimenting, failing, and trying again, and somewhere along the way, it stopped being just an outlet and became a defining part of who I am.
How did the idea of the brand come up? And how was it built.
I started sharing recipe videos online just for fun. That’s how Mjays Kitchen got its name. I never imagined it would turn into a real business.
Then 2020 happened. I lost my job when COVID hit, and at the same time, my mom had just come to visit for a few days. The day after I got the news, I spent the entire night awake, overwhelmed and crying, with no idea what to do next. It was my ninth month in Dubai, and going back to Lebanon felt like giving up; but staying didn’t seem any easier. The world had shut down, hiring had frozen, and everything felt uncertain.
The next morning, something shifted. My mom and I decided to turn that uncertainty into an opportunity. With her unexpectedly stuck in Dubai due to airport closures, we leaned into what we had; my small online page, a handful of connections, and our shared love for cooking. From that moment, we started selling homemade food straight from our kitchen.
What began as a way to get through a difficult time slowly became something much bigger than I ever expected. How was it built?
I did what anyone with zero experience and a lot of determination would do, I googled “how to make your own logo,” spent $20 on one, grabbed some food containers from the supermarket, and messaged everyone I knew: “My mom and I are starting a home food business, spread the word.”
That was it. No grand plan, no fancy setup, just an idea and a lot of heart. We started cooking homemade dishes in our kitchen, and I delivered them myself, zipping around on my scooter or hopping on the metro for the farther orders. It was chaotic, exhausting… and somehow, it worked. Within a month, we were making around 200 meals.
Then the airports reopened. My mom was supposed to go back; but she didn’t. We had started to see something real taking shape, something worth staying for. So she stayed, and we kept going.
Month after month, the business grew faster than we could have imagined. Seven months in, we somehow found ourselves stepping into catering. Don’t ask me how; we still laugh about it to this day. Two people, minimal experience, barely any tools… just figuring it out as we went along.
My mom never went back to Lebanon. She built a new life here with me, and together we built something from nothing. It wasn’t easy; sleepless nights, constant pressure, challenges I can’t even begin to put into words. But we pushed through every single one.
From zero to something real.
Just me, her, our ideas… and food made with soul.
What’s the most rewarding part about working as a mom and daughter duo?
Usually, when something good happens, the first person you want to share it with is someone you love. It’s that instinct to call them, to tell them, to celebrate together. What makes working as a mother-daughter duo so rewarding is that we don’t experience those moments separately; we’re living them side by side. Every step, every challenge, every small win and big milestone, we go through it together.
There’s something incredibly special about building something with someone who already knows you so deeply. We’re not just witnessing each other’s growth, we’re part of it. Seeing both of us evolve, accomplish things, and create something meaningful together adds a different kind of value to success; it’s not just personal, it’s shared. And beyond the work itself, it’s the time we get to spend together through this journey that makes it all even more meaningful.
And what’s the most challenging part?
One of the most challenging parts is learning how to separate our personal relationship from our professional one. At home, she’s my mom, but at work she’s my business partner, and those roles can sometimes overlap. When it comes to making big decisions, we often have very different approaches and ways of thinking, so managing emotions and keeping discussions objective is something we’ve had to work on. The key has been respecting each other’s perspectives and remembering that we’re ultimately working toward the same goal, even when we disagree on how to get there.
How do you both split your roles within the brand?
At the beginning, it was quite chaotic; we were both involved in every aspect of the business, from the kitchen to the logistics, making decisions side by side. But as the brand grew and evolved, it became clear that we needed more structure to operate efficiently.
Now that the business has expanded, we’ve naturally divided our roles based on our strengths. She focuses primarily on the kitchen, developing recipes, overseeing food quality, and managing everything culinary. Meanwhile, I handle the event organization side; curating the overall experience through tablescaping, as well as leading marketing and PR efforts.
That said, we’re still very much involved in both sides of the brand. I’ve inherited a lot of my creativity from my mom, so her input and perspective always play a big role in what I do; and vice versa. I’m constantly on the lookout for new recipes, flavors, and ideas inspired by things I’ve tried, so there’s always an exchange between us. That balance keeps the brand dynamic while staying true to who we are.
What do you expect your customers to feel when they taste your menu for the first time?
We want it to feel instantly familiar, like something they’ve known and loved for years. When someone tries our food, the hope is that it brings them back to their mom’s or grandmother’s cooking. That sense of comfort, warmth, and nostalgia is really at the heart of everything we do.
The best feeling for us is when the food hits home; that moment when a dish isn’t just good, but emotional. When it reminds them of family, shared meals, and being taken care of. And knowing that there’s a mother in the kitchen preparing these meals embodies that feeling even more, it adds a genuine sense of love, care, and authenticity that you can truly taste.
You’ve worked with some iconic brands. What is the most exciting project you’ve worked on?
Every project we’ve worked on has felt like a win, because each one opens the door to new opportunities and pushes us to do better. That said, one of the most exciting and defining projects for me was with La DoubleJ.
It was our first time collaborating with a luxury brand, before that, most of my work was B2C – so it came with a whole new level of expectations and very detailed guidelines. We really poured our hearts and souls into this project, and it showed in the final result.
We were challenged to create an entirely new menu inspired by the brand, while also curating a tablescape that would highlight their products. The table itself had to be the star of the show, not just the food. It pushed us creatively in every way, from presentation to storytelling.
The magic we created for that event truly became a turning point for us; it opened doors and set the tone for where we are today.
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced as a homegrown business owner?
One of the biggest challenges we faced as a homegrown business was hiring and scaling. Since we were operating out of our home, bringing in a team simply wasn’t an option; we couldn’t have people coming in and out to work from our space. That meant we had to take on everything ourselves.
It’s hard to fully describe how demanding that was. Every project, every event, every detail was handled by just the two of us. While we had some part-time help around the house, it wasn’t related to the actual preparation or execution of the work, so the core of the business remained entirely on our shoulders.
This naturally impacted our ability to expand. We were limited not just in manpower, but in space; storage, freezers, fridges, equipment, packaging, and even decoration materials all had to fit within a home setting.
What advice would you give to anyone looking to follow your steps?
There’s no such thing as being “half in”. You have to be fully committed. There’s no room for ego; no “I’m the boss” mindset, no “I don’t know how,” and no “it is what it is” attitude. You figure things out as you go, and you keep pushing because there’s always a way.
You have to give it your all, be present, and stay truly invested in what you’re building. And most importantly, stay positive. There will be many days – more than you expect – where it feels overwhelming, complicated, or like you want to give up, but that’s when you have to push harder, so just do it, do it scared. Do it broke. Do it alone. Do it unsure.
If you believe in your product and stay committed, you will get there.
If you have the chance to work with your dream brand, what would it be and why?
If I had the chance to work with a dream brand, I would love to collaborate with Zimmermann. I’ve always admired how the brand creates a sense of romance and escapism through its prints, textures, and silhouettes. There’s something very dreamy and feminine about the world they build, and I would love to translate that into a full sensory experience; where fashion, tablescaping, and storytelling come together in a way that feels soft, detailed, and almost like stepping into a storybook world.
What’s the one moment in your brand’s journey where you felt proud of Mjay Kitchen?
One of the moments I felt most proud of Mjay Kitchen is when the dynamic shifted from us being one of many options presented by an agency, to becoming the first choice a brand actively asks for again.
Usually, we’re introduced to clients through agencies, alongside several other creatives. But the real win is what happens after the first project, when the brand specifically tells the agency they want to work with us again. Sometimes it’s even more direct, like when a brand reaches out and says, “We’ve given Agency X your contact because we want you on our next project,” or when an agency calls to say, “Brand X insisted on bringing you back.”
That’s when it really feels like we’ve made an impact. It’s no longer just about being selected for a project – it’s about being remembered, trusted, and intentionally chosen again. And for me, that is the real definition of success.
Where do you see the brand in the next 5 years?
What we do now goes far beyond what the current name represents, so I do believe there will be a natural change of brand name to reflect that growth and expanded vision.
I see us becoming a fully established experiential brand and a true one-stop creative house; handling everything from concept to execution under one roof. I want us to have our own dedicated event space, a space where we can design the entire experience end to end without limitations while also building a strong, structured team behind us so we can scale.
At the same time, I still want us to remain the face and creative core of the brand, leading the direction and storytelling. And on a personal level, I see my mom being at the core of this journey and success. She is the foundation of everything we’ve built, and I want her presence, influence, and story to remain central as the brand grows.
Ultimately, we dream big, so finally going global; working with international luxury brands, traveling for projects, and bringing our concept of immersive dining and storytelling experiences to different cities around the world, while staying true to the heart and soul of where it all began.
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