Dubbed ‘a love letter to Bahraini evenings’, the gastronomical journey has been put together by an all-Bahraini team and features a blend of sweet and savoury delights – all built around locally sourced ingredients. During the day, the space located at Bahrain Financial Harbour brings alive artisanal gelataria vibes and as the sun sets, it transforms into a lounge offering the kingdom’s first ever dessert omakase.
At the heart of the nine-course experience is Scoop Creamery founder Alya Al-Ammari whose artisanal gelatos have taken the kingdom by storm. From moreish wood-smoked milk gelato reminiscent of Bahrain’s tikka culture to locally inspired toot (mulberry) sorbets and more, the Bahraini chemist-turned-ice cream maker is known for her diverse, out-of-the-box creations.
“After Hours is the result of an incredible group of Bahraini collaborators,” the 27-year-old told GulfWeekly.
“Our heartfelt thanks to Harbour Heights for providing us with a home for this project, to Amal Humaidan for crafting our visual identity and to Forma Design Studio for transforming our space,” she added.
While the four-week experience ends tomorrow, September 25, Alya’s passion for gelatos transcends the experience. She is one among a growing pool of local talents who have turned their passion into a fulltime career. Spurred on by her desire to turn her love for science into something bigger, the Saar resident launched her own gelataria two years ago.
In the last few years, several young Bahrainis have made the move from a nine-to-five to opening their own business, highlighting self-employment as a fulfilling career path. In fact, the kingdom is home to many initiatives that support and nurture the business environment, fostering innovation.
“Even though I was doing science before, it was still in a big corporation. But the longer that I was working in a corporate setting, the less it became about why I joined in the first place – a love for science and tactile fulfilling work.
“I like working with my hands and I started scratching that itch of wanting to do more hands-on work about something I was passionate about, which was chemistry outside of work. So I started making ice cream at home as a hobby,” added the chemistry major from Edinburgh University.
“My management totally understood where I was coming from and gave me a six month leave of absence. However, in the end, I decided I want to make ice cream full time,” she recounted.
Alya previously worked at a local energy company as a laboratory scientist for four years before she made the move. Though initially guided by her knowledge in chemistry and her strong desire to create, she eventually decided to gain formal training in gelato making from Carpigiani Gelato University, a reputed academy in Italy.
Elaborating on what she most loves about her entrepreneurial journey, Alya noted that it offers her more flexibility and opportunities to forge long-term bonds.
“I’m able to kind of design my schedule around what works best for me and the connections that I make with people is all very fulfilling. My team and I work really well together too.
“I feel the wealth of entrepreneurial support in Bahrain comes from the community of entrepreneurs here. For someone who has no F&B background, it was surprisingly easy to tap into the network of other entrepreneurs in Bahrain who valued the same things that I value – transparency, industriousness, ambition and, to an extent, patriotism and love for this island,” she said.
Not one to rest on past laurels, the creative talent announced her latest collaboration A Scoop of Ithra this week. The series will showcase seven different flavours inspired by the seven art exhibitions on display at the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture (Ithra) in neighbouring Saudi Arabia and will be available in Bahrain next month.
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