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Rocky road to heavenly bite

February 21 - 27, 2018
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Gulf Weekly Rocky road to heavenly bite

Gulf Weekly Mai Al Khatib-Camille
By Mai Al Khatib-Camille

Entrepreneur and budding baker Faten Amin is on the Rocky Road to success with a chocolate-inspired recipe that has created a huge culinary snack stir across the island.

Her home venture serving up bite-sized Bahraini versions of a popular Australian snack has proved such a success she is now considering looking at premises to expand the operation.

The 32-year-old web developer with a passion for baking, said: “It’s the perfect kind of sweet that you can enjoy on any occasion. People in Bahrain have started to get to know what Rocky Road is all about ... and there’s a good number of them who like it a lot!

“One of my dreams is to own a shop where I can sell my own collections and flavours in style.”

Originally Rocky Roads were created in the late 19th Century in Australia after businessmen took confectionery items that had been spoiled by their journey from Europe and mixed them with local nuts as well as chocolate. The name was used as reference to the ‘rocky road’ that speculators and their families used in order to access the gold fields.

Intrigued by the story, Faten experimented in the kitchen until coming up with her own winning recipe. She tried the dessert on family and friends and it soon became so popular, her husband Jassim Janahi, a system analyst at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, suggested she start selling it.

After posting photographs and details about the delights on social media she has never looked back. Once bitten few are shy to ask for more of the delights which are crunchy, soft and chocolatey … all at the same time.

 “It takes me around an hour-and-a-half to prep, cut, clean and mix. My Rocky Road offerings combine chocolate, biscuits and plenty of love,” said Faten, who lives in Budaiya.

Her Instagram business Sweetstones.bh currently features three distinct flavours - milk chocolate, dark chocolate and peanut butter, sliced into pieces and selling at BD5.5 for 50 pieces or BD10 for 100. “My Rocky Road doesn’t have any added sugar or sweets like marshmallows which are popular in the Australian version. In fact I am planning on creating even healthier versions too, including a vegan one for those interested,” she added, following up on special editions such as vermicelli lotus and cookies & cream.

Mind you, she needs as much energy as every bite can deliver to keep up with her busy schedule. Aside from baking, Faten is well known in motor racing circles. She is a huge motorsports fan and a regular marshal and trainer at the Bahrain International Circuit, helping to inspire other women to get involved trackside at events.

She has helped train marshals in India and Azerbaijan too for Formula 1 and other events. Faten is currently nominated to be the first Arab female ‘clerk of the course’ and is busy penning a book about her motor sport experiences which date back to 2005.

The cook book might come later.







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