In this BIT: French pastry chef, Saïd M’Dahoma shares his advice on how to find a hobby, finding balance between work and your interests, and more.
Dr. Saïd M’Dahoma was born and raised in Paris, and moved to Canada to pursue a PhD in neuroscience. As he began his position, Saïd realized how much he missed French pastries, and began learning how to bake them himself. After spending hundreds of hours researching, reading books, and watching videos, Saïd became deeply passionate about baking, leading him to quit his neuroscience career and follow his culinary passion. Saïd now runs his own company, The Pastry Nerd. You can find him on his website (thepastrynerd.com), and Instagram page (@thepastrynerd), where he shares how to bake French pastries. Saïd hosts classes where he teaches the art of French pastry-making, sharing French recipes, as well as online masterclasses. He’s been named The Foodie of the Year in Western Canada in 2021, and has been invited to be a judge at CBC radio. In this interview, Saïd shares his story of quitting his previous career to follow his passion, and inspires us to follow our passions, as well as find hobbies that we enjoy. Keep reading to discover Saïd’s tips for finding balance, and how to find a hobby, all in all, leading to finding a small bit of happiness.
SBOH: How did you first discover your passion for baking? Were there any specific hobbies or interests that led you to this path?
Saïd M’Dahoma: I discovered my passion for baking completely by chance. I moved from France to Canada 8 years ago for a postdoctoral position at the University of Calgary. Just a few months after I moved, I started to miss French pastries so much that I decided to bake my own. I started to spend more and more time in the kitchen and became really passionate about the process of baking. This gave me so much happiness that I decided to become a full time pastry chef!
Saïd: Neuroscience helped me in lots of different way: When baking, you have to be precise, organized and weigh your ingredients accurately, which I have been doing for a long time in a science laboratory. Also, nowadays content creation is about entertaining an audience about a topic in a limited amount of time. As a researcher,I built the skills to captivate an audience on a daily basis as I used to write abstract for articles, grant proposals or present my research to conferences.
SBOH: Trying different things can help us learn what we’re interested in, and discover new hobbies. What are your top three tips for teenagers to try new things and find hobbies?
Saïd:
1. Think about something that brings you happiness and think about what is it about that thing that you enjoy and can you engage more in that activity?
2. Another one would be to ask to your friends what are their hobbies and if they would be willing to invite you in.
3. Finally, I would look at the list of activities available at the community centre closest to you, pick one activity and enroll, even if it’s just for one hour. Even if you do not like the activity, you will know a little bit more about yourself and what is it that you like or not.
SBOH: Balancing work and personal life can be challenging in a creative career such as content creation and baking. What do you usually do in your free time? Do you have any hobbies or interests that help you maintain that balance?
Saïd: In my free time I love to exercise. I either lift weights or practice kickboxing. I also love watching anime to relax.
SBOH: You lived in Paris for a number of years, what do you think brings French people a small bit of happiness?
Saïd: What brings happiness to French people is gathering at a table with their friends and family while eating good food. Food gathering is very central to French culture.
SBOH: What is a major cultural difference from France that you believe brings happiness to French people’s daily life? Or, do you think we have similar lifestyle’s and experience happiness similarity here in North America?
Saïd: There are cultural differences, such as the importance of gathering for food at a table for hours and a bit more emphasis on having a better work/life balance in France compared to North America.
Saïd: I am working on a course for amateur bakers so they can learn how to make macarons from home! It released at the end of October 2023.
Saïd: Spending time with my wife.
SBOH: What are some words you live by or an inspirational quote?
Saïd: Do things at your own pace, there is no need to rush.
SBOH: What is one food that gives you a small bit of happiness?
Saïd: I love vanilla cream puffs!
We hope that Saïd M’Dahoma’s story and advice inspires you to try new things, helps you in finding balance between creativity, family, and friends, giving you a small bit of happiness.
Find Saïd here:
Website: http://thepastrynerd.com/
Instagram: @thepastrynerd
For more happiness check out our Mood Boost page.
Featuring quick videos created for teens by teens.
Discover advice from French pastry chef, Saïd M’Dahoma, on finding balance in life.