Chef Mohamed Baya Turns a Love of Cooking into a World of His Own

A Table That Kept Growing

Chef Mohamed Baya once cooked for gatherings of 10 or 15 people. Today, his team can serve 500 guests at a seated event. He has also handled gatherings of up to 1,000. The scale has changed, but he still prefers to be close to the work.

From Paris to Belgium

Baya began his career at 18 with an apprenticeship at Au Pied de Cochon in Paris. He then moved to Belgium, where he entered fine dining and worked in restaurants listed by Michelin and Gault&Millau. Those kitchens helped shape his craft. Yet his reason for cooking remains simple: he loves being in the kitchen.

The Rise of La Table Clandestine

Back in Casablanca, Baya created La Table Clandestine with his cousin Ismail. Guests began asking him to recreate the experience in their own homes. Soon, dinners for small groups led to requests for larger gatherings. Catering followed, and events became a growing part of his work.

Chef Mohamed Baya on the Business of Cooking

For Baya, being a chef means far more than preparing a dish. There are recipe specifications to write, staff to manage and purchases to oversee. He carries the responsibilities of both a chef and an entrepreneur. Although he has worked in consulting, he now does less of it. He would rather be on the ground with his team.

A New Look for Moroccan Cuisine

Baya speaks about Moroccan cuisine with pride. He believes its flavors and techniques are already strong, but its presentation deserves more attention. When he says the cuisine has not been “sexy enough,” he means its appearance on the plate, not its taste. His ambition is to keep those familiar flavors while exploring new ways to present them, including techniques learned abroad.

A Moment for Moroccan Chefs

The first Moroccan edition of Gault&Millau was unveiled in June 2026, featuring 135 restaurants. Baya sees the guide’s arrival as a chance to raise standards and give chefs greater visibility. For a profession often practised behind kitchen doors, that recognition matters.

Beyond the Plate

From an intimate table in Casablanca to events for hundreds, Baya’s career has become a story of cooking and building a business around it. His vision for Moroccan cuisine follows the same principle: preserve what makes it distinctive, then give it a presentation equal to its flavor.