Um Mami is a culinary training center by Melting Pot, established by culinary entrepreneur Claus Meyer, co-founder of the world-renowned restaurant Noma, and the Meyers Madhus group, both trailblazers in Nordic cuisine. Launched in 2022, the center trains young Moroccans for careers in hospitality and gastronomy, tackling youth unemployment while promoting sustainable food practices such as local sourcing, plant-based diets, and food waste reduction. 

Um Mami is a culinary hub based in Marrakech, bringing together training, cooking classes, events, consultancy, and shared food experiences under one roof.

We operate as a living kitchen space—active, practical, and open—where learning happens alongside real service. Trainees, chefs, guests, and partners move through the same space, creating an environment where food becomes a tool for connection, skill-building, and professional growth.

Everything we do is rooted in practice, seasonality, and a deep respect for the people behind the food.

Um Mami was launched in 2022 as a culinary training initiative in Marrakech, with the ambition to connect learning directly to real kitchen environments.

From the beginning, the idea was simple: create a place where young people could develop practical culinary skills while being exposed to the realities of professional hospitality. Over time, Um Mami grew into a broader culinary hub—welcoming cooking classes, events, consultancy projects, and shared dining experiences.

Today, Um Mami brings together different audiences around food: young people building skills, professionals refining their craft, partners collaborating on projects, and guests discovering meaningful culinary experiences.

Um Mami exists to use food as a tool for learning, connection, and professional opportunity.

Through hands-on training, mentorship, and real-world kitchen experience, we support young people in developing skills, confidence, and pathways into the hospitality sector. At the same time, we create thoughtful culinary experiences that invite the wider community to gather, learn, and share.

Our mission is practical and future-oriented: to build a culinary hub where education and real-life practice are inseparable.

Our values shape how we cook, teach, collaborate, and welcome others into our space.

Learning by doing

Skills are built through practice, repetition, and real responsibility.

Unconditional hospitality

The kitchen and the table are spaces of respect, care, and generosity.

Collaboration and equality

Everyone brings something valuable, students, chefs, guests, and partners alike.

Responsibility through food

Seasonality, local sourcing, and reducing waste are part of everyday decisions, not slogans.

Possibility and progress

We believe food can open unexpected paths and create long-term change.