Regine Elmaleh, mother of comedian Gad Elmaleh, launched her brand “Walida,” a couscous delivery service.
The official launch took place on January 26, and the motto of Walida (mother in Arabic) is “c’est maman qui régale,” (it’s mom who treats).
The brand reached more than 30,000 social media followers on the official launching date with notable support from her famous son.
At the age of 66, Regine Elmaleh decided to embark on this new life journey. Her co-founder is Clement Benoit, founder of Stuart Delivery.
“We want to distribute couscous all over the world,” she and her partner said.
The two appeared in a video together tasting couscous dishes. Benoit was full of praise for the dish, declaring it “the best couscous I have ever had.”
Read also: Couscous Joins UNESCO List of World Intangible Heritage
According to the French outlet Le Point, the entrepreneur is well-known in the restaurant industry. He is an expert in “dark kitchens,” where dishes are cooked exclusively for home delivery platforms. The service does not rely on a restaurant as a middleman, delivering directly from kitchen to home.
Le Point reported that the entrepreneur set aside € 20 million last year to create his own Levantine or Mediterranean food concepts.
While looking for someone to represent one of his companies, Benoit found that Regine Elmaleh could be in charge of creating the recipes for the Walida brand.
Couscous will serve as the foundation for the company, a dish that reflects the Elmaleh family’s Moroccan ancestry.
Morocco received the certificate of registration of couscous on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list of the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2021.
In December 2018, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Mauritania submitted a combined request to UNESCO to add couscous to the list.
The formal inclusion recognizes the North African dish as a shared cultural asset that is well-known and adored by many.
Other versions of the meal have made their way to other nations, including Brazil, Italy, and Malta.
