62 December 2016 www.bahrainthismonth.com interview Dominic and Michelle Miles It was October of 1997 when newly married Michelle and Dominic were returning from their honeymoon in South Africa, to be greeted by what Michelle calls ‘cold, grey, rainy Manchester’. “We looked at each other and wished we could just stay on the plane and go somewhere else,” she recalls. The following February, a conversation with a long-time friend based in the UAE sparked a change in the couple’s life course. “He said he’d just gotten off the golf course, and life was good in pleasant weather and clear, blue skies. So I decided to hop on a plane and see what opportunities lay there for me,” says Dominic, who has been a food and hospitality professional for 35 years. “I ended up working with the late Mr Ali Al Sharif, for whom I opened the Café Italia in Seef Mall. I really enjoyed my time with him.” Dominic has been riding the wave of entrepreneurial success ever since. He went on to become the food and beverage director at the Royal Golf Club, previously called Riffa Golf Club, and is regarded as a celebrity gourmet on the island for setting up notable food and beverage ventures in Bahrain and around the region. He is currently involved in the successful operations of The Blindside Barbeque & Grill at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club and has spearheaded the opening of Ajyal EIGHTEEN AND COUNTING Catering, a brand-new business that is into industrial contract catering. Michelle, who is a pianist, followed suit six weeks after Dominic left the UK. “I played at the Spring of Culture in its early years and have done a few concerts in Saudi Arabia,” she says. “I teach the piano and introduce classical music to babies. Watching a baby head bang to Mozart is quite hilarious!” The Miles’ children, Connor and Hannah, students of St Christopher’s School, were both born at Awali hospital and naturally call Bahrain home. Eighteen years on, the couple reminisce about their first impressions of the island. “Bahrain was a strong financial hub; Dubai was yet to take off as it has in the past decade,” says Dominic. “What I do remember vividly is the welcoming attitude that the Bahrainis had from day one. There was far more interaction between the locals and expats than in Dubai. I am delighted to say that I have many Bahraini friends. “We enjoy a different standard of living here; the children have fabulous opportunities and there is a platform from which entrepreneurs like me can build their businesses, which is excellent.” While the young couple grew together, they watched the nation grow. “There was hardly anything higher than three storeys,” says BEHNAZ SANJANA BTM caught up with Michelle and Dominic Miles to chat about their happy 18-year stint in Bahrain. Michelle. “We shopped from Spinneys and Al Jazeera in Adliya.” Dominic remembers that the NBB was the tallest tower to go up, followed by the Almoayyed Tower in Seef. “Seef Mall and Al Aali Mall were new when we arrived. There was pretty much nothing else here,” he says. Dominic and Michelle are grateful for their parents’ support to move here, and say their parents have enjoyed their visits to Bahrain immensely. But things weren’t always rosy. “I was saddened when people left Bahrain during the troubled times,” says Dominic. “I have never felt threatened, or felt that security was an issue, ever in Bahrain. Around seven years ago, I was stopped at an airport in the States, when they found out I was flying to this part of the Middle East. Three American gentlemen from immigration quizzed me as to why I live in such a ‘dangerous’ place. They obviously weren’t well informed. I had to explain to them that I felt far more in danger walking the streets of LA than I ever had in Bahrain.” “It can be hard moving away from everything you know,” adds Michelle. “It was a culture shock in the beginning, and I still do miss the greenery back in the UK. But to be honest, I’m not sure I could live in England anymore, except for our summer holidays there every year.”
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