AMA Team
AMA President
Rafih Benjelloun, Imperial Fez Restaurant, Atlanta, GA
Rafih Benjelloun was born in Fez, Morocco and studied culinary arts in Western Europe. Chef Benjelloun began his career as a restaurateur in San Francisco and owned two restaurants in Denver and Boulder, CO before opening the Imperial Fez in Atlanta, GA. Chef Benjelloun has been featured on the cover of Bon Appetit Magazine (Restaurant issue 2001) and a guest on the Food Networks “My Country, My Kitchen” (July 2002) as well as Gourmet Magazine’s Executive Chef Sara Moulton’s “Sara’s Secrets” (February 2003). Chef Benjelloun cooked at the James Beard House and was honored as a Presenter at the annual James Beard Award ceremony as well as collaborated with chefs Rick Bayless, Zarela Martinez, Lynne Rossetto Kasper, Mario Batali, and Paula Wolfert to publish "The New American Chef: Cooking with the Best of Flavors and Techniques from Around the World" cookbook (October 2003). He also presented a historical food presentation on the Arab Moorish culinary contribution to the banquet of the Séances. Chef Benjelloun was chosen to participate in the Bon Appetit Magazine Annual Celebrity Chef Ski Challenge in January 2005 where he took the first place in the culinary battle of the chefs contest. Chef Benjelloun is an active member of Les Toques Blanches, the Brotherhood of International Chefs, the United Chef Association, the American Chef Federation (ACF) and the International Association Culinary Professionals (IACP). Chef Rafih Benjelloun and his wife Rita have 2 children and are active participants and contributors to Operation Smile, Share Our Strength, the Atlanta Community Food Bank, the African Childrens Fund and host an annual mission trip to Morocco.
AMA Vice President
Samir Mahir, IBM Corp., Atlanta, GA
Samir Mahir is a Program Manager with IBM in Atlanta, GA. Prior to joining IBM in 1999, Samir spent ten years working for non-profit organizations, including Share Our Strength (SOS) in Washington, DC and the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) in Norcross, GA. Samir is currently Chairman of the USTA Information Technology Committee. He is a member of the Project Management Institute, is a certified Project Management Professional and holds a degree in Mechanical Physics from the University of Poitiers, France.
AMA Secretary
Khédija Gadhoum, Ph.D., Clayton State University, GA
Born and raised in Tunis , Tunisia , Professor Khédija Gadhoum grew up speaking Tunisian dialect, French and Standard Arabic. She received her Maîtrise Combinée de Langues in English, Spanish at the Université de Tunis, then she was granted several scholarships from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to pursue her graduate studies in Spanish literature and culture at the Universidad Complutense and Universidad Autónoma in Madrid. After the Spanish experience, she decided to explore the American continent and have a M.A. in Spanish and Latin American Literature and culture, and a Ph.D. in Contemporary Latin American Literature and Culture at Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio .
Professor Gadhoum is a world traveler, adventurer and explorer (Europe, US, Latin America ). Her international experiences in different countries led her to research and produce cultural, ethnographic and social documentaries in the US , Mexico , Bolivia , Peru , Brazil Argentina, and Chile .
AMA Treasurer
Rachid Laaslaoui, Equifax/ CDC of Atlanta, GA
Rachid Lasslaoui has a degree in Public Law from University of Mohamed V Agdal in Rabat and an Associate Degree in Firms Management. He holds several certifications in management, finance, and accounting from Equifax and Harvard University. Rachid currently works as a team leader at Equifax/CDC. Rachid researches and analyzes feeds from national and international law enforcement agencies as well as financial institutions as part of the Patriot Act. He specializes in money laundering, tax evasion, fraud, embezzlement drug trafficking, and terrorism. Previous to the current position he holds, he was a purchasing and procurement agent for a fortune 500 company. Rachid is also a founding member of AMA. His interests include playing and coaching Soccer.