Yusuf Sujee

Mohamed Yusuf Sujee is an Executive Sous Chef at ME DUBAI Hotel, where Mohamed Is second in command of all kitchen operations; holding responsibility and assisting the Executive Chef for maximum guest satisfaction, directing, and controlling the kitchen and administrative functions.Mohamed has worked with International Brands, namely, One & Only, Royal Portfolio, Leeu Collection, Maze Restaurant, Nobu Restaurant, among others. Mohamed is a football lover and car enthusiast. During his spare time he makes the most of exploring the Food and Beverage scene in Dubai and internationally. His love for food came from his grandmother who inspired him to cook from the age of 6 years.Mohamed goal is to become a Executive Chef of a leasing Hotel Chain and then one day have his own restaurant on the coast somewhere beautiful.Mohamed has won the 2014 Ultimate Braai Master Competition in South Africa and was named Best Young Chef Of The Year 2012.

Mohamad Chabchoul

With more than 15 years of invaluable culinary experience both locally and further afield, Executive Chef Mohamad Chabchoul has a wealth of expertise in the F&B and catering industry.

Originally from Lebanon, Chef Chabchoul began his career as Commie Chef 1 at le brasserie restaurant at Le Meridian Hotel in Damascus. He then re-located to Dubai where he assumed more senior role of Chef De Partie at InterContinental Dubai Festival City as part of the hotel opening. After two years at the helm of Belgian Beer Café Kitchen and Bistro Madeleine within InterContinental, Chef Chabchoul was appointed Room Service Chef at Fairmont Bab Al Bahar in Abu Dhabi in 2009.

In 2010 Chef Chabchoul returned to Dubai to become the Garde Manger De Cuisine at The Ritz Carlton DIFC where he stayed for almost three years. From there, he worked at a range of restaurants within the IHG Group at Dubai Festival City, leaving as Chef De Cuisine Cluster before embarking on his next role as Executive Chef at Fauchon Paris. Two years later he took on a new challenge working for Binhendi Enterprises in its hospitality division as Executive Chef. 

Chef Chabchoul has continued to set the culinary pace throughout his career in terms of both quality and growth. His passion for kitchen operations and innovative concepts knows no bounds and in his role as Executive Chef at Grand Millennium Business Bay, he brings his wealth of culinary knowledge to seven different restaurants. He is highly experienced, creative and dedicated to the food and beverage industry; his drive is certain to keep each and every outlet within the hotel ahead of its competitors.

Liz Stevenson

Canadian-born Chef Liz Stevenson cut her culinary teeth in Montreal in the early noughties. Perhaps best known for her time with contemporary Anatolian restaurant brand Rüya, she’s spent the past decade working between Dubai & London with some of the best names in the business – Gordon Ramsay, Dominique Ansel, Colin Clague & Caprice Holdings, the company behind The Ivy, Scott’s, & J Sheekey - to name but a few. She’s also the menu mastermind behind some of the region’s favourite QSR brands and cafés, including Taqado Mexican Kitchen, Toqa Coffee in SA and Bull & Roo’s bakery concept Rise & Dawn. When not developing recipes, Liz writes about food system issues and provides food education in her role as Chief Foodie for Dubai’s The Tasting Class.

Troy Payne

Troy has cooked in some of Melbourne’s most awarded restaurants since the age of 15, steadily learning his craft from the best chefs in the country. He continuously strives for three restaurant ideals - happy returning guests, a wonderful training kitchen and beautiful produce.Since his move to the UAE over 6 years ago, he has embraced the local farmers and produce, further imbedding himself in the wonderful culture and heritage that is truly unique and filled with inspiration. His kitchens are a training ground for everyone that is interested and passionate.Troy possesses a great passion for cooking. His genuine sense of curiosity and respect, and immersive understanding of different food cultures and stories allow him to honour tradition before modernity. He delivers a raw and honest approach to cooking, and brings a fresh, bold and fun look to the different dishes that he cooks. 

Hattem Mattar

Long before it was making brisket sandwiches at pop ups all over the city, The Mattar Farm was a place and an idea. It started like this... Tucked away in the heart of Dubai, lies a small family run farm that still does things the old fashioned way. Blessed with an abundance of sun, soil and soul our farm grows and crafts foods that symbolize our belief in everyones' ability to improve themselves and their communities. 

We grew our food and tended our fires, and with it came the growth and heat of a vibrant community.  Neighbours became our friends. Our friends became our family. Strangers came to eat without knowing who we were or us knowing them. All of us are still a part of each other’s lives today. Several crops and trials by fire later, we had made hundreds of meals just from our own backyard. People we didn’t know were calling to invite us over so we could bring our BBQ with us. We started our official fire in 2017 but it had been burning for years long before then. 

Hattem Mattar is the world’s first Arab pitmaster and is renowned for his Dubai based third culture smokehouse, The Mattar Farm. From smoked brisket and grilled desserts to underground lamb and whole smoked camel, Hattem and his live fire menus have been featured with the UAE embassy in Washington DC as well as on CNN and pop ups all over the country. He most recently represented the UAE and the Arab world for the first time ever at the world’s largest BBQ festival in Brazil. With a strong belief in third culture cuisine and the unifying language of fire and smoke, Hattem strongly believes in everyone’s ability to sit around a meal to tell their story, communicate and find themselves in each other.

Rawad Al Kabalan

I grew up in the city of Daraa in southern Syria, my grandfather had a farmhouse there and he grew fresh fruit and vegetables in the backyard, on weekends and during the summer, my family would stay at my grandfathers farmhouse and I’d watch my mother prepare delicious dishes with fresh ingredients straight from the garden, I can still taste those wonderful dishes and that is what inspired me to become a chef

I had the support of my whole family in fulfilling my dream and set about making it come true by undertaking a course in the culinary arts in high school at the tender age of 16, followed by a diploma in hotel management.

My early training in Syria and my first job working at a summer restaurant in Daraa laid the ground for my long term love of Arabic food, I worked with Arabic Chefs who specialized in traditional dishes such as mezze and mix grills, working with these talented chefs gave me a great understanding of the use of Arabic spices and an appreciation for the authentic flavours in Syrian local restaurants,

Since those early beginnings, I added familiarity with several other international cuisines to my repertoire, I received professional training in Italian, Japanese, thai and French cuisine within five-star establishments in Syria and the UAE, including Michelin starred restaurants in Dubai.In my current role as Chef in Charge at VIDA Hotels, the opportunity to learn more about different culinary traditions is what he loves most about working in this vibrant city. “Being surrounded by so many different kinds of cuisines – Western, Arabic and Asian – I am equally passionate about them all.  They all offer something unique and different.  Dubai is a great place to learn, because exposure to different cuisines also teaches you about different cultures.  In Syria, I was mostly exposed to French, Italian and Arabic cuisine, but here there is so much more of a mix,”. With a palate trained to appreciate different kinds of flavours during the course of my decade-long career

 When I’m not busy working in the kitchen I spend time on my other passion – photography. I love taking pictures of beautiful sceneries or capturing memories of moments spent with family and friends. And of course, I love to photograph food!”

Alex Stumpf

German-born Alexander Stumpf is the Executive Chef and Co-Founder of BB Social Dining in DIFC.  Alex has gained extensive knowledge from the work experiences gained during his more than two decades, and counting, in the industry.Classically Trained in French Cuisine, Alex has adapted his skills over the years to learn many cuisines, a skill he prides himself on.  He is an extraordinary culinary talent who has invested many years working in his industry learning from the likes of Rainer Becker over an 8-year span and working alongside other culinary names including Colin Clague.   

Alex has been instrumental in managing projects and new openings for award winning brands in the UK, UAE, Turkey and Miami, showcasing his ability and strength to set up, train and manage kitchen operations at new & existing venues, managing teams of 80+ chefs and stewards in multiple countries & cities, including his own and overseeing one of the UAE’s most recognized Asian restaurants.

Known for his precise technique with modern cooking methods as well as artistic skills, Alex brings a wealth of experience and passion to every role he has undertaken.

With BB Social Dining, he is truly expressing his passion by rebelling against the executive chef trajectory to create a unique gem-like Far-Eastern menu that incorporates bao buns, bites, bowls and barbeque dishes with a nod to Middle Eastern ingredients that speaks to Vegan, Vegetarian and Carnivores alike.With a broad understanding of blending tastes and textures between different cultures and ethnicities, you will find Alex’s unique stamp on the city’s culinary scene, with creative flair and a passion for food that speaks to people from all walks of life.

Junior Nadje

Junior Nadje, I am a French citizen living in Dubai since 5 years.He graduated in Paris at a Hospitality school, and stated his experience with prestigious names and restaurants, from Paris to Monaco, London to Dubai.

He started his career as an apprentice in Mama Shelter Paris (Accor hotel) which was a new concept of hotels developed by the famous French family Toledano (founders of Club Med). The Hotel was design by Philip Starck

Few years later he decided to move to South of France to get more experience and started to work in Monaco. He continued in London as a Chef de par3e for Laduree restaurant, famous French restaurant and Tea room. After 2 years spent in London, he went back to the South of France for French Michelin starred restaurants, as a Chef de Par*e for Le Blue Bay, one Michelin star restaurant in Monte Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort.From this experience, he learned another type of cuisine, based on Caribbean spices and aromatics.

He also participated in a prestigious event held for the 20th anniversary of Le Louis XV Alain Ducasse (Three Michelin stars restaurant signed by chef Alain Ducasse. He as proudly part of the Blue Bay team who organized the brunch for the 250 Michelin stars chefs.

Two years spent at Le Blue Bay, He decided to get another challenge and work as a Chef de Par*e at La Chevre d’or, renowned 2 Michelin stars restaurant, located in Eze Village. He was working along he executive chef Ronan Kervarrec, for two years. After this experience, he moved to Dubai as chef Adjoint de cuisine at STAY restaurant, One&Only The Palm Dubai, restaurant of the 3 French Michelin stars chef Yannick Alleno. During three years, he developed his management , opera3ons, and communication skills. As One&Only The Palm is a very exclusive restaurant, he welcomed a lot of personalities; and among them, he was happy to be the private chef of Mrs. Lilian BeZencourt (former owner of L’Oreal).

In April 2019 , after three years spent in One&Only The Palm, he decided to start a new challenge and opened Rue Royale restaurant by the Michelin star chef Mathieu Viannay from la mere brazier in Lyon (mof 2004 and 2 star Michelin)

In September 2019 he participated to Lyon street food festival along Michelin star chefs: Mauro Colagreco, Joseph Viola…

Giovanni Ledon

Chef Giovanni Ledon is no stranger to the quality and service expected of a high-end, fast paced restaurant environment. Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, his earliest memories are of only wanting to be a chef. Chef Giovanni’s parents owned a restaurant and seeing the hustle and bustle of the kitchen, he was instantly hooked.

 In 2007 Chef Giovanni graduated from The Culinary Institute of Las Vegas. Studying under Chef Raimund Hofmeister (CMC/AAC) he had the chance to learn more technical aspects of the restaurant industry. During the same time, Chef Giovanni started working at Nero’s Steakhouse at Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

 A few years later, in 2009 he went to work for Chef Bobby Flay at Mesa Grill in Caesars Palace. This opportunity transitioned into a promotion at Mesa Grill in the Atlantis Resort in Nassau, Bahamas as the Executive Sous Chef.

 In 2010, Chef Giovanni became Sous Chef at Yellowtail Japanese restaurant at the Bellagio Hotel under Chef Akira Back. He spent seven years refining his skills and exploring his passion of Asian flavors and cuisine. Of the many things he has inherited from his time with Chef Akira, is to look at things from a different perspective. Through experience, Chef Giovanni believes in order to resolve an issue, you need to look at it from the perspective of the guest, manager, server or commis, to really understand what is going on in the restaurant.

 Chef Giovanni’s favorite dish at Akira Back is the Tuna or Eringi Mushroom Pizza. For the one reason that, from the outside, it looks like a simple dish, but actually all the components have to be executed perfectly for this dish to shine.

 In his new role at Akira Back Dubai, located at W Dubai – The Palm, Chef Giovanni’s main aim is to ensure that the guest has the best quality food and experience that Akira Back has to offer. 

Min Maung

Born and raised in a riverside town in the delta area, on the lower parts of beautiful Myanmar, I have always been very fond of fishing, wandering around the farm collecting my favorite vegetables and herbs. My childhood wouldn’t have been as perfect as it was without fish fresh from the river and freshly picked vegetables going in to the dishes that my mom so lovingly prepared. Being an only child, I enjoyed those days growing up on the farm, helping my mom with the seasonal planting of veggies, and cooking the most delicious local food for the family. I will always remember swimming in the streams and picking the mangoes straight from the trees with hand-made bamboo sticks in the rain. Eating guavas in the trees, sipping fresh coconut juice, these were the carefree days of my childhood.For my high school and university, I moved to my grandma’s place in Yangon. I was once again lucky enough to walk around the buzzing city, eating all kinds of street food and of course my grandma’s homemade deliciousness. It is a wonderful thing to be born into a family that enjoys good food. As far as I can remember our family mealtimes were always an important occasion to us and we always paid great attention to what we ate together. I’ve never imagined myself as a chef, I graduated with a law degree and worked in a few different fields. However, before pursuing my career, I decided to listen to my gut feeling and heart about creating and eating good food. That’s when my culinary adventure truly started. I took a culinary course at a most well-known Culinary Training Center by The Myanmar Ministry of Hotels and Tourism and completed my internship. That is when the fire started, I discovered my hidden passion, and my pursuit of all the wonders of the culinary world took off. My very first job as a Commis was at a 5* hotel restaurant in Myanmar where I mainly learned authentic South East Asian cuisine. One of the spicy sweet memories I had in the Asian Kitchen was cleaning tons of chilies, picking the fresh herbs from the restaurant gardens, squeezing hundreds of limes a day. My hunger for growth in culinary world has uncontrollably been growing ever since.     My passion then landed me my first job abroad at the Hilton Dubai Jumeirah. Being driven by the incredible gastronomy in the UAE, my love for the art of cooking developed while learning from many talented chefs across amazing restaurants in Dubai such as Qbara, Zuma, Intersect by Lexus – DIFC, Hotel Cartagena at JW Marriot Maquis, and Bidi Bondi currently. Working with well-respected Chefs that I look up to, I managed to learn international cuisines which include but not limited to Middle Eastern, Asian, French, Latin American, Italian at the different restaurants.The culinary world to me is a never ending education and a university where I can learn to develop my skills of creative cooking, collaborations, communication, planning and leadership.When I am not cooking you will find me reading books and watching documentaries, shows and anything to do with food.The more I cook, the greater confidence I gain, and the pleasure is indescribable when people enjoy what I cook. I feel the joy deep inside as I love what I do. One of the greatest joys about being a chef is being trusted by my family and friends when it comes to what food they are craving and I can satisfy it for them.

James Knight Pacheco

I am Venezuelan born (hence my love of Chocolate and Sunshine,) but grew up in the South West of England. Now, with over two-decades of professional culinary experience, I am currently the Executive chef at ME Dubai, located in the iconic Opus Tower by Zaha Hadid. 

 Earlier in my career, I worked with several internationally respected chefs including Raymond Blanc, Gordon Ramsay, Michael Caines, Jason Atherton, Peter Gorton and Andre Garrett. 

 My style of cooking is inventive, progressive and intelligent; combining customer desire with industry knowledge to surprise and satisfy the diner through inimitable experiences is my goal, and is what I do best 

 During a rewarding career of 20 years, I have been fortunate enough to have worked in some of the world’s finest luxury hotels and restaurants in the UK and the Middle East, including Sense of the Edge in Oman - winner of Best Restaurant Middle East 2012 – where I was chef de cuisine. 

 I joined Emaar Hospitality Group in August 2015, as Executive Head Chef for the prestigious Dubai Marina Yacht Club, contributing to the property’s evolving culinary offerings. Staying with the same company, I then went on to become Executive Chef at the trendy luxury boutique hotel, Vida Downtown Dubai. 

 I have had the great fortune to be filmed on two of the BBC’s prime-time cooking shows including Out of the Frying Pan and The Restaurant, as well as having conducted numerous public appearances at high-profile industry events. I have also featured in many international publications. 

 Super-energetic and a unique live demonstrator, I have presented to audiences ranging in size from a handful at intimate dinner parties to 3,000 people at many BBC Good Food Shows, and this experience has helped me in becoming a competent public speaker with an excellent aptitude for comparing and hosting events. 

 Equally, I also demonstrated and tutored at the multi-award-winning Ashburton Cookery School in Devon and the Exeter Catering College, both in the United Kingdom.

 It is my privilege to announce that in December 2018 / 2019, I was named as one of the 50 most influential people in food and beverage throughout the Middle East and Africa by Caterer Middle East. Knowing the level of talent among my peers in this region, I am deeply humbled. Also voted the "Executive Chef of the Year 2019" in the Hotelier Middle East awards.

Sahar Parham

Chef Sahar Parham joined Burj Al Arab in 2016, as a Junior Sous Chef in the Pastry Kitchen, and in doing so became the first Emirati Chef to work at the iconic hotel. Following her promotion to Pastry Chef, she became the first and only female Emirati Pastry Chef in the region. Sahar’s career could have taken an entirely different direction were it not for her passion for pastry. After graduating from high school, she studied Communications and Design Management at the American University of Sharjah which was followed by a role in Marketing and PR at Zayed University. It was while working there that she recognized that what was previously a hobby - her love for pastry and baking and the scientific art that it involves - was only continuing to grow and that she needed to take a leap of faith to change career path. It was due to this that a Sahar applied to work at home-grown restaurant La Serre Bistro & Boulangerie in 2014, in the role of pastry commis. Based in this position for one year, Sahar had the privilege of working alongside some of Dubai’s most talented chefs and her ability and hard work was recognized and rewarded when her head chef, Chef Izu Ani, sent her to Paris to perfect the art of bread making from his own mentor. Upon completion of the internship at Le Saint Georges, Sahar returned to La Serre for another year before joining the team at Burj Al Arab in 2016. Today, Chef Sahar works alongside a team of 34 pastry chefs in a central kitchen that operates 24 hours a day producing for all outlets in the hotel, creating memorable dishes for guests at Burj Al Arab. As well as continuing on her constant learning journey of gastronomy, Sahar is hugely passionate about instilling a sustainable and educational approach in the kitchen and the ways in which improvements and differences can continue to be made in this area to create new experiences. 

Nickola Dsouza

Her baking  journey started with her  mum , who still inspires her. Nickola’s passion for baking was ignited at a very early age in her mum’s kitchen helping her bake cakes and other sweet treats for special occasions.  Being exposed to baking at a very early age, it comes naturally to her.

 Life was busy with my fulltime job in Television and travel in Mumbai trains. In the year 2000, she helped plan her sister’s wedding and designed her wedding cake. At the wedding she was so drawn to the cake, that I simply had to learn how to make it.

 She spent her weekends for the next 3 months getting a formal training into cake decorating. Passion, talent and determination kept  her going, and she continued learning from books, videos and good old fashioned trial-and-error.

While she baked for family and friends and truly enjoyed the creativity and the art of making them , she was and is to this day completely enthralled with the art of creating sugar flowers and  certainly has mastered the art of creating them. Creating sugar flowers is extremely time consuming and detailed  , each petal and leaf needs to be dusted with colors to make them look realistic.Her skills set includes sugar figurine modelling and 3d cakes as well, buttercream flowers and decoration are the newbies to her credentials.

 With encouragement from her Family, she gave up a full time job to pursue her passion.

 She  joined The Steigenberger Hotel Business bay in 2018 as a cake stylist, she absolutely loves meeting clients and designing cakes for their special occasions. It’s her passion and dedication to the craft that makes client trust her with their special occasions. She always pushes herself and the team to ensure that , the cakes not only look gorgeous but matches in taste as well.

 When she is not busy creating cakes at the hotel, she  loves to spend her time at home baking and cooking for her family, especially for her daughter , who is her biggest fan and critic.Her  most recent addition to her passion is experimenting baking all things sour dough,  pickles , chutneys ,spice mixes and recreating old family recipes , both sweet and savory. Her Most fond memories have always been those at the dinner table : Food for the Soul , Laughter and love !

Thivanka Rambukpotha

It was in 2011 when I first landed in Dubai after having completed a culinary diploma and finishing a internship in a small cozy Ramada franchise in Sri Lanka where I’m originally from. 

I instantly fell in love with baking even though my intention was to become a pastry chef, I noticed baking in Dubai was a different ball game all together . The ingredients were easy to get from anywhere in the world, the demand for a good bread loaf was seen almost in every corner. 

I worked as a Commis 2 baker in Pullman MOE for two years and later joined Sheraton MOE IMG Worlds of adventure and worked my way up from chef the partie to head baker.

Being the only night baker covering 3 to 5 buffet set ups and the 16 hour shifts has thought me many lessons in life in my early years as a chef, mainly how quick I have to be in mind and feet. I was lucky enough to be mentored by skilled chefs such as Ruchith Fernando, Gerard Thomas and many other bakers known worldwide who nowadays share their knowledge via social media.  

I find baking to be an art, from the soil where the wheat is planted, the mills that grind and refine and the way its distributed to the baker and how its been turned in to a delicious piece of art. It has always fascinated me. its truly amazing how far you can go with your creativity when it comes to bread.

I personally love working with fermented dough as it gives a deferent flavor and texture to the bread. I spend most of my time online looking for tips and discovering something new each day. Tartine Bakery, Baltic Bake House and the Lodge Baking company has been my biggest influences. 

I currently work as a Head Baker at Steigenberger Dubai (Brothaus Bakery) a place where I can experiment and be creative combining German baking with many other flavors from other parts of Europe and Asia.

Bread making has evolved from where it started centuries ago and it will keep evolving. I try to balance between the traditional baking with trending flavors  combining Sourdough with Asian spices, mixing Mediterranean fruits with classic German rye. Croissants filled with black forest cake are some of the things that have pretty much worked out well. Baking has become my heart and soul. The bakery kitchen is where I pray, its my place of zen. I enjoy every bit of my work as a baker. It has given me many sweet memories and i have made many fiends along the way. Becoming a bakery chef is one my best decisions in life and I look forward to keep growing and sharing my knowledge with the community.

Jorge Rodriguez

Food is one of the main reasons people in Mexico spend time together, whether is a small lunch or a big celebration such a wedding.  Mexican people are united by food and family gatherings occur at least once a week.

 I spent my early years working with my mother in the markets of Acapulco where I could appreciate all types of fresh ingredients that were all around, and I could observe the hard work of the market people who every day toiled to produce great food for us. 

I consider myself proud to be Mexican.  I have had the privilege of learning from great Mexican cooks during my career, many of whom were chef’s with no formal culinary education but who worked with a passion to cook from the heart and make memorable experiences for the diner. 

My mother has always been my inspiration and strength.  She raised me by herself and highly influenced me – she gave me my strong work ethic, provoking me always to move forward and do well.   I am proud to have achieved my goals, and I am grateful for her support and belief in me – in all areas, but perhaps most significantly in my work as a chef and contribution towards great Mexican cooking.

Chef Jorge Rodríguez brings energy and expertise to his role as Head Chef at Tortuga, Mexican Kitchen & Bar and Exc. Sous Chef at Mina A’ Salam, Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. Bringing together the warmth and flavours of Mexico with food that revives the soul, Chef Jorge creates an exhilarating fiesta for his guests.  

Born and raised in city of Acapulco on Mexico’s Pacific Ocean coast in 1986, Chef Jorge spent the early years of his childhood discovering his love and passion for Mexican flavours and ingredients which he inherited from his mother.  He returns to Acapulco every year to visit family and friends, and also, importantly, to reconnect with the food of his childhood and the authentic Mexican cuisine the Jorge champions in his kitchens.

Homam Ayaso | The Gastronaut

I’m a young adventurer who grew up in the gulf in a big Syrian family. Dubai, where I call home, is a melting pot of cultures and ingredients from around the world, which makes it one of the most fascinating cities in the world for food lovers.

Food, for me, is a passion, a journey between the mind and soul. Like so many people, I developed my love of food and cooking from my mother – but more importantly, she imbued me with a sense of adventure to discover what’s new—having lived in several countries and had the blessing of travelling the world has allowed me to explore and understand ingredients and styles while experimenting and creating new flavours. What fascinates me is food as a means of discovering cultures through their cuisines.

In my day job, I am the Regional Creative and Social Media Director at an international advertising agency. My experience in advertising and my passion for food found an outlet a few years ago when I started to blog; Over the years, this work has turned me into a Food and Travel Influencer, a role that allows me to discover and share with the world my journey of cities and flavours. This journey has given me the chance to meet amazing chefs from around the world and learn the tools, tricks, and techniques that make them unique - whilst broadening my own style. It is fascinating to understand how their stories are expressed through their work.

As an amateur chef and a small catering-business owner, every day is a chance to discover something new. My culinary journey and my craving to learn grows every day with every step I take, every recipe I create and with every mistake I make. Food is the core of every civilisation, it is the culture, the flavours and the stories that define who they are; I am here to share their stories with you.

Tim Newton

  Raised In Southern Californian and spent 18 years there. Started cooking at 18 in the Oakland area at a place called Stacy’s under Sebastian Brown. Really found a love for cooking then. Traveled through Europe and found a culinary school in Paris. Lived and worked in Paris for over a year working in Sofitel and the famous Maxims. When I say working I mean being a slave. Not much need for an American chef who couldn’t speak French. I then transferred to a cruise ship and worked the Caribbean and European cruises.  Moved to England and worked at a Wentworth Hall near Durham. 4 rosettes at that time so was a good learning experience.

   After England I moved back to the states and worked at a hotel in Lake Tahoe area called Rainbow lodge. Was a great high end boutique hotel. Became sous chef there at the age of 24 but found it a bit slow during the summer. Moved to London in 2004 and worked for Wolseley and St Albans as a sous chef for 4 years.

   In 2008 I moved to Sydney and worked at Aria under Matt Moran. An amazing restaurant. Learned a lot about Australian produce. Finished the year and then moved back to Lake Tahoe where I took over a kitchen at the Sugar Bowl Resort. The first real time I was creating a menu and running a team.

   Moved back to London in 2009 and opened Lutyens by Terrance Conran under David Burke. Didn’t stay long as David was an absolute nutter. Moved to Terroir under Ed Wilson and really did some great cooking. Moved on from there and got an offer to work at LPM in Dubai and took the challenge. Worked for 2 years as a sous chef  and really flourished. I was offered a group chef Position with Demind group in 2013 and  started working at the Act and Blue Marlin until opening Catch in Fairmont and then Bagatelle. We closed Catch and reopened Opa in the same location.

 Opa is now currently being opened in Bahrain, Mumbai and soon Riyadh with locations marked in London and Paris.

Alexandros “Sperxos” Pavlopoulos

“Art plays an important role in the Greek culture and although I can’t act, paint or sculpt, I express my creativity and love for the Greek cuisine through every plate I create. My style of cooking is using top quality organic ingredients and using shapes, colours and textures to deliver a unique culinary experience with my pallet for the ultimate taste.“

Alexandros an award-winning chef from Kalavryta, Greece who has dedicated his culinary career to placing Greek – Mediterranean cuisine on more the world map. After a successful experience in the Greek islands like Santorini, Mikynos and Athens, he got an offer to promote the Greek culture in Dubai which led to a full-time position with the One and Only Royal Mirage, where he played the role of the leader of three restaurants.

Three years later he co-created Ena restaurant in Dubai, bringing more than 200 authentic Greek products from producers and farmers from small villages all around Greece. In 2019-2020  Alexandros became an official Ambassador of the Greek Gastronomy in UAE  (Greek Taste Beyond Boarders ). As an ambassador, he dedicates his time to consulting restaurants, organizing events like Abu Dhabi Formula 1, Greek Expo, Taste of the World at Gulfood, Uae – Israel agreement and private VIP events as well as conducting professional and consumer cooking classes.

His passion for Greek gastronomy and culture has gained a large coverage by international and Dubai media – TV shows, radio, print and digital platforms. Alexandros has also promoted the Greek and the Mediterranean gastronomy in Singapore, Italy, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka and around GCC countries. Chef Alexandros runs his own company in Dubai now, while he is leaving his mark on the world.

Vanessa Bayma

Chef Bayma's passion for cooking was born through her Sicilian and Brasilian grandmothers as a child and carried on throughout her professional career starting at age 13.

 Chef Vanessa Bayma has been in the hospitality industry for over 20 years. Her successful consulting firm - Chef Bayma Consultancy also known as “CBC”- operates under TPHQ Events Management in the UAE and KSA. This allows her to provide clients with bespoke F&B consulting (including but not limited to, menus, recipes, product development, training, evaluations, and private chef works), and event management services like never before in the region.

 Her ambition and curiosity have driven her to discover new aspects to her cooking style and is constantly on the lookout for new things. She has always been fascinated with flavor combinations and experimental cooking to satisfy her clientele’s palates along with specific dietary needs. With a flair for showmanship and a sharp business sense, Chef Bayma has developed her talents and passions to deliver the best to her clients and their customers.

 To date, Chef Bayma has worked with multiple HNWI and members of the royal family, as well as major corporations such as Mastercard and General Mills. She has assisted her clients in numerous F&B and event concepts in the UAE, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Korea, and the United States.

 Chef Bayma has gained numerous outstanding achievements; such as Mastercard priceless live-stream cooking shows, directing the VVIP sector of the MDL Beast Music festival awarded the largest music festival of its time, refereeing in the popular TV show "Kitchen Killadi", and Two Silver Medals at the Golden Torque ME, to name a few.

 She is board-certified with the London City and Guilds and a member of the Emirates Culinary Guild.

Frunze Carlos De Garza

A bit of Russia, a bit of Mexico. Frunze, better known as his kitchen alias, “Carlos”, is the true embodiment of a third culture legacy and a second generation chef. Currently serving as the Group Executive Chef for 50 Best Discovery lister, 3 Fils, he is no stranger to adventure in life both inside and outside the kitchen.

“I grew up around Dubai, Acapulco, Salvador, New Orleans and Kuala Lumpur. You’d think I’d be very disoriented palate-wise, but being immersed in a rich plethora of cultures has been one of the best things to have happened to me.

Once upon a lifetime, my travels took me to Restaurant - Paul Bocuse, where I learnt the French essentials. But providence made it so that I would become an even bigger lover of South-East Asian cuisine with a touch of Latin flare.

Previously along with my better half, we established a passion-project-turned-food-consultancy, Chef and Ambrosia, and taught the basics of fine and accessible dining having worked with the likes of Peroni, Galeries Lafayette, Emaar & the Jumeirah Group. 

Thanks to my grandfather, I became obsessed with knowledge, gentlemen hood and fermentation. My favorite book of the season is The New Wildcrafted Cuisine by Pascal Baudar and I’m telling you, if that doesn’t make you want to pickle and preserve things, then I don’t know what will!

Kevin Hillary

Kelvin Hillary, born in Mombassa, Kenya, found his calling to cuisine at a young age, growing up in a family with a passion for food.

When he was presented with the opportunity to venture to Dubai, he saw it is a chance to expand his culinary knowledge, and that is precisely what he did. Kelvin is no stranger to the the stars, having pleased the palettes of Steven Seagal and Sheikh Hamdan.

He has worked in some of Dubai’s most prestigious restaurants, including Burj Al Arab and Residence and spa fine dinning Royal mirage

Chris Assal

Chris has been a chef for the last 21 years. After finishing University in Brighton and obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality, he took up a career as a chef, His first few years were spent under the watch full eye of two highly awarded Michelin stared chefs, where he was trained in the classics.

Since then he has worked in a range of fine dining restaurants and highly awarded gastro pubs in the Brighton area and French Alps. Over the years, he has worked his way round the kitchen in order to balance his skills and ensure that he is refined in all areas. Since 2005, he has worked for the Gingerman Company bringing their two restaurants and two gastro pubs up to Michelin bib gourmand and double Rosette awarded standards. The Gingerman is highly acclaimed and is well known in the UK restaurant scene as the top place to eat in the south of England. His plates have a modern classy style to them, which are super charged with flavors. Using the freshest local ingredients, Chris blends food and flavors to allow the natural goodness of foods to be savored.

For the last 6 years of his career Chris has had the pleasure of cooking aboard prestigious Super Yachts, charter and private alike, cooking for VVIP’s and UNHW families including star musicians such as Bono and other famous actors. During this time and keeping in tune with the needs of such clients Chris has honed his skills in not only fine dining but healthy modern cuisine, vegan foods, vegetarian and also catered for a whole host of dietary requirements. Happy to please any clients with skills in not only European style food but also Asian including Thai, Japanese and Indian cuisine.

Since joining CBC consultancy not only has Chris continued to cook for such clients but also helped to develop brands and concepts in menu deign, staff training and food production to help open some of Dubai’s future dining hotspots. So sit back, relax, and prepare your taste buds for a phenomenal adventure

Hobbies: In His spare time, Chris enjoys Classic cars and motorbikes, Snowboarding and Skiing, Cycling, Traveling, Food and Wine.