The Chef JKP Podcast

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In this episode of the Chef JKP Podcast, Jean Winter, founder and CEO of Touch, shares her love of food and how it has brought people together throughout her life. She emphasizes the importance of equality in food and how her community projects give back. Jean also discusses her extensive travels and restaurant reviews. Above all, she expresses her desire to help as many people as possible through the power of food. Tune in to this inspiring episode for laughter, lessons for life, and a celebration of the connection food brings to us all.

On this episode, James and his guest discuss:

·      Wet markets and sensory experiences

·      Access to food limitations

·      Scaring yourself with challenges

·      Building unity in diverse communities

·      The transient nature of the restaurant scene

·      Workers’ living conditions

To see what Touch do, click the link HERE.

This episode is bought to you by The Dubai Chef's Collective, you can follow them on here.

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In this episode of the Chef JKP Podcast, host James Knight-Paccheco interviews Tom Arnel, managing director of EATX, a company with multiple dining concepts in Dubai. Arnell discusses his transition from being a classically trained chef to a successful restaurateur. Together, James and Tom offer insights, stories, and lessons for both aspiring chefs and food enthusiasts alike. Tune in for a delightful blend of laughter, seriousness, and life lessons in the world of culinary arts.

On this episode, James and his guest discuss:

·      Changing priorities in the culinary industry

·      Opening a successful restaurant in Abu Dhabi

·      Unique, vibrant, and diverse dining experiences

·      Adapting to change is crucial

·      Drive and self-belief lead to success


This podcast is bought to you by the Dubai Chef's Collective, you can follow them on HERE.

You can follow Tom's company on HERE.

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In Season 4 of the Chef JKP Podcast, host James Knight-Paccheco is back with a lineup of incredible topics and guests. This season, the podcast includes not only audio but also visual content. The discussions dive deeper into various subjects, promising an engaging and thought-provoking experience. In this episode, James shares stories from his early days in a fine dining restaurant and his encounter with Gordon Ramsay. The episode also touches on the importance of keeping a restaurant fresh and the expectations of anonymous voters in the industry. Tune in to Season 4 for more exciting and insightful episodes of the Chef JKP Podcast.

This podcast is bought to you by the Dubai Chef's Collective, you can follow them on HERE.

 Follow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE.

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In this episode of the Chef JKP Podcast, James Knight-Paccheco sits down with multi-award winning chef and entrepreneur, Reif Othman. They discuss Reif's impressive career in the culinary industry and delve into topics such as the importance of hard work and listening, adapting to the needs of the customer, and the role of innovation in achieving culinary excellence. Join them for a fascinating conversation filled with laughter, seriousness, and valuable life lessons.

 On this episode, James and his guest discuss:

·      American culinary hierarchy

·      Building a family in the kitchen

·      Testing the Dubai food scene

·      Business mindset for chefs

·      Crazy moments in the kitchen

This podcast is bought to you by the Dubai Chef's Collective www.dubaichefscollective.com 

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This podcast is bought to you by Gulfood - https://www.gulfood.com and Meelz - https://meelz.me
For the last two episodes, we are doing a two-part special on one of the most celebrated and highly decorated chefs of our time.

He is known to most as the godfather of modern Middle Eastern cooking, the one and only Greg Malouf!
http://gregmalouf.com

In the second part, we now discuss all the award-winning books that he has co-written with Lucy Malouf, as well his love of the Middle East.

With so many to chose from , I wanted to delve into which ones were the most tricky to write.The ones he found the most challenging, were Saha, Turquoise, Saraban, as travel books, these are an interpretation, specifically of Persian food, the taste was not the issue, it is how to make it look attractive. It was all about keeping the integrity of the dishes, but it was a way to play around with the cuisine but keeping the respect and the culture.

We also talked about how he feels about Lebanese food, all about how the food has hit a brick wall, he wants to push the boundaries, a new world thinking if you like! What Greg is doing, is to elevate the food up a notch, with always keeping the foundations of a place he truly loves.

Dubai came in the way of an opportunity, he came here to be close to Lebanon, and to cook in the Middle East. He opened a beautiful restaurant called Zahira, the food was a representation of the entire Gulf region, focussing on the produce, ensuring the quality is delivered to his guests. He is also a consultant, for many other projects, and is also embarking on another book.

His life has always been about his love of Lebanese food, the fond memories that are discussed, not just came from his Mum, it also came from his dad who used to go to the weekend markets. His childhood to this day still plays a significant role, whether writing books or menus, it something that he talks about with a huge grin on his face.

Greg has made a huge impact on the culinary world, his books have won awards, his restaurants have won major accolades, the mark on Middle Eastern cuisine is one that will influence the world over.

One of the greatest and humble chefs of our time.

For me, it was one of the most memorable and interesting interviews I have had the pleasure of conducting, thank you Chef Malouf for the opportunity and the time.

To see what he is doing, you can follow him on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gregmaloufchef

Thank you to our partners Gulfood and Meelz, make sure to click on their links at the very top of the page.
Until next time, food is memories!

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This podcast is bought to you by Gulfood - https://www.gulfood.com and Meelz - https://meelz.me
For the last two episodes of this season, we are doing a two-part special on one of the most celebrated and highly decorated chefs of our time.
He is known to most as the godfather of modern Middle Eastern cooking, the one and only Greg Malouf!
http://gregmalouf.com

 His curiosity and thirst to learn the trade, have taken him all over the globe, along the way he has picked awards after awards, including a Michelin star and a James Beard award for his writting.
In the first episode, we start at the very beginning of what drove him to become a humble chef.
It all started with his appetite as a child, he always knew he wanted to cook, growing up in Melbourne Australia, in a Lebanese household, there was always a bounty of exotic ingredients.

Always having the desire to work in a professional kitchen, he was not keen to waste time, so he left to go and work in Sydney as a kitchen hand for a Mexican restaurant.

Then came back home, and he targeted a high end French restaurant, this gave him the opportunity to go and study in a culinary college studying one day a week, and to gain the experience he desired.

However, staying in his native country was never going to be enough, he wanted to experience first-hand European cuisine, so he packed his bags and went onto to work in Austria, Belgium, France, Italy. Picking up all of the culture and the languages, there was so much he to learn and experience, bearing in mind he was only 19 at the time.

After this, Hong Kong was calling, coming to learn another culture altogether, dumplings, soup, the street food, the crowds. The level of energy in that city is something that resonated with the young chef. He ran a western restaurant with a full Chinese brigade, Greg mentions fondly, that they managed him and not the other way around.

With so much professional experience at such a young age, it was inevitable that success would proceed. In the back of his mind he always wanted to cook Arabic food. The stage was set for the Chef to explore his talent, which gave way to his cooking style  furthermore it was in a pub no less, to the point that it was one of the first pubs in Australia to receive a coveted Chef’s Hat, the equivalent of a Michelin star. 

MOMO would be his next restaurant, one of the most famous in the dining scene at the time, this also led him to become an author, with his then wife - Lucy.
After doing everything possible in his native country, he then moved to London, as he wanted to have a bigger audience to fly the flag for Lebanese food. Petersham nurseries, would be his next project, another success, and this time retaining the Michelin star!
Quite a journey, but it didn't finish there.
In next week's show,  we discuss all of his books, as well as his time in Dubai!

 To see what he is doing, you can follow him on Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/gregmaloufchef

 Thank you to our partners Gulfood and Meelz, make sure to click on their links at the very top of the page.
Until next time, food is memories!

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This podcast is bought to you by Gulfood - https://www.gulfood.com and Meelz - https://meelz.me

Ahmed Salih and Bassel Siblini are the Co-Founders of a brilliant new digital platform -  Meelz, the first marketplace in the world to connect chefs directly to the customer.
https://meelz.me

It started during the pandemic, when the world seemed to stop, however the one thing that was always available was food, in some way or another from pro chefs to keen home cooks, wether it was though Instagram live, or YouTube, people always seemed to have to time to either watch food or cook it.

This gave both Ahmed and Bassel, the idea that sparked what is now Meelz, what if they were able to partner up with well-known chefs, give them a stage that would allow them to monetise their talents, as well be able to recommend the supply chain from each chef to regular customers.

Ahmed is an Emirati who comes from a food background, as he started as an entrepreneur in business from the age of 7, selling figs from his garden to friends, and is now the owner of the award-winning Dubai eatery – 3Fils.
https://www.3fils.com

He also has recently opened the Lab Holding, which has various brands under one umbrella.
https://thelabholding.com

Bassel had always grown up around food, between Libya, Lebanon and Spain, with a rich food culture, growing up his family played a huge role, educating him on the quality of great ingredients. Later of he went on to work at various leadership roles, predominantly in the e-commerce sectors within the F&B industry, which gave him the experience required to start such a platform.

Meelz, benefits everyone in the value chain, vendors, chefs, and above all the customers, who will have first-hand access to the very best produce and recipes from award winning chefs.
There are some incredible talents who have already signed up, keep an ear out to find out who those talents are.

The platform is just about to be launched, it is a one of kind, so please make sure to be on the lookout for the launch and subscribe! 

Stay tuned for next week’s 2-part finale, with one of the Godfathers of Middle Eastern Food.
Thank you to our partners Gulfood and Meelz, make sure to click on their links at the very top of the page.
Until next time, food is memories!

Support the show

Follow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE

Send us Fan Mail

This podcast is bought to you by Gulfood - https://www.gulfood.com and Meelz - https://meelz.me
Sarah Hedley Hymers is one of the most respected food and travel journalists across Europe, Middle East and Africa, not only that, she is also an author, and a judge on several esteemed panels, as well as being on a personal quest to dine in every three-star Michelin restaurant on the planet.
https://hedleyhymers.com
How did this love come about? From an early age, there was always a passion for things writing and travel, her first job out of college was to write for the big glossy magazines in London, then a job opportunity presented itself to work in Dubai.

Sarah became the editorial director for magazines like Hot 100 Restaurants, Hot 100 Bars, Gourmet, Conde Nast Traveller Middle East. Things stepped up when one of the biggest newspapers in the world, The Telegraph, would be looking for a destination expert in Dubai, the job was destined to be hers.

One of the favourites, when it comes to travel guides is the much loved Lonely Planet, when she was younger Sarah always dreamt of being a contributor, a dream that later came true when they approached her to write the chapter on Dubai.
https://www.lonelyplanet.com
One of the biggest news channels on the planet is Euronews, so if the world needs to know anything and everything about travel within the Middle East, Sarah not only presents the show, but is also a producer on the popular travel series – Postcards. This is watched by a global audience of around 142 million people, so no pressure there! https://www.euronews.com
You can watch the series by clicking on the link below;
https://hedleyhymers.com/television
Travelling around the world pre-pandemic, her favourite cities for dining are; Tokyo, New York, Dubai and London, with all of the experience that Sarah has, it was only going to be a matter of time before she would be approached to be a judge on a some of the most recognised food and travel panels that often make the headlines, from the Elemis Spa awards, to the St Pellegrino Best Restaurant top 100 list.
In her own words, she is literally obsessed with hotels and restaurants!

The Michelin guide is not just seen as a bible for chefs and restaurateurs around the globe, but some people make it their ambition to visit all of the three star restaurants, these places are often graced with culinary gods. Sarah so far has visited over 50 on that list.
The meal that started all of this, would be in none other than Heston Blumenthal’s - The Fat Duck. The whole experience, is one that is still very much in the forefront of Sarah’s mind, as this was the meal that helped her to understand as to why people go to the ends of the Earth to dine in Michelin starred restaurants.
Without a shadow of a doubt, Sarah is one of the world’s leading travel and food specialists, she continues to fly the flag for the region, which has helped to place Dubai on the map, not just in terms of hotels but also as a culinary destination.
To see what she is doing, you can follow her on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hedleyhymers/

Thank you to our partners Gulfood and Meelz, make sure to click on their links at the very top of the page.
Until next time, food is memories!

Support the show

Follow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE

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This podcast is bought to you by Gulfood - https://www.gulfood.com and Meelz - https://meelz.me

Michael De Souza was working at Emirates airlines for 15 years, the pandemic came along, he was made redundant like so many people at the time, however he didn’t rest on his laurels, as there was always a passion for food from a young age, so he decided to become a chef.  During his time growing up in India, his family owned a bakery, so naturally he grew up around hospitality, he recalls in 1994 when cable was available there were a couple of chefs on TV that would catch his interest even more so.

The first would be a show called Yan Can Cook, by revered chef Martin Yan. https://yancancook.com/home/
The second would be the late great Keith Floyd.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Floyd

 The two food shows ignited a spark within young Michael, to taste all of the wonderful food he saw, and to travel, little did he know back then, that this influence would be a huge part of his adult life.
His family wanted to be a doctor, an engineer, he had other plans, to be part of a cabin crew.

He applied and got rejected a total of 18 times, with various airlines for various different reasons. One day the opportunity arose to interview with Emirates, only problem is that there was already 500 people in the queue, most of those with flight experience. Undetered by the 12 hour interview, he gave it his best, and finally got the job!
https://www.emirates.com/ae/english/
During his time and working his way up through the ranks, he learnt a great deal about the various types of foods, how to serve, how to deal with people from all walks of life, it was a great learning process.
Not being the type of person to shy away from a challenge, Michael wanted to push himself further within a leadership role, so he applied to be a flight supervisor, he then went on to become a successful Purser for one of the best airlines in the world.

 After a 15 year career, he forced to make lifechanging decision due to COVID- 19, this came naturally as he loved food, but how do you become a chef?

After a conversation with his wife, she mentioned how much he loved food and his interest was always to be a chef, so he enrolled himself into one of the leading culinary institutes in the country – SCAFA!
http://www.scafa.ae
He now is a qualified chef, his apprenticeship began by working at the 5 star luxury hotel ME Dubai, which fast tracked him into working all of the sections of the kitchen, and has taught him the values of what it takes to be a chef in the true sense of the word.

 From one extreme to another, Michael without a doubt will go far in his culinary career, as there are no boundaries, his pure passion and dedcication to keep pushing himself to be better day by day is what chef’s always strive for, looking forward to seeing the next phase of his journey.

 To see what he is doing, you can follow him on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chefmichaelagnelo/

 Stay tuned for next week’s show, we talk to one of the most re-known broadcasters in the region and in the UK!
Thank you to our partners Gulfood and Meelz, make sure to click on their links at the very top of the page.
Until next time, food is memories!

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Follow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE

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This podcast is bought to you by Gulfood - https://www.gulfood.com and Meelz - https://meelz.me
Martin Koebke is the Founder and CEO of 1765 Gemini, a company that has a full solution when it comes to kitting out bars, hotels, restaurants, it is a one stop shop essentially, they offer clients the very best in the marketplace.
https://www.1765gemini.com
Growing up in between Africa and Spain, Martin was well travelled from a young age, his parents liked to travel, most of the time it was spent in restaurants, wine cellars, with families getting together and he saw hospitality first-hand, this would be where the fuse was ignited.
At 18 years of age, he moved to Germany, and decided to study Hospitality, as this was his world so it was a natural choice.
The apprenticeship started in Cologne, he learnt how to carve at the table, silver service, gueridon, all of the classical styles of service. From there he went to the corporate world, and started at the Crowne Plaza, but then decided to make the move, to one of the most iconic hotels in the world – The Savoy in London. https://www.thesavoylondon.com

Martin made the move, as he wanted to get back to the working in a place where the classical style of service was very much alive, the eye for detail, the whole experience was a key part, and is what makes the show happen.
After a two year stint, The Jumeirah group approached to open Emirates towers, followed by going to work at the luxurious 7 Star Burj al Arab!
https://www.jumeirah.com/en/stay/dubai/burj-al-arab-jumeirah

After having spent good amount of time in the best hotels in the world, what do you do next?
Martin is the type of person who likes to be challenged, so he decided on side stepping away from the industry, but to still be involved from the side lines if you will, this is where he set up his own company to tell a beautiful story on the table, from the place matts, to the glassware, to the cutlery, this is where 1765 Gemini was born.
Now, Martin has his own plate range – Obsession
https://studio1765.myshopify.com

The plates are hand crafted, and all designed by Martin and his team, this was an incredible reward, not from a monetary point of view, but from a creative standpoint, to bring different ideas to harmonise, this is one of the reasons that the Obsession range, since it was launched has been incredibly successful.
One of the key elements to his business, is the cash and carry, located in the middle of the industrial area of Dubai, when you open the door, its like a wonderland of plates from all over the world!
Martin has one of the most incredible businesses in the United Arab Emirates, he does this by connecting with his clients, but also by listening to his gut, as for his passion for the hospitality industry is infectious.
To see what the fuss is all about, you can follow the 1765Gemini on Instagram; 
https://www.instagram.com/1765thestore
To see the Obsession range follow them on here - https://www.instagram.com/studio_1765/

Stay tuned for next week’s show, we talk to a real pandemic success story!
Thank you to our partners Gulfood and Meelz, make sure to click on their links at the very top of the page.
Until next time, food is memories!

Support the show

Follow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE