The Chef JKP Podcast

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This special collaborative episode of the Chef JKP Podcast brings together three voices from different corners of the culinary world for a conversation about identity, storytelling, and the power of food to connect cultures.

Chef James Knight-Paccheco is joined by Tasneem Rawat, host of The Café, and legendary South African celebrity chef Jenny Morris, who joins the conversation remotely.

Known across South Africa as “The Giggling Gourmet,” Jenny Morris has spent decades shaping how people experience food through television, books, and culinary storytelling. Her journey reflects a deep commitment to celebrating African ingredients, preserving culinary heritage, and making food accessible, joyful, and deeply human.

In this episode, the conversation moves beyond recipes and kitchens. It explores the role chefs play as cultural storytellers, the responsibility of representing regional food traditions, and how media has transformed the way chefs connect with audiences around the world.

Jenny reflects on building a career in food long before the modern celebrity chef era, navigating television, publishing, and education while staying grounded in authenticity. Tasneem brings her perspective as a media host and interviewer, exploring how conversations around food shape culture, while Chef JKP draws connections between global gastronomy and the evolving culinary identity of the Middle East.

At its heart, this episode is about the power of conversation around the table. About laughter, curiosity, and the shared language of food that connects people across continents.

WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE

• Jenny Morris’ journey into the culinary world and becoming a television personality
• The rise of food television and how it changed the role of chefs
• Preserving African culinary traditions and storytelling through food
• The importance of authenticity in media and cooking
• How chefs become cultural ambassadors through their work
• The role of conversation and storytelling in food media
• Perspectives from the Middle East and Africa on culinary identity
• Why food remains one of the most powerful connectors between cultures

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to this collaborative episode
03:40 Meeting Jenny Morris and her culinary journey
11:20 The rise of food television and media chefs
20:10 Preserving African food traditions
31:40 Storytelling through cooking
43:15 Cultural identity and regional cuisine
54:30 Media, audiences, and the evolution of food conversations
66:10 Reflections on food, culture, and connection

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Front row at Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026, from a night at Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi.

There’s a certain kind of tension in the air before the list is revealed. The chefs arrive, the teams gather, the community tightens up, and for a few hours, the region’s hospitality story sits in one room.

In this special event episode, Chef JKP speaks to chefs, restaurateurs, writers, and key voices from across the MENA dining scene, capturing the moments that happen between the flashbulbs. What it means to make the list, why the number is “just a number,” how teams earn recognition, and how the region is evolving from imported concepts to truly homegrown destinations.

From quick-fire questions to honest reflections on craft, culture, pressure, and pride, this is a snapshot of a historic night for Middle East hospitality. 

What You Will Hear in This Episode

• Arriving at MENA 50 Best 2026 and the suspense before the reveal
• Chefs on what it means to be included, and why teams matter most
• The MENA dining landscape and how it compares globally
• Writers on the role of awards in putting talent on a world stage
• Why the ranking is “just a number,” and what recognition really represents
• The shift from imported to homegrown concepts across the region
• Community, collaborations, and cooking beyond borders
• Standout dishes and moments from chefs across the list 

Chapters

00:00 Welcome from MENA 50 Best 2026 and what to expect from the night
00:07 Chef Fabrice on the daily grind and why being recognised “is beautiful”
00:15 The real point of 50 Best nights, community, connection, and not over-fixating on the list
00:24 Mohamed Orfali on pride, responsibility, and leading the region’s food scene forward
00:32 A dream moment on stage, the team behind it, and the “could this be real?” reaction
00:40 Building restaurants without creating new problems, and how small teams grow into leaders
00:49 The reveal is over, a new No.1 is announced, and the room turns electric
00:56 Winning brings more eyes and more pressure, and what it takes to keep earning it
01:04 What the night represents at its best, unity across cuisines and celebrating each other
01:12 The soul of hospitality, love, craft, and why some chefs “deserve” the recognition
01:20 A chair’s view of the region through food, and the cuisines that shaped their palate
01:28 Closing wrap from the night and the final takeaway on where the region is headed

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Front row at Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026, from a night at Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi.

There’s a certain kind of tension in the air before the list is revealed. The chefs arrive, the teams gather, the community tightens up, and for a few hours, the region’s hospitality story sits in one room.

In this special event episode, Chef JKP speaks to chefs, restaurateurs, writers, and key voices from across the MENA dining scene, capturing the moments that happen between the flashbulbs. What it means to make the list, why the number is “just a number,” how teams earn recognition, and how the region is evolving from imported concepts to truly homegrown destinations.

From quick-fire questions to honest reflections on craft, culture, pressure, and pride, this is a snapshot of a historic night for Middle East hospitality. 

What You Will Hear in This Episode

• Arriving at MENA 50 Best 2026 and the suspense before the reveal
• Chefs on what it means to be included, and why teams matter most
• The MENA dining landscape and how it compares globally
• Writers on the role of awards in putting talent on a world stage
• Why the ranking is “just a number,” and what recognition really represents
• The shift from imported to homegrown concepts across the region
• Community, collaborations, and cooking beyond borders
• Standout dishes and moments from chefs across the list 

Chapters

00:00 Welcome from MENA 50 Best 2026 and what to expect from the night
00:07 Chef Fabrice on the daily grind and why being recognised “is beautiful”
00:15 The real point of 50 Best nights, community, connection, and not over-fixating on the list
00:24 Mohamed Orfali on pride, responsibility, and leading the region’s food scene forward
00:32 A dream moment on stage, the team behind it, and the “could this be real?” reaction
00:40 Building restaurants without creating new problems, and how small teams grow into leaders
00:49 The reveal is over, a new No.1 is announced, and the room turns electric
00:56 Winning brings more eyes and more pressure, and what it takes to keep earning it
01:04 What the night represents at its best, unity across cuisines and celebrating each other
01:12 The soul of hospitality, love, craft, and why some chefs “deserve” the recognition
01:20 A chair’s view of the region through food, and the cuisines that shaped their palate
01:28 Closing wrap from the night and the final takeaway on where the region is headed

Proudly Brought to You by Potatoes USA

Potatoes USA represents America’s potato growers and supports chefs, home cooks, and food lovers with inspiration, nutrition, and creativity.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/potatogoodnessgcc/
Website: https://www.potatogoodnessgcc.com

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Welcome to the third episode of the SNACKS series.

SNACKS are short, bite-size episodes from the Chef JKP Podcast, built to spotlight the strongest ideas from our most impactful conversations.

In SNACKS Episode 3, Chef JKP brings together insights from Björn Frantzén and Regan Hillyer, exploring leadership, mental resilience, and how emotional state influences performance inside high-pressure kitchens.

Björn reflects on leadership from lived experience at the highest level of gastronomy. He speaks about accountability, hiring and training responsibility, and why a leader must first look inward when performance drops. Drawing from his time building world-class restaurants, he explains that what truly separates elite kitchens is not technique alone, but culture, pride, and a team that believes deeply in how and why the work is done.

Regan brings a complementary perspective grounded in wellbeing and performance psychology. She breaks down how stress shows up in the body before people are even aware of it, why most leaders miss those signals, and how breath, awareness, and presence directly affect decision-making. She connects leadership to service, explaining why calm is not passive, ego blocks performance, and true leadership is felt more than announced.

Together, this SNACK examines why great kitchens rise or fall on the emotional state of the people inside them. From how stress transfers through leadership to how energy carries into food itself, this conversation reframes performance as something shaped long before service begins.

WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE

• Leadership accountability and owning team performance
• Why culture matters more than control
• What elite Michelin-level kitchens have in common
• Personality, pride, and belief inside great teams
• Recognising stress responses in real time
• Breath, presence, and decision-making under pressure
• Leadership without ego
• Why calm is a leadership skill
• How energy transfers from kitchen to plate
• Creating environments where teams perform with clarity

CHAPTERS

01:00 Leadership responsibility and accountability
03:00 Hiring, training, and owning outcomes
05:00 What defines top-level kitchens beyond technique
07:00 Culture, pride, and chef personality
09:00 Recognising stress in the moment
11:00 Breath, presence, and performance
13:00 Leadership as service, not ego
15:00 Energy, food, and emotional transfer
17:00 Final reflections on calm and excellence

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Welcome to the second episode of the SNACKS series.

SNACKS are short, bite-size episodes from the Chef JKP Podcast, built to spotlight the strongest ideas from our most impactful conversations.

In SNACKS Episode 2, Chef JKP brings together insights from Himanshu Saini and Peggy Pui Ki Li, exploring pressure, recognition, and what really changes after success arrives.

Himanshu speaks candidly about what Michelin recognition actually feels like. From the uncertainty of awards season to the pressure that follows, he reflects on how visibility reshapes a restaurant, its guests, and the expectations placed on the chef. He shares the emotional weight of recognition, the responsibility that comes with it, and why peace and patience matter more than chasing the next milestone.

Peggy brings a complementary perspective shaped by years of operating at the highest level of hospitality. She breaks down the difference between commercial and fine dining, how attention to detail defines premium experiences, and why leadership, clarity, and mental resilience are essential when operating under constant scrutiny.

Together, this SNACK episode explores what happens after recognition. The pressure it brings, the responsibility it creates, and how chefs navigate visibility, expectations, and their own wellbeing without losing focus on the craft.

WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE

• What Michelin recognition actually feels like in real time
• The pressure that follows awards and global attention
• How visibility changes guests, expectations, and business
• Mental health challenges after success arrives
• Managing distractions outside the kitchen
• Leadership through uncertainty and responsibility
• Commercial dining versus fine dining operations
• Attention to detail at the highest level of hospitality
• Developing talent and kitchen culture
• Staying grounded while navigating recognition

CHAPTERS

01:00 The reality of Michelin announcements
03:00 Pressure, nerves, and expectations
05:00 Visibility and changing audiences
07:00 Managing attention beyond the kitchen
09:00 Mental health and balance
11:00 Leadership under pressure
13:00 Commercial versus fine dining
15:00 Talent, culture, and long-term thinking
17:00 Final reflections on recognition

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Welcome to the first episode of the SNACKS series.

SNACKS are short, bite-size episodes from the Chef JKP Podcast, built to spotlight the strongest ideas from our most impactful conversations.

In Snack Episode 1, Chef JKP brings together insights from the legendary chef Pierre Koffmann and Reim El Houni, offering two perspectives on leadership, craft, and visibility in hospitality.

Pierre reflects on building excellence in an era before trends, PR, and performance culture. He shares what it took to shape The Waterside Inn on its rise to three Michelin stars, why a kitchen needs one clear voice, and how originality and restraint defined his approach.

Reim brings a modern lens to the conversation with a clear message. If you are not visible, you are invisible. She explains why visibility is now part of the job, how chefs and creatives can turn presence into opportunity, and why preparation, testing ideas, and owning your platform matter more than ever.

Together, this SNACK contrasts two generations of excellence. One built quietly through discipline and craft. The other shaped by communication, visibility, and evolving expectations.

WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE

• Building a Michelin kitchen in a very different era
• Life inside The Waterside Inn during its rise to three stars
• Leadership, authority, and why one clear voice matters
• Cooking without trends, tweezers, or theatrics
• Ingredient quality versus presentation culture
• Knowing when to back your own taste
• Why originality creates attention
• Visibility as a modern responsibility
• Turning content into real opportunity
• What longevity in gastronomy really requires

CHAPTERS 

01:00 Michelin kitchens before trends and performance
03:00 Leadership at the pass and owning responsibility
05:00 Cooking with instinct, seasonality, and restraint
07:00 Opening your own restaurant and backing your taste
09:00 Originality, risk, and confidence
11:00 Visibility and modern expectations
13:00 Testing ideas before building them
15:00 Creating your own platform
17:00 Final reflections on longevity

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Season 11 closes with a conversation that defines what true creative commitment looks like at the highest level of gastronomy.

In this season finale of the Chef JKP Podcast, Chef JKP is joined by Carmen Rueda Hernandez, Executive Pastry Chef of Bricks Dessert and one of the most quietly influential pastry chefs working today.

From a small village in the mountains of Spain to the kitchens of El Bulli and The Fat Duck, Carmen’s journey is not driven by titles or shortcuts, but by curiosity, discipline, and an uncompromising respect for craft.

This conversation traces her evolution from a young cook obsessed with meat and fish to a pastry chef who found her voice through chocolate, research, and storytelling. Carmen speaks candidly about unpaid stages, 14-hour days, creative pressure at the world’s most demanding kitchens, and the mental resilience required to grow without losing yourself along the way.

She reflects on working during El Bulli’s final season, rebuilding The Fat Duck’s menu from scratch, leading experimental research kitchens, and why pastry is not about sweetness but about balance, texture, memory, and emotion.

The episode also dives deep into her work in Dubai, where she built Bricks as the Middle East’s first dessert-only fine dining restaurant. Carmen explains how storytelling shapes every menu, why education is still the biggest challenge, and how trust, repetition, and patience are essential when introducing new ideas to diners.

At its core, this is a conversation about mastery. About staying curious. About knowing when to push, when to listen, and why greatness is built slowly, choice by choice.

A fitting end to a season focused on growth in all its forms.

WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE

• Growing up in rural Spain and developing curiosity through observation
• Choosing culinary school over economics on instinct
• Discovering pastry through chocolate and laboratory kitchens
• The reality of unpaid stages and long working hours
• Working at El Bulli during its final season
• Discipline, structure, and calm at the world’s top kitchens
• Rebuilding creativity at The Fat Duck through research and psychology
• Leading experimental kitchens under extreme pressure
• Competing at the World Chocolate Masters
• Why dessert is about balance, not sweetness
• Building Bricks as a dessert-only fine dining concept
• Advice for young chefs on repetition, patience, and mastery

CHAPTERS

00:00 Season finale introduction
04:10 Childhood food memories and curiosity
09:30 Choosing culinary over economics
15:20 Early kitchen realities and work ethic
22:10 Discovering pastry through chocolate
30:40 Moving to France and classical training
42:00 Joining El Bulli
55:20 Lessons from the world’s top kitchen
68:10 The Fat Duck and experimental research
86:40 Competition mindset and pressure
104:30 Creating Bricks in Dubai
136:20 Final reflections and advice

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Season 11 closes with the annual festive conversation that has become a tradition on the Chef JKP Podcast.

In this Christmas special, Chef JKP welcomes back two of MENA region's most respected food writers, Courtney Brandt and Liam Collins, for an unfiltered year-end conversation on everything that shaped hospitality, dining, and food culture in 2025.

From Michelin milestones and major restaurant openings to media responsibility, service standards, awards fatigue, and the reality behind hype, this episode captures the mood of the industry at a moment of reflection. It is personal, honest, occasionally controversial, and deeply rooted in lived experience.

Courtney shares a landmark year that included working with the world’s first three Michelin starred Indian restaurant, stepping into beverage culture, and witnessing how global recognition reshapes local pride. Liam reflects on his second year as a father, writing with more intention, and how Dubai continues to evolve from an importer of talent into an exporter of culinary identity.

Together, they unpack what truly matters right now. Community over noise. Consistency over spectacle. Thoughtful growth over rushed expansion. And why hospitality still begins and ends with people.

This festive special moves effortlessly between industry insight and personal storytelling, touching on Michelin, 50 Best, Tatler, food halls, service culture, PR ethics, neighbourhood dining, underrepresented cuisines, and what 2026 might bring.

A conversation that feels like being invited back to the table with family.

WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE

• The biggest hospitality moments of 2025
• Michelin stars, losses, and what they still mean today
• Media responsibility and the misuse of “Michelin” language
• Why community-led dining is winning over hype
• The rise of neighbourhood restaurants and food hubs
• Service culture and what truly defines great hospitality
• Underrepresented cuisines and where the real innovation lies
• PR, influencers, and credibility in modern food media
• Festive food memories, traditions, and industry realities
• Predictions and hopes for hospitality in 2026

CHAPTERS

00:00 Festive welcome and setting the tone
02:10 A year in review for Courtney and Liam
05:30 Family, food memories, and life beyond work
12:40 Michelin moments and historic milestones
21:30 Awards, recognition, and industry maturity
32:20 Openings, closures, and where the market is shifting
45:10 PR, media ethics, and inflated expectations
58:30 Service culture and what guests truly remember
72:40 Community dining, food halls, and neighbourhood growth
88:00 Underrepresented cuisines and future opportunities
102:10 Predictions for 2026
114:30 Festive reflections and gratitude for hospitality teams
120:00 Closing thoughts and Christmas wishes

PROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY POTATOES USA

Potatoes USA represents America’s potato growers and champions chefs, home cooks, and food lovers across the world. From nutrition to creativity, they continue to show why the potato remains one of the most versatile and essential ingredients in every kitchen.

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Season 11 continues with conversations that explore the forces shaping hospitality beyond the kitchen.

In this episode, Chef JKP sits down with Georgie Woollam Edwards, Founder of Katch International, a London and Dubai based PR and experiential agency that has helped shape some of the region’s most influential restaurant and hotel launches.

Georgie’s journey moves from early years in theatre and media to studying culture, storytelling, and communication, before building a career across events, PR, and brand strategy. In 2010, she founded Katch in memory of her late sister, grounding the agency in values of honesty, craft, and emotional connection.

Today, Katch operates across the UK, UAE, and Saudi Arabia, working behind the scenes on hospitality brands, global restaurant groups, and landmark openings including Atlantis The Royal.

This conversation explores what PR really means in modern hospitality. From storytelling and brand positioning to influencer culture, restaurant launches, reintroductions, and why food, consistency, and people matter more than hype.

What You Will Hear in This Episode

• Childhood memories and early creative influences
• Theatre, media, and learning to work behind the scenes
• Studying culture, storytelling, and communication
• Founding Katch in memory of her sister
• Lessons from events and wedding planning
• What PR actually means in hospitality today
• Influencers, critics, and brand credibility
• Launching and reintroducing restaurants in the Middle East
• Building loyal teams and strong company culture
• Advice for hospitality brands and creatives

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and welcome
05:20 Childhood and creative foundations
12:40 Theatre, media, and storytelling
21:10 Founding Katch and personal purpose
32:00 Events, weddings, and hospitality lessons
45:30 What PR really means today
58:40 Influencers, critics, and credibility
72:20 Reintroducing restaurants to the market
88:10 Team culture and leadership
102:30 Closing reflections and advice

Proudly Brought to You by Potatoes USA

Potatoes USA represents America’s potato growers and inspires chefs, home cooks, and food lovers everywhere. From nutrition to creativity, they show why the humble potato remains one of the most powerful ingredients in every kitchen.

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Season 11 continues with a story built on discipline, precision and a chef who believes great food comes from craft, culture and the people you grow with.

Alex Dilling grew up between London and California, splitting his childhood between home-cooked food, travel, music and skateboarding. Cooking was not the plan until it became the only thing that made sense.

From culinary school in London to the demanding Michelin kitchens of New York, Alex built his career inside some of the most intense brigades in the world. He trained under Alain Ducasse teams, worked alongside Helene Darroze, developed his own creative identity at Caviar Russe, and later took the helm at The Greenhouse in London before opening his namesake restaurant at Hotel Cafe Royal.

Today, Alex Dilling at Hotel Cafe Royal holds two Michelin stars awarded just six months after opening and has become one of London’s most precise, technique-driven and emotionally honest dining rooms.

This conversation opens up the world behind fine dining, leadership, creativity, the realities of pressure, and the craft behind dishes that take years to understand and seconds to enjoy.

What You Will Hear in This Episode

• Growing up between the UK and California
• Early food memories with his mother and grandfather
• Punk bands, skateboarding and choosing cooking late
• Culinary school, externships and finding French classics
• Moving to New York with no job and entering Michelin culture
• Training under Ducasse and running sections at 21
• Creative freedom and earning a Michelin star at Caviar Russe
• Becoming head chef for Helene Darroze at The Connaught at 28
• Leadership, pressure and the realities of managing big teams
• Rebuilding The Greenhouse and shaping his identity
• Opening Alex Dilling at Cafe Royal
• Achieving two Michelin stars in six months
• Menu development, technique and perfectionism
• Why collaboration fuels growth
• His Bangkok project and global work
• Advice for young chefs entering fine dining

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and welcome to the episode
04:00 Childhood across London and California
08:00 Music, skateboarding and teenage years
12:00 Family cooks and early food memories
18:00 Culinary school and discovering French technique
23:00 Moving to New York with no job lined up
26:00 Entering Ducasse kitchens and learning intensity
33:00 Creative freedom and a Michelin star at Caviar Russe
40:00 Becoming head chef for Helene Darroze
48:00 Leadership, pressure and managing a brigade
55:00 The Greenhouse and redefining French cuisine
67:00 Opening Alex Dilling at Cafe Royal
78:00 Earning two Michelin stars in six months
87:00 Collaborating with Albert Adria
102:00 Bangkok project and a new chapter
112:00 Advice for young chefs and closing reflections

Proudly Brought to You by Potatoes USA

Potatoes USA represents America’s potato growers and inspires chefs, home cooks and food lovers everywhere. From nutrition to creativity, they show why the humble potato remains one of the most powerful ingredients in every kitchen.

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