Nourish by Spinneys

Co-host Tiffany Eslick sits down with Omar Shihab, Chief Sustainability Officer at Boca. In addition to numerous sustainability initiatives from how they source their ingredients to running on 100% renewable energy, Boca is now investing in a halophyte farm in the UAE, in partnership with Emirates Nature WWF and the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA). Omar shares more about the work being done at the Umm Al Quwain reserve, and his advice to companies starting their sustainability journey. Boca has been a pioneer for sustainability in Dubai, and is a Gold Winner at the Gulf Sustainabilty Awards, a recipient of the Gault & Millau Sustainable Kitchen award since 2022, and a Michelin Green Star last year. Link: Spinneys Sustainability Commitment Report 2024

Co-host Tiffany Eslick sits down with Asia’s Best Female Chef, Pichaya Soontornyanakij or Chef Pam, who heads Potong. Chef Pam was in Dubai as part of a collaboration with Chef Gregoire Berger at Ossiano. They talk about her journey and the community initiatives she’s running, the collab menu and get all the juicy details behind the epic duck at Potong. You can also listen to our episode with Chef Gregoire Berger from earlier this year in your podcast player and on our website.

Co-host Devina Divecha sits down with Chef James Knight-Paccheco, aka Chef JKP. Chef JKP has worked for industry stalwarts like Raymond Blanc and Gordon Ramsey; he’s now a culinary consultant and a fellow podcast host. They talk about his pivot from studying music to becoming a chef, why he launched his podcast during COVID, and how he hopes to nurture the next generation of chefs.

Co-host Devina Divecha sits down with Chef Aphisith Phongsavanh, aka Chef AJ, the man behind The Legendary Naga, a culinary union between Laos, Persia, GCC and the Levant. The supper club and soon-to-be dining experience, is a reflection of his own rich story. Chef AJ is also a music producer, an illustrator, and a poet, and shares how the dish Gaeng Massamun led him to explore how Thai cuisine entwined with local ingredients as it traveled around the world. Links: Chef Faisal Naser on Nourish by Spinneys

We’re continuing our two part miniseries, The Artist and The Scientist. This week, co-host Tiffany Eslick speaks to Chef Tom Allen, head chef at the one-Michelin-star Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at Atlantis The Royal. While incredibly creative, the menu at Dinner is backed by a rigorous scientific process where everything is so precise – from the way ingredients are sourced, how logistics are managed and how it’s all plated. Chef Tom also shares how he’s not much of a planner, and prefers to connect with good people and live in the moment. You can also catch the first part of the miniseries with Ossiano’s Chef Gregoire Berger in your podcast app right before this one.

We’ve got an exciting set of episodes lined up for you that we’re calling The Artist and The Scientist. Over two episodes, co-host Tiffany Eslick will be talking to two chefs from the two iconic Atlantis properties—Atlantis The Royal and Atlantis The Palm—here in Dubai. This episode features the artist that is Chef Gregoire Berger, who leads one-Michelin-star Ossiano. Chef Gregoire shares how he became a chef by accident, how his love for travel and photography continues to inspire his menus, and how he’s using AI.

Co-hosts Tiffany Eslick and Devina Divecha venture out to the Umm Suqueim Fishing Harbour to catch up with Ramie Murray, founder of Dibba Bay Oysters. They talk about Dibba Bay’s rise from producing 20,000 oysters to half a million oysters a month in December last year, their upcoming reef creation project and a number of nuggets about the right way to store, shuck and enjoy your oysters. You can also visit us at Spinneys.com where you can shop #2 Oysters from Dibba Bay, and if you pick them up in store, our fishmonger can shuck them for you as well.

Chef Ionel Catau shares some of the inspiration and the ingredients behind all the courses at Gerbou’s supper club. This continues our conversation with Chef Ionel Catau last week about the concept behind Gerbou, and what they’re looking forward to as they open up the full restaurant at Tashkeel in a couple of months. You can find the full episode in your podcast player right before this one.

Co-host Devina Divecha checks out the supper club at Gerbou, with Chef Ionel Catau. Gerbou is a collaboration between Tashkeel and Atelier House Hospitality, with a focus on celebrating of Emirati and Arab culture—from the food, to the furniture decor, to the art. Chef Ionel also shares a sneak peak into some of the plans for the full restaurant, which is set to open in a couple of months at Tashkeel. We’ll also have a bonus episode out next week with delicious ingredient details and some of the inspirations behind their full supper club menu.

Our hosts Tiffany Eslick and Devina Divecha get a Japanese tea masterclass from Viktoryia Toma. Viktoryia is the founder of Ikigai-cha, where they focus on single estates and single cultivators, so they work and source from small farmers directly to bring their teas to the region. They learn about Japanese tea history and culture, and discover a few different techniques to brew tea.

Co-host Tiffany Eslick sits down with Dina Macki, author of Bahari, the first cookbook on Omani cuisine by an Omani author. They talk about the origins of the book and its gorgeous cover, and some of the learnings from getting her first book published. Dina also cooks two dishes with Tiff, the Khoubz Mardhouf, an Omani date paratha, and samaki wa kupaka, grilled fish in a coconut curry. You can pre-order the book now on Kinokuniya or on Amazon.

Chef Rahul Rana tells us the origin story behind the ‘rabbit and two fig leaves’ plating of a new addition to Avatara’s chakra menu. You can also catch the full conversation with Chef Rahul in your podcast app right before this bonus episode, or on the web here.

Co-host Devina Divecha sits down with Chef Rahul Rana, who heads the all-vegetarian Avatara. They talk about the research and storytelling involved in the restaurant’s latest chakra menu, and the impact of receiving their first Michelin star last year. Avatara is part of Passion F&B, which also owns the award-winning Tresind and Tresind Studio, headed by Chef Himanshu Saini, who was on the show last year. We’ll also have more on a bonus episode with Chef Rahul next week, where he shares the story behind his favourite dish on the chakra menu.

A BIG thank you for your support over the past year. We’re delighted that the show has won 2 Bronze Signal Awards in 2023, in the Branded Shows—Arts, Culture & Lifestyle, and the general Lifestyle categories! This couldn’t have happened without your incredible support. If you haven’t already done so, we’d love it if you gave us a quick review in your podcast app. See you next week with a new guest, more engaging conversations and fresh ideas!

Co-host Devina Divecha speaks to Kathy Johnston, Chief Chocolate Officer at Mirzam Chocolate Makers, to talk about their journey into well-sourced, beautifully-crafted, and locally-made chocolate nearly 8 years ago. Mirzam makes all of its chocolate in-house at its factory in Al Quoz, which also has a cafe where you can grab some hot chocolate and shop for all of their single-origin chocolate. Kathy shares how they work with their chocolate producers as well as a number of artists who contribute to their wrappers, and they close out with a delicious chocolate tasting.

Co-host Tiffany Eslick sits down with one of our cheesemonger friends, François Robin, while on a trip to Lyon. François holds the prestigious title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France, which he earned in 2011, and has tasted more than 1,500 types of French cheeses to date. He’s also the author of Le Fromage pour les Nuls, or Cheese For Dummies. François and Tiffany unpack the cheesy details behind Comté, Beaufort and Reblochon.

Last week, the Nourish podcast crew joined Chef Troy Payne out in the desert to enjoy a delicious barbecue. This week, we’re sharing some more snippets about about Troy’s own journey, his love for broccoli, and great tips on doing more with food. You can listen to the full episode where Chef Troy cooks a tomahawk steak, makes fish and chips barbecue-style, sears some broccoli stems, and finishes with some lamb ribs marinated with fig jam and toum, in your podcast app, or on the web here.

The season to be outside and cook with fire is finally here. This week, co-hosts Tiffany Eslick and Devina Divecha drive out to the desert behind Town Square for a barbecue session with Chef Troy Payne. Chef Troy cooks a tomahawk steak, makes fish and chips barbecue-style, sears some broccoli stems, and finishes with some lamb ribs marinated with fig jam and toum. He also breaks down the the difference between barbecue and braai, and shares a number of tips that could elevate your next barbecue evening! We’ll also have more on our bonus episode next week with Troy’s early cooking journey, and some simple tricks to bringing out the goodness even in ingredients we don’t really enjoy. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d also recommend you check out our very first episode with Hatem Mattar, the UAE’s own pitmaster, talking about smoking meat.

Last week, co-host Tiffany Eslick spoke to Chef Himanshu Saini about his cooking inspirations and the story behind his iconic restaurants in Dubai. On this bonus episode, we’re sharing all the delicious details behind the Rising India menu at TresInd Studio.

This week, Tiffany sits down with Chef Himanshu Saini, the chef behind the award-winning Tresind Studio in Dubai. Tresind originally opened in 2014 with a take on a progressive Indian fine-dining experience. Since then, they’ve opened more restaurants and brands—for example, Carnival by Tresind and the all-vegetarian Avatara, among others. Their flagship restaurant, Tresind Studio, now located in Palm Jumeirah, earned two Michelin stars this year. Chef Himanshu shares the inspirations behind his cooking, and why there’s a framed dinner plate paired with all the awards they’ve won.

As we gear up to COP28 here in Dubai, co-host Devina Divecha talks to Naim Maadad, founder of Gates Hospitality, and Bojan Cirjanic, executive chef at Folly. They talk about the F&B industry views sustainability across the different verticals—food waste, packaging, talent and education and the supply chain as a whole. Gates Hospitality owns a number of award-winning brands including Reform Grill, Bistros des rates, Publique, as well as Folly. They’re also running a number of concepts at Expo City during and post-COP28.

Co-host Devina Divecha sits down with Emily Mikulla and Stewart Howison this week to talk about all things cycling in the lead up to the Spinneys 92 Cycle Challenge. Emily runs Mindful Body here in Dubai, and is also a certified yoga therapist and instructor, a certified orthopedic manual therapist and a Pilates teacher. Stewart owns Revolution Cycles Dubai and is a founder of the Spinneys 92 Cycle Challenge. The next edition of the Spinneys 92 Cycle Challenge will take place on the 24th and 25th of February 2024. You can find out more and sign up here.

Co-host Devina Divecha visits Glucare, an integrated diabetes clinic in Dubai to experience a full-body check-up, and speaks to its co-founder Ali Hashemi. They talk about the nutritional challenges with our lifestyles today, and how they’re expanding the success of Glucare into other aspects of healthcare.

We’re back with a new season! Co-host Tiffany Eslick visits Tabchilli for a fermentation workshop with founder Maher El Tabchy. Maher shares how he got started with fermentation as a child, a number of geeky details and tips about getting your fermentation right, and why you should name your kimchi jars.

Hosts Tiffany Eslick and Devina Divecha reminisce about their favourite moments from the first season of Nourish by Spinneys. They also answer the question we’ve asked (almost) all our guests, discuss recurring themes, and of course, there are bloopers. We’ll be back with new episodes and a whole lot more in late August/early September. Links to the episodes mentioned: Hattem Mattar Pitfire’s Michele and Bill Johnson Chef Carmen Hernandez Bread Ahead’s Matthew Jones Trine Grice

Co-host Devina Divecha caught up with Michelin Experiences’ Director of Communications, Elisabeth Boucher-Anselin, right after the announcement of the second edition of the Dubai Michelin Guide. Elisabeth shares more about the philosophy and process behind the Guide, and her advice to restaurants. This year saw one new Dubai restaurant earn two stars, three new restaurants made it to the one-star list while two new restaurants earned a Green star. The city now also has an impressive 17 Bib Gourmand restaurants and 59 Michelin-selected restaurants.

Co-host Devina Divecha takes a tour of the fungi world this week with Bronte Weir, one of the co-founders of Below Farm. Bronte shares how they got started with mushroom farming in the UAE, their pink oyster mushroom grow kits, and the circular processes behind their operations.

This week, co-host Tiffany Eslick sits down with Dubai’s OG pizza pioneers, Michele and Bill Johnson, who run the award-winning pizzeria, Pitfire. They tell us how their signature dough continues to evolve, the process behind their delicious flavour combinations and what it’s like being partners in life and at work. Plus, Bill has tips to to perfect your homemade pizzas! Links: Michele’s Apple Pie recipe

This week, co-host Tiffany Eslick sits down at urban Balkan bistro, 21 Grams, with its founder, Stasha Toncev. Stasha shares how she went from growing up in Serbia cooking lavish meals for her friends to uncovering her purpose and becoming the centre of discovery of Balkan food in Dubai. Since opening in 2018, 21 Grams has won several awards and recognitions including a listing in Gault & Millau, 50Best Discovery, Financial Times’ How to Spend It, and was just awarded Time Out’s Best Breakfast in 2023.

Our hosts are on-location to attend a baking masterclass with Matthew Jones, the founder of Bread Ahead. He shares a number of baking tips during the masterclass, and the origin story of Bread Ahead. Since their launch during Expo 2020, Bread Ahead has opened up in Jeddah, and the Mall of Emirates in Dubai, where you can grab their fresh breads and one of the city’s favourite doughnuts!

This week, co-host Devina Divecha is joined by Chef Daniel Boulud at Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk to talk about what makes French cuisine timeless, and why he loves training the next generation of chefs. Chef Boulud’s company, The Dinex Group, currently operates fifteen restaurants across New York, Miami, Toronto, Dubai and Singapore; of which Daniel, their two Michelin star restaurant in New York, celebrates 30 years this year.

This week, co-host Devina Divecha is on location with Chef Carmen Rueda Hernandez, executive chef at Brix, a dessert restaurant by 3Fils. This turned into an exciting tasting session as Chef Carmen shares her journey around the world before reaching Dubai, her love for all-things chocolate, and introduces us to their new menu, themed around the countries on the Silk Route.

This week, co-host Devina Divecha sits down with food historian Ambeth Ocampo, who has been exploring Filipino art, culture, and food going back to the 19th century. This is one for the history & culture lovers, as Ambeth shares nuggets from his extensive research, including about a national hero of the Philippines, Jose Rizal, and his work that spans 35 books and an on-going bi-weekly editorial column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

This week, co-host Devina Divecha sits down with Nahla Tabaa, an artist, a researcher in the food space and an alchemist. Nahla explains what alchemy really means in the context of food, the intersection of food, art, and history, along with some of her recent commissions.

This week, co-host Tiffany Eslick sits down with Zahra Abdalla, wife, mom, recipe developer and author. She also recently started her own line of food products. Zahra is a Spinneys brand ambassador and has been a columnist for our magazine, Nourish. Her latest project is ‘Feeding the Soul’ a book that’s coming out next week in partnership with Emirates LitFest. You can catch Zahra’s session during LitFest 2023 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Dubai Festival City on February 3.

We’re kicking off the year with Chef Faisal Naser. His restaurant, Lento, opened in Abu Dhabi in 2020 and then in Dubai in 2022, which is where co-host Devina Divecha spoke to him about how he got started in the world of food and his musical influences.

This week, Tiffany Eslick and Devina Devina chat to Christmas tree grower, Trine Grice. Her farm, Bjergeskovgård on the Danish coastline, spans more than 30 hectares where she grows Christmas trees which you can find in Spinneys. Trine tells us how she got started, and what it takes to grow Christmas trees year after year. We’re taking a short break for the new year and will be back with new episodes in January! Happy New Year!

This week, co-host Tiffany Eslick speaks to Yazen Al Kodmani, Head of Operations at Emirates Bio Farm, a certified-organic farm in the UAE. Yazen is passionate about the long-standing practices of natural farming, agro-tourism and expanding his research on organic farming in the desert.

Tiffany Eslick is joined by guest host Segina Yasmin to talk about her interview with Spice Girl, TV & radio presenter, UNICEF ambassador and now entrepreneur, Emma Bunton. Emma is the co-founder of Kit & Kin, a company known for their award-winning eco-friendly nappies, natural skincare, biodegradable wipes, the cutest babywear, and reusable nappies—which you can find at Spinneys now. Emma shares how she got started on the brand & her tips on parenting.

In the second episode of Nourish by Spinneys, co-host Devina Divecha speaks to executive chef of Teible, Carlos Frunze. This chef loves fermentation for its ability to transform flavours and to ensure zero wastage in his kitchen. While standing in the Teible kitchen with his team and equipment creating magic, Carlos talks about his journey into the world of food and how his Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant has a menu that truly considers the environment.

In the first episode of Nourish by Spinneys, co-host Devina Divecha speaks to the Arab world’s first pitmaster, Hattem Mattar. His passion for BBQ is infectious, and it results in a raw and honest chat about how BBQ can save the world. You’ll also hear about one of Spinneys’ trusted beef suppliers, Stanbroke, from where we source Diamantina Wagyu, Angus and organic beef for our SpinneysFOOD brand. Stanbroke is a fully integrated family-owned business based in Queensland, Australia, where sustainability, animal welfare and quality is at the forefront. It's all about the big grill!

Welcome to Nourish by Spinneys, the podcast which promises to inspire you to eat well and live well. We’d love to welcome you to a space where we hope to nourish your heart and soul. We’re launching our first episode on October 25, so that’s just a week away! We’ll have new episodes every two weeks after that, so stay tuned.