< Previous60 HOT 1OO 2O19 | THE ADVENTURERS The highlights of my year were undoubtedly the launches of Fika, Aya, and of course Gaia, and establishing their places within the F&B environment in Dubai. My mother inspired my career by showing me how important it is to take on passion projects and really run with them if they are a good fit. She found my passion for cooking the day I got back home from a cooking class and I brought back a dish that she loved. That year she asked me to make the dish for Christmas dinner. Everyone loved it, which motivated me to pursue this as a career. I don’t believe in mistakes, whether good or bad, life offers you experiences from which you learn. The road to success is always under construction, so just keep building! I do what I can do within the space that I live in to be as sustainable and use materials that are less harmful to the environment. The UAE is the land of opportunities. It’s a place where you can dream big and do great things if you have the right attitude. Here, if you dream it, you can build it. Never give up and always believe that the impossible is possible. There’s no limit to what your mind can achieve if you’re determined enough. I look forward to growing the restaurants that I’ve opened in the UAE and expanding to new territories in the future. CHEF IZU ANI His restaurants are some of our favourites in Dubai 61 THE ADVENTURERS | HOT 1OO 2O19 KAMILLA OMARZAY The founder of The Snack Society, a vegan food producer I would love to do more for the environment, though I do a fair bit by avoiding drinking from plastic bottles, not using plastic bags and straws and choosing recyclable products. I believe in meditating daily and instead of asking other people what to do, ask your higher self, and the answers will come. I am looking forward to launching a new food product and have it stocked in leading supermarkets across the UAE and the launch of my cookbook in June 2020. NOORAN AL BANNAY The founder of artisan cafe @coffee_architecture is transforming the way we consume caffeine This year I become a board member of the Specialty Coffee Association of the UAE. I also took the step to resign from my job to chase my dreams and focus on my business as an entrepreneur. I reduce plastic waste by using paper bags. I also have paper recycling bins in my office. I try to reduce the supply chain transportation as much I can and always think about local suppliers. Next year, I will be competing in the National Barista Championship and represent my country in specialty coffee. I will also open a coffee academy. 62 HOT 1OO 2O19 | THE ADVENTURERS ZAHRA ABDULLAH @cookingwithzahra takes us on culinary journey of traditional and modern Middle Eastern cuisine Earlier this year I published my first cookery book , Cooking with Zahra: a culinary journey of traditional and modern Middle Eastern cuisine. It is a passion project that I had been working on for the past two years and I was super proud to finally have it published. Food waste is a huge global problem that can easily be addressed – one third of all food produced, approximately 1.3 billion tonnes, ends in waste. Organisations such as the UAE Food Bank are working closely with international governmental organisations to encourage hotels, restaurants and culinary producers to reduce food wastage. GBEMI GIWA Restaurateur, food blogger and fitness influencer. Is there anything @gbemigiwa can’t do? All my efforts in the past year have been to build my businesses including my F&B @thegbemiskitchen, @catfishdxb, @saladloco and @veganafdxb and my dance company @dancebodydxb. The journey has been full of lessons and a few tears but it has been the best year seeing my dreams become reality. I would love to see more recycling centres around Dubai. Recycling should not be a choice but be made mandatory. I also think the introduction of cycling paths across all residential areas would be great. We often find ourselves taking taxis to short locations which could be covered on a bicycle. 63 THE ADVENTURERS | HOT 1OO 2O19 Rebranding The Maine as the New England Brasserie Company with three locations spread out all over Dubai (JBR, Studio City and Business Bay) and one international Maine in the pipeline, has been a pretty big highlight for me. This country has been home for my entire life. I grew up here during the 80s and 90s and it still feels like the same tight knit community as it was back then. I remember driving out to Dubai College which was in the middle of nowhere, but now is in the middle of Media City. I look up to anyone that can re-interpret culture in a new innovative way, as long as it doesn’t diminish the essence of that tradition. It’s a difficult balance to strike that not many people get right. I would love to see more initiatives by Dubai restaurants and hotels to protect the Arabian Gulf and to regenerate the sea-life in our waters. There was an amazing campaign by 70 New York restaurants that used their used oyster half shells to save the Hudson harbour. Oysters are natural water filters; each one can clean up to 50 gallons of water a day and support biodiversity by providing food and shelter for marine life. I would love to work with others on this. We banned single-use plastics from The Maine. Delivery is one of the highest perpetrators of plastic waste and we managed to abolish all plastic from our delivery packaging as well. JOEY GHAZAL The gastropreneur behind some of Dubai’s hottest restaurants 64 HOT 1OO 2O19 | THE ADVENTURERS TALAL ALRASHED Luxury expert @talal.alrashed has an eye for beauty and a love of nature I shifted careers from finance and real estate to hospitality, because I always found hotels irresistibly beautiful. Beauty inspires me to keep doing what I do and share with others the beautiful things, places and people I come across. Best advice I got? Don’t talk about your job when you are with friends or at a social gathering. The people you want in your life are interested in you and what you think and like, not what you do and how you make your money. I think there should be heavier charges for using plastic bags and raise taxes on plastic packaged goods. Let’s fine inconsiderate businesses and consumers to reverse the damage that has been done so far. SAM CHUI The aviation blogger and content creator has his sights set high for 2020 The UAE is a great base because I can travel to Europe, Asia or Africa within a few hours. I admire any entrepreneurs who built their brand from zero. I admire their risk taking and motivation for success. I share information on how the industry is gearing up for greener travel. I’d like to see more cost-effective solutions to develop biofuel for aviation. Every day was a highlight for me this year. When you turn your passion into your job, not a day is dull. In 2020 I hope to make my brand the go-to when people think of aviation and travel. 65 THE ADVENTURERS | HOT 1OO 2O19 This past year was phenomenal for me! I hit a million views on my website, gave two TEDx talks, moved on to a new job as an experience digital strategist manager, shot as a lead for a TV show on Star World, and the list goes on. The UAE is my home; I’ve been here for 25 years. It gave me my education, I met some of the most important people in my life, and hit countless milestones. The country puts a lot of focus on safety and happiness, and this is something each one of us needs. I relate to Huda Kattan very strongly: how she started in Dubai from scratch, how she built her brand in just under five years, her passion and determination, and most importantly how she works so hard to make sure her work is unique and creative to break stereotypes in the industry. I wish people would be mindful of their portions while eating. I recently attended an eyeopening talk by Massimo Bottura where he spoke about how much food gets wasted a day in Dubai – 34 per cent of it is from restaurants! People cook more than they can eat, or order more than they need and the remainder is thrown away. I don’t like planning too meticulously, because very rarely do things go exactly as planned. I have a broad idea of a few goals I want to accomplish in life, but for the rest, it’s going with the flow and making the best use of every opportunity. NAOMI D’SOUZA The bubbly @naomi_dsouza is is a passionate food and lifestyle blogger 66 HOT 1OO 2O19 | THE ADVENTURERS In 2019, we organised two parties: we had a party in the W on the Palm in January and we went back for a great party at the Opera in June! We believe in exclusivity and as we are non-profit, we choose to limit the number of events we do. The W Party was very exciting as we saw the building and the facilities being built as we prepared our Annual Secret White Party, in total secrecy. It was also the first time we flew in international artists to our parties: Modjo, Stardust, DJ Falcon (Daft Punk Producer) or Jeff Cortes, resident DJ from Queen Paris and Gotha Cannes. We believe it adds yet another festive layer to what we do. There is always something new in the UAE! As we look for new venues and new fun things to, it is a source of inspiration. In addition, the UAE is becoming more and more tolerant and daring, opening up avenues which we could not explore before. We ask our patrons to not bring plastic picnic gear to our events – rather be sustainable and bring proper white china to the Secret White Party. And choose organic locally produced white ingredients. Our next party will be held in January in a secret and festive place. We might go back to Dubai Opera at some point, because hosting chic pop up dinner parties there is incredibly special. MR WHITE DUBAI The anonymous epicurean behind Dubai’s popular White Secret Party movement 67 FITNESS FANATICS AND SPORTS STARS CHANGING THE UAE ONE MUSCLE AT A TIME68 HOT 1OO 2O19 | THE HEALTH HEROES This year my foundation, the Badou Jack Foundation, and I visited the Al Baqaa refugee camp in Jordan, which was tremendously rewarding. The UAE is my favourite destination in the world. It has everything – a Muslim country with a little twist of the West. It’s my second home. I’m self-motivated. I want to be the best and that alone inspires me. But the refugee children all around the world that we fight for, inspire me the most. The best advice I’ve been given is to ‘be patient’. I don’t regret anything I’ve done in my life. Every mistake in life is a lesson. But if I could change something, I would have hired my nutritionist and chef years earlier, had I known he existed. We all need to do our part to save the planet and be more sustainable. I decided to buy an electric car, a Tesla, to reduce emissions. I also take small steps on a day to day basis, such as recycling. BADOU JACK @badoujack, also known as “The Ripper”, is a Swedish professional boxer 69 THE HEALTH HEROES | HOT 1OO 2O19 My highlight this year was renovating and upgrading our gym (GetFitChick) to a fully equipped studio with everything from sleds to rowers. We accomplished that ourselves with no investors - just determination and hard work. I’m inspired when my clients approach every work out with determination and a great attitude, give it their best effort, and then roll around on the floor afterwards from exhaustion. There should be an absolute national ban on single use plastics. They are a disgrace to humanity and there is no reason to keep using them. Widespread recycling bins should be placed in every building and neighbourhood to create a low barrier-to- entry. The easier it is to recycle, the more people will do it. Next year, I plan to work on myself – not only on professional projects but also on a personal note, improving my communication and listening skills. The UAE changed my life. I arrived here without a job, after having spent years in the corporate world. I ended up turning my passion for fitness into my career, almost by accident, and that is because of Dubai’s push to create a healthier city. I wouldn’t have my life without this place, and I don’t know another city that has prioritised health and fitness from such a high level. KIRSTEEN THAIN Meet the founder of GetFitChick – a women’s training and nutrition gym based in DubaiNext >