Nourish by Spinneys

Welcome back to a new season of Nourish by Spinneys, where food is everything. Orit Mohammed, founder of Boon Coffee, sits down with co-host Tiffany Eslick to talk about the company’s growth as a distributor and now operator of 12 cafes across the country. Orit also talks about Ethiopian coffee culture, and how the terroir impacts not just the flavour notes but also the body of the coffee.

We’re closing out The Chef’s Counter with Kathy Johnston from Birch Bakery. Birch is one of Dubai’s loved artisanal bakeries featuring 100% sustainable Wildfarmed flour. For The Chef’s Counter, Birch is working with the luscious red apricots we source from Provence to create a beautiful apricot tart, available this week at select Spinneys stores. The Chef’s Counter is our micro-series and an extension of our in-store initiative to support the chefs and food entrepreneurs shaping the UAE’s dining scene. We’ll be taking a break for the summer and will return with new episodes in September, see you then!

Co-host Tiffany Eslick sits down with Chang Sup Shin and Chef Eric Lee for week 9 of The Chef’s Counter. Chang and Eric are pioneers of pop-ups in Dubai and form part of the creative force behind Ugly Burger and Ugly Noodles. They’ve built a cult following through collabs across the city, combining a passion for making great food accessible, and a deep knowledge of Asian ingredients, cultures and cooking traditions. And they just might be bringing Ugly Noodles to a more permanent spot in the city soon – listen in for details! For The Chef’s Counter, the duo are bringing a roasted chicken leg with a sweet & savoury glaze, paired with a Hong Kong fried rice to select Spinneys stores this week. The Chef’s Counter is our micro-series and an extension of our in-store initiative to support the chefs and food entrepreneurs shaping the UAE’s dining scene. Music ID: 5ROQ12DERYHSUUVQ

Chef Wadad Zarzour, co-founder of Doughbai, joins Tiffany Eslick for week 8 of The Chef’s Counter. Doughbai is one of Dubai’s favourite neighbourhood bistros that’s built around the art of slow fermentation sourdough, and delicious Levantine flavours. For The Chef’s Counter, Chef Wadad is bringing Doughbai’s trio of dips to Spinneys — their signature hand-strained labneh and feta with za'atar, jalapeno & walnuts, the sundried tomato, olives & walnut dip, and the muhamara. The Chef’s Counter micro-series is an extension of our in-store initiative to support the chefs and food entrepreneurs shaping the UAE’s dining scene.

We’re kicking off week 7 of The Chef’s Counter with Chef Hadrien Villedieu of Chez Wam. Chef Hadrien is known for his instinctive approach to flavour and has built Chez Wam around the idea of bringing people together over exciting, unexpected food inspired by his travels, experiences and ingredients from around the world. For The Chef’s Counter, Chef Hadrien is bringing a Spinneys-exclusive take on Chez Wam’s much-loved Poulet au Sprite and a brownie dessert cup. The Chef’s Counter is our micro-series and an extension of our in-store initiative to support the chefs and food entrepreneurs shaping the UAE’s dining scene. Music ID: 5ROQ12DERYHSUUVQ

Co-host Tiffany Eslick is joined by Chef Vineet Bhatia MBE, to kick off week 6 of The Chef’s Counter. Chef Vineet is behind many award-winning restaurants around the world as well as three in the UAE, Indego by Vineet, Indya and the recently opened Naan & Co. Chef Vineet is known for his modern interpretation of Indian cuisine and has spent four decades balancing tradition and technique. For The Chef’s Counter, he’s bringing two vibrant curry dishes to Spinneys inspired by his Indya spice blends — Coastal Coconut and Fiery Madras. The Chef’s Counter is our micro-series and an extension of our in-store initiative to support the chefs, founders and food entrepreneurs shaping the UAE’s dining scene. We’ll be back after the Eid break with new dishes and a new episode, see you then!

Co-host Tiffany Eslick is joined by Spero Panagakis and Chef Alex Stumpf from BB Social Dining. They're known for their bold Eastern-inspired flavours and strong commitment to local sourcing and are now bringing their signature bang bang chicken baos to select Spinneys stores. BB Social Dining has become one of the UAE’s favourite homegrown concepts with venues in DIFC and Time Out Market Dubai. This episode continues our new micro-series called The Chef's Counter, an extension of our recently launched in-store initiative to support the chefs, founders and food entrepreneurs shaping the UAE’s dining scene. The past five weeks have been a great start, with cookies, bagels, salads, pastelitos, tacos and baklava launched in stores from a range of talented chefs.

Co-host Tiffany Eslick is in conversation today with Chef Shaw Lash, known for her dedication to authentic Mexican cuisine. Chef Shaw has spent decades refining her craft across Mexico, the U.S., and Europe. Today, she brings that dedication and passion to Dubai through Lila Taqueria and Lila Molino, using traditional methods of nixtamalisation to create authentic tortillas, chips and exceptional masa. This episode continues our new micro-series called The Chef's Counter, an extension of our recently launched in-store initiative to support the chefs, founders and food entrepreneurs shaping the UAE’s dining scene. The past three weeks have been a great start, with cookies, bagels, salads, pastelitos, and baklava launched in stores from a range of talented chefs. Chef Shaw also shares the mouth-watering dish coming to select Spinneys stores this week, and how collaboration and food connect people and communities.

We’re continuing The Chef’s Counter, our new micro-series and an extension of our recently launched in-store initiative to support the chefs, founders and food entrepreneurs shaping the UAE’s dining scene. Co-host Tiffany Eslick is in conversation with Stasha Toncev and Chef Milan Jurkovic, the team behind 21grams , the much-loved homegrown restaurant that has introduced Dubai to the warmth, soul and generosity of Balkan hospitality. They’re bringing their signature chocolate hazlenut baklava into Spinneys as part of The Chef’s Counter. They also talk about how Dubai’s hospitality community has rallied around one another during challenging times and the power of food to bring people together. We’ll be spotlighting a different voice from the community in stores each week, so come check it out!

Today we’re introducing a new micro-series called The Chef’s Counter, an extension of our recently launched in-store initiative to support the chefs, founders and food entrepreneurs shaping the UAE’s dining scene. Co-host Tiffany Eslick sits down with Chef Kelvin Cheung of Jun’s and 852 Bakery to launch the series. Chef Kelvin continues to actively champion fellow chefs and is now bringing a selection of dishes to select Spinneys stores as part of the Chef’s Counter. They talk about the power of community, and the importance of showing up for one another. We’ll be spotlighting a different voice from the community in stores each week, so come check it out!

Our first repeat guest is the one-and-only Chef Grégoire Berger, now leading Kraken. Co-host Devina Divecha sits down with Chef Grégoire to talk about his own evolution from pure culinary ambition to building personal connections. He also shares more about Kraken's focus on local ingredients and suppliers, how his management style has evolved, and the roots of Dubai's culinary scene. Chapters 0:00 Coming up... 2:09 Personal growth 7:54 The rise of mocktails 9:03 The philosophy behind Kraken 14:03 Dubai's dining scene 22:10 Beyond Kraken

Hosts Tiffany Eslick and Devina Divecha are off to Business Bay to sit down with founder and cake-maker Nadia Parekh. They talk about Nadia's pivot from clinical psychology to food entrepreneur, and the lessons learnt from the closure of Mélange and the launch of Faim. They also taste three of Nadia's signature cakes: The Quarantine (Chocolate salted caramel), Everybody's Birthday Cake (Chocolate praline and cereal) and the Jaded (Olive Oil, lemon, mascarpone and mixed berries). Chapters: 0:00 You can't control things outside! 3:31 From clinical psychology to cakes 6:15 Becoming a food entrepreneur 15:11 Pivoting after Mélange 23:23 Behind Faim 27:20 Cake trends 36:23 We taste cake!

Co-host Devina Divecha sits down with Chef Andreé Núñez at La Mar by Gastón Acurio at Atlantis The Royal in Dubai. Chef Andreé talks discovering his love for cooking at an early age, and his dream to showcase Peruvian cuisine and its influences at La Mar. He also plates a tiradito, a beautifully-plated dish and brings together Japanese techniques with the power of Peruvian ingredients.

Co-host Devina Divecha sits down the women behind Tezukuri, Chef Neha Mishra and Panchali Mahendra, CEO of Atelier House Hospitality for the first episode of 2026. The powerhouse duo talk about their shared passion for creating F&B concepts, and how their friendship evolved into a business relationship with Tezukuri. Chapters 0:00 Coming up... 4:23 Building a Friendship 8:18 Behind Tezikuri 14:52 Women in the Food Industry

We're closing out the year with food writer and general counsel Liam Collens. Tiffany Eslick and Devina Divecha sit down for an all-pie breakfast with Liam at one of his favourite spots, Piehaus by 21Grams. They talk about Dubai's dynamic food scene and the challenges of restaurant criticism in today's age of attention. We'll be back in the new year with new episodes. Until then, happy holidays! Chapters 0:00 Coming up... 3:31 Dubai's dining scene 11:19 ‘Bread is not a course on its own’ 17:02 Building trust as a food writer 24:31 Growing up in Trinidad & Tobago

Co-host Tiffany Eslick sits down at Mishkah with author (and clown) Hisham Assaad during his visit for the Sharjah Book Fair a couple of weeks ago. Hisham shares his journey in food that traces back to his childhood growing up in a refugee camp in Lebanon, how he wants to record and preserve recipes that are fading away, and. how he got started with clowning! Hisham started his food blog, ⁨cookin5m2⁩ , in 2013 and has since published two books—'Bayrut The Cookbook' in 2021 and 'Taboon' in 2024 celebrating his heritage and amazing recipes from Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. Chapters 0:00 Coming up... 3:53 Clowning 5:58 Cultural Identity through Cuisine 11:29 From Blog to Cookbook 13:39 Documenting Lesser-Known Dishes 16:52 The Impact of Tragedy 19:29 The Journey to Taboon 27:53 Sharjah Book Fair and Dinner at Mishkah

Our Christmas special is here! This week, Tiffany Eslick and Devina Divecha are standing next to the awesome Chef Kelvin Cheung as he champions Brussels sprouts to make one of his favourite Christmas dishes. They also talk about the explosion of Dubai’s F&B scene, get updates on all of Chef Kelvin’s restaurants & reminisce about their favourite holiday traditions. Chapters 0:00 Introduction 2:16 Cooking with Chef Kelvin 5:45 The right way to cook a Christmas Turkey 14:28 Dubai's Culinary Scene 21:01 Dream Culinary Projects

We’re on a summer break and will be back with new episodes in September. In the meantime, here's one of our favourite episodes from the season with author, restauranteur and inspiring activist Asma Khan on the sidelines of What The Food at Alserkal Avenue in October. Asma became the first British chef to be featured on Chef’s Table , showcasing her work with Darjeeling Express in London, and celebrating the birth of daughters. She talks to Tiff how she’s fought the stigma of being a second daughter all her life, how the incredible women behind Darjeeling Express rallied through numerous challenges, and how fast Danny DeVito can run!

This week, we welcome our youngest podcast guest in the history of the show. Dylan Farmer joins his father, chef Tristin Farmer, for a chat with co-host Tiffany Eslick. They talk about Tristin’s love for Japanese ingredients and the culinary philosophies he has incorporated into the Maison Dali menu. They also talk about Dylan (and Tiff’s) love of Paddington!

Co-host Devina Divecha is on location at Eden House in Satwa this week, to sit down with Moonrise’s chef and owner Solemann Haddad. Solemann talks about the inspirations behind their recent renovation, and how Moonrise’s iconic dishes and beverages are pushing Dubai’s culinary narrative forward.