Nourish by Spinneys – Details, episodes & analysis

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 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

Co-host Tiffany Eslick sits down with author, restauranteur and inspiring activist Asma Khan on the sidelines of What The Food at Alserkal Avenue. 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.

Co-host Devina Divecha visits the newly-opened Growhouse by One Life at Alserkal Avenue to sit down with Necip Camcigil. Necip shares his journey from corporate life to launching One Life in D3 ten years ago. He also talks about One Life’s commitment to maximising scratch cooking, and why he still cashier’s every single day.