A young Arab chef melds traditional Middle East food ingredients with modern techniques

Born and raised in the UAE, Haddad’s passion for cooking started when he was only 4 years old. (Supplied)
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Updated 21 May 2021
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A young Arab chef melds traditional Middle East food ingredients with modern techniques

  • Solemann Haddad is making the most of his experiences in Japan and roots in Lebanon and Syria’s culinary traditions
  • The French-Syrian chef’s cooking is decidedly high-end and shows an obsessive attention to detail and technique

DUBAI: Smoked shishito hummus? Check. Cured hamachi, mandarin and zaatar? Check. With these fusion dishes and many more in the offing, a young French-Syrian chef, who has led one of the most successful restaurants in Dubai, is raring to go down the revolutionary road as far as cooking is concerned.

Using local regional products such as dukka (a nut and spice mix), zaatar (based on thyme) and muhammara (a dip made mainly of red peppers), and ingredients such as shishito (another type of pepper) and hamachi (a Japanese fish), 24-year-old Solemann Haddad is shaping the offering in his hometown.

His goal is to meld traditional ingredients with modern techniques.

Born and raised in the UAE, Haddad’s passion for cooking started when he was only 4 years old, when he would steal his brother’s cookbook and lock himself in the kitchen to bake cookies and omelets with his mother’s help.

“That was my first-ever memory with food,” he told Arab News. “It was like making potions, with a different outcome every time. I found that very interesting as a kid.”

The path to realizing his ambitions has not been easy. After studying international relations in university, he found himself frustrated and lacking direction.

“I did not enjoy university at all, although I had good grades,” Haddad said. “I had panic attacks every night.”

Conversations with his father about his future profession in cooking led to dead ends. “My dad, and many Arab men from his generation, would question the idea of a man becoming a chef,” he said. “The idea of being a chef was so far-fetched to him, but it has more to do with the old-school culture.”

Still, Haddad was not ready to give up on his calling. One day, four weeks before his final university exams, he made the jump. He took money from his father and got on the first flight to London, where he stayed at a friend’s house. “I told my father I wouldn’t come back until he accepted the fact that I was going to be a chef,” he said.

“So, there was an unspoken agreement: He would send me to culinary school, and I’d come back and finish university. And that’s what I did.”

Haddad attended two cordon bleu culinary schools in Japan and London over a period of 10 months, while juggling internships at Michelin-starred restaurants. After returning to Dubai, he completed university in 2019 and started consulting for restaurants on the side, providing advice on menus and ingredients.

It was while working at a Michelin-starred restaurant in London, where he tasted every dish to further his learning curve, that he had an epiphany. “I tasted something with mushrooms and thought to myself, ‘I never thought food could taste this good’,” Haddad said.

“It’s like I was seeing a new color. Then I realized the possibilities. My eyes opened, and it changed my life. It was the most impactful moment in my schooling years.”

Back in Dubai, Haddad started working as sous-chef at Inked, a self-described food and music cooperative, for a few months. During his time at the restaurant, he created and served 25 new menu items a month. Then in March last year he was let go due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lockdown soon followed, with six months of forced rest. “I didn’t even crack an egg,” he said. “I took a vacation because I had been working intensely for three years, so it forced me to relax.”

THENUMBER

$136,000-340,000 - Average cost of opening a small, independent restaurant in Dubai.

The downtime proved beneficial, as the young chef soon started broadcasting homemade videos on Instagram Live and developing recipes for fun. For him, it was much-needed research and development.

His cooking is decidedly high end and shows an obsessive attention to detail and technique derived from Haddad’s experiences in Japan, roots in Lebanon and Syria’s proud culinary traditions, and influences from India. Is this fusion personified?

"I always say my life is fusion because I'm just cooking what I grew up eating. My mother was French, so I used to eat French food, but I would also eat shawarma with my father, and Syrian/Lebanese food with my grandmother,” Haddad said.

“My life has been centered on having no fixed cuisine so the way the dishes come out is organic and it's what makes sense to me.”

His next break came when Rami Farook, the owner of Maisan15, a restaurant and gallery, suggested they form a partnership to open a restaurant in an art gallery in Dubai’s hip Alserkal Avenue.

“There was neither a kitchen nor gas. I thought it was a bit crazy, but the more I thought about it, the more I saw it as an opportunity and, within a few hours, I was convinced,” Haddad said.

In 30 days, a kitchen was built from scratch, and Warehouse16 was launched in mid-September 2020.

“Everything was smooth sailing, and we were doing very well,” he said. “We were fully booked from the first to the last dinner.”

At the restaurant, Haddad combined dishes based on Japanese kaiseki — a formal, traditional multi-course Japanese dinner — with local Middle Eastern ingredients. He credits Misbah Chowdhury, a childhood friend and partner at Warehouse16, who is also its operations and social-media marketing manager, with making the venture a success.

“We were always very aggressive on sales and social media,” Haddad said. “Many restaurants leave things to fate, but this helped us out a lot in the beginning when we didn’t have a fan base.”

Haddad says he is meticulous in both cooking and presentation. He will serve a dish only if it both looks and tastes good, dedicating therefore 51 percent of his effort to flavor and 49 percent to plating. The results are dishes of artistic beauty.

“The visual aspects and the flavor are almost as important as each other,” he told Arab News.

Such a mindset translated into a surge in success. Warehouse16 generated more than a year’s planned revenue in half that time. “It exploded in five months,” Haddad said. “We were very humbled and pleasantly surprised.”

Despite its economic ups and downs, Dubai is home to a lot of prosperous people with money to spend. A meal chez Haddad is likely to come in at Dh400 to Dh500 a head, and that can include a seven-course tasting menu.

Since that successful opening, however, the pandemic has intervened. The restaurant has had to shut down due to license complications arising from new COVID-19 regulations. In the meantime, Haddad is conducting a number of pop-ups across Dubai.

“The goal for me is to either open the best restaurant in the world in Dubai or die trying,” he said. “There’s no middle ground.”

He speaks of many in the industry who wrongly believe Dubai’s food scene solely focuses on franchising international concepts, expressing no faith in the city they operate in.

“There’s so much potential (in Dubai) because the food scene doesn’t exist yet. It’s developing, so now’s the time to put your chips in. The market is so young.”   

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Twitter: @CalineMalek


Theater and film experts Fatima Al-Banawi, Lana Komsany lend expertise to Saudi summer camp

Updated 23 June 2025
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Theater and film experts Fatima Al-Banawi, Lana Komsany lend expertise to Saudi summer camp

DUBAI: Saudi filmmaker Fatima Al-Banawi is set to take part in a two week summer program for children in Jeddah hosted by Alf Wad Productions.

The two programs aimed at children are titled “Little Theater Stars Camp” and “Camp Journey to the World of Cinema.” The programs run for two weeks.

The schedule focuses on teaching theatrical experiences by allowing children to write a play inspired by their ideas. In addition to writing a script, the participants will design the costumes and help in building the set for the production.

From lighting to sound and storytelling, the program will offer a holistic understanding of what it takes to bring a theater production to life.

Led by instructor Lana Komsany and supervised by Al-Banawi, the programs will conclude with a performance in front of a live audience.

 

Al-Banawi is recognized for her roles in “Barakah Meets Barakah” and the Saudi thriller “Route 10.”

She made her directorial debut with “Basma,” in which she also plays the titular role of a young Saudi woman who returns to her hometown of Jeddah after studying in the US. Back home, she is confronted with her father’s mental illness, strained family ties, and the challenge of reconnecting with a past life that no longer feels familiar.

“I really went into cinema — in 2015 with my first feature as an actress — with one intention: to bridge the gap between the arts and social impact and psychology,” she previously told Arab News. “And I was able to come closer to this union when I positioned myself as a writer-director, more so than as an actor.”

The film debuted on Netflix in 2024.

Meanwhile, Qamsani specializes in film and theater, with extensive experience in directing, acting, and writing, and is known for her work in creative training.

Alfwad Productions is a Saudi Arabia-based creative arts organization focused on nurturing young talent through performance, storytelling, and cultural education. The organization runs year-round programs that blend theater, music, and visual arts.


Bella Hadid’s Orabella launches new collaboration

Updated 23 June 2025
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Bella Hadid’s Orabella launches new collaboration

DUBAI: American Dutch Palestinian supermodel Bella Hadid is expanding her beauty brand, Orebella, into the world of accessories — and she’s doing it with a little help from her close friends.

Hadid has teamed up with Wildflower Cases co-founders Sydney and Devon Lee Carlson to launch a limited-edition collaboration featuring two dreamy new products: an iPhone case and a “Scentable Wristlet.”

Bella Hadid has teamed up with Wildflower Cases co-founders Sydney and Devon Lee Carlson to launch a limited-edition collaboration featuring two dreamy new products: an iPhone case and a “Scentable Wristlet.” (Instagram)

Hadid took to Instagram to announce the launch, writing, “Feeling like the luckiest girl in the world to be able to be creative with my beauty boss sisters. Life is beautiful when we have the opportunity to watch our friends winning. So proud of you two. So proud of our teams. So proud of us. Love you all — thank you for bringing this vision to life.

“Cases ANDDDD our most special scented wristlets to keep the orebella scent of your choice on you at all times! Been wanting to make this accessory for a while, had the idea for scented bracelets and wristlets, and my sisters pulled it all together for us. Love you guys so much,” she added.

Teased earlier on Instagram through behind-the-scenes campaign shots, the collaboration blends Orebella’s fragrance-forward ethos with Wildflower’s unique phone accessory style.

The iPhone case is designed with a celestial sky motif and a delicate crescent moon, channeling Hadid’s signature mystical aesthetic — part of what the trio call a “girl gang collection,” celebrating the friendship between Bella, Devon, and Sydney.

Meanwhile, the Scentable Wristlet introduces a functional — and fragrant — twist. Designed to hold a small vial of Orebella’s signature scent, the wristlet allows users to carry their favorite fragrance with them wherever they go, seamlessly merging style with sensory self-expression.

Orebella, which launched in May last year with a sell-out line of clean fragrance mists, is rooted in Hadid’s love of scent layering, spirituality, and beauty rituals.

Hadid wrote on her website at the time: “For me, fragrance has always been at the center of my life — helping me feel in charge of who I am and my surroundings. From my home to nostalgic memories, to my own energy and connection with others, scent has been an outlet for me. It made me feel safe in my own world.”


Co-founder of digital platform The Open Crate shares Art Basel top picks

Updated 21 June 2025
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Co-founder of digital platform The Open Crate shares Art Basel top picks

BASEL: Tunisian art expert Amina Debbiche, who co-founded digital art platform The Open Crate alongside Nora Mansour, shares her top artworks from Switzerland’s Art Basel contemporary art fair, which wraps up on Sunday.

Amina Debbiche. (Supplied)

The Open Crate allows clients to digitalize their entire collection, whether it be artwork, design objects or luxury items.

Yto Barrada at Sfeir-Semler Gallery

“I first discovered Yto Barrada’s work at the Arsenale during the 2011 Venice Biennale and was instantly captivated by her poetic and political approach. Since then, I’ve followed her brilliant trajectory across film, photography, textiles, and installation. Born in Paris and raised in Tangier, her practice explores themes of memory, displacement, and resistance. We’ve now come full circle - she will represent France at the upcoming Venice Biennale, curated by Myriam Ben Salah.”

Yto Barrada’s work at Art Basel. (Supplied)

 Alia Farid’s ‘Elsewhere’ at Art Basel Unlimited

Alia Farid’s ‘Elsewhere’ at Art Basel Unlimited. (Supplied)

“Alia Farid’s ‘Elsewhere’ deeply moved me with its layered storytelling and political tenderness. The work maps Arab and South Asian migration to Latin America and the Caribbean through handwoven rugs made with Iraqi weavers. It documents hybrid identities, memory, and solidarity across geographies. I’ve long admired how Alia reclaims overlooked narratives with such poetic clarity. Her voice feels both urgent and timeless.”

Eunnam Hong’s ‘Safeway’ at Mendes Wood DM booth

“Eunnam Hong’s painting … stopped me in my tracks — cinematic, hyper-stylized, and effortlessly cool. With nods to Cindy Sherman and K-drama aesthetics, the Korean artist explores identity and performance through staged, uncanny tableaus. Her figures- drenched in soft light, wrapped in curlers and headscarves, clutching vitamin D and Safeway bags - feel both retro and unmistakably now. It’s suburban surrealism meets generational moodboard, complete with Converse and quiet rebellion. Hong is one of the most compelling contemporary voices out there - sharp, relatable, and iconic in the making.

Eunnam Hong’s ‘Safeway’ at Mendes Wood DM booth. (Supplied)
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Simone Fattal’s ‘Music On My Mind’ (2024)

“Simone Fattal is a Syrian Lebanese artist whose sculptural practice draws from archaeology, poetry, and mythology to explore themes of memory, exile, and resilience. Born in Damascus and raised in Beirut, she has created only a few large-scale sculptures, making each one rare and significant. Her works are held in major collections including MoMA, Centre Pompidou, and the Sharjah Art Foundation … I was drawn to “Music On My Mind” for its quiet power — the naive, totemic form and subtle reference to sound felt deeply poetic.”

Simone Fattal’s ‘Music On My Mind’ (2024). (Supplied)

M'barek Bouhchichi’s ‘Terr

M'barek Bouhchichi’s ‘Terra’ series (2024)


Noah Davis’s ‘The Goat from Grayson’ (2008) at David Zwirner

“I love this work for its quiet intensity and material poetry and Selma Feriani, who presents it, is one of the few truly independent voices from the region to make it to Art Basel with a consistently bold program. M’barek Bouhchichi, born in southeastern Morocco, lives and works in Tahanaout, Morocco. The artist collaborates with women artisans to create henna-dyed wool works that evoke both landscape and memory. His ‘Terra’ series explores cultural links between Morocco and Mali through ancestral weaving techniques. These minimal, earthy compositions blur the line between textile and painting. A major solo show in Tunis is coming this September.”

Noah Davis’s ‘The Goat from Grayson’ (2008) at David Zwirner

“I’ve always been drawn to Noah Davis’s ability to create scenes that feel both dreamlike and grounded in Black lived experience. “The Goat from Grayson” (2008), shown here at David Zwirner, captures his signature blend of poetic realism, rich symbolism and painterly tenderness. The glowing tree, the quiet tension, and the spiritual undertone pull you in. Davis, who passed away tragically young at 32, was not only a brilliant painter but also the founder of The Underground Museum in Los Angeles, a vital space for Black art and community. His work was the subject of a major retrospective at the Hammer Museum in 2020, cementing his legacy as one of the most influential artists of his generation.”

Eric Fischl’s ‘After the Funeral’ (2017)

“Eric Fischl’s paintings often feel like paused movie scenes, loaded with tension, memory, and unspoken drama. I was instantly drawn to these two women, something about the cigarette, the ice cube, the gaze, it felt like I’d stumbled into a Woody Allen film mid-conversation. Fischl captures that strange mix of intimacy and detachment with uncanny precision. A key figure of American figurative painting since the 1980s, his work explores suburban psychology and social dynamics. He is represented by Skarstedt, a gallery known for championing major contemporary artists like David Salle, Cindy Sherman, and George Condo.”

Eric Fischl’s ‘After the Funeral’ (2017)

Sheila Hicks’s ‘Lianes Etoiles’ (2020)

“Sheila Hicks’s ‘Lianes Etoiles’ is pure visual rhythm. Its vibrant threads, soft textures, and sculptural layering instantly drew me in. There is something meditative and sensual about the way the colors pulse across the surface. Hicks, a pioneer of textile art, has redefined fiber as a sculptural and painterly medium for over six decades. This piece feels both contemporary and ancestral, like a coded language of color and craft. It is shown by Alison Jacques, a gallery that consistently champions strong, visionary practices.”

Wael Shawky’s ‘I Am Hymns of The New Temples: Pompeii glass amphora (#06)’ (2023) at the booth of Lia Rumma

“Wael Shawky’s amphora sculptures are a masterclass in historical layering and contemporary wit. Representing the Egyptian Pavilion at the last Venice Biennale, his work was among the most celebrated and nearly won the Golden Lion. The video “Drama 1882” retelling of the ’Urabi revolution that was co‑funded through support from Mai Eldib, who organised key patronage, was later acquired by a major institution in the Middle East. These Murano glass forms, draped in ornate textiles, are as subtle as they are rich in reference. Shawky continues to expand the visual language of Arab myth, ritual, and storytelling with quiet force.”

Wael Shawky’s ‘I Am Hymns of The New Temples: Pompeii glass amphora (#06)’ (2023) at the booth of Lia Rumma

Amoako Boafo’s ‘Floral One Piece’ (2025) at Gagosian Gallery’s booth

“This striking portrait by Amoako Boafo was exhibited at the Gagosian booth, where the brilliant Rola Wazni, director of Gagosian Paris, walked me through a presentation curated by Francesco Bonami. Boafo, originally from Ghana and based in Vienna, is known for his lush finger-painted figures and bold exploration of Black identity and presence. His textured brushwork and floral detailing here are both tender and defiant. The composition radiates quiet power, dignity, and individuality. Rolla’s sharp eye and grace made the experience even more memorable.”

Amoako Boafo’s ‘Floral One Piece’ (2025) at Gagosian Gallery’s booth

Maurizio Cattelan and Rudofl Stingel at Gagosian Gallery’s booth

“Gagosian’s booth at Art Basel 2025, curated by Francesco Bonami, offered a brilliantly irreverent pairing of Maurizio Cattelan’s ‘No’ (2021) and Rudolf Stingel’s ‘Untitled’ (2012). Cattelan’s kneeling figure in a suit, head covered by a paper bag, delivers a biting satire of modern-day capitalism and mental health collapse — a man caught between denial and trauma, refusing to face symbolic castration or mortality. Stingel’s silvery abstraction provided a haunting, meditative counterpoint, echoing themes of absence and ego. Together, the works reflected on visibility, repression, and the absurd rituals of the art world. The result was a sharp, minimalist statement that lingered long after.”


Gigi Hadid’s latest cashmere launch inspired by New York

Updated 21 June 2025
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Gigi Hadid’s latest cashmere launch inspired by New York

DUBAI: US Palestinian Dutch supermodel and brand founder Gigi Hadid has released her latest collection — and a new summer campaign — under her cashmere label Guest in Residence.

The new line was inspired by New York, according to Hadid, who founded her brand in 2022.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Gigi Hadid (@gigihadid)

“I’m endlessly inspired by New York City — a place I’ve called home for many years — and the notion that we’re all guests here. For our collection, we embrace the great duality every New Yorker faces in Summer: the thrill of a busy day in the city, paired with the urge to hop in a car with friends and escape to somewhere quiet and laid-back. No matter where you find yourself, our cashmere pieces embrace a spirit of timelessness that always works,” Hadid is quoted as saying on the Guest in Residence Instagram page.

The launch was complemented by a video campaign shared on social media, in which Hadid is joined by fellow models as they explore New York in the summer.

Paolo Santosuosso acted as the campaign’s art director, while the looks were styled by Elizabeth Fraser-Bell.

Hadid launched her clothing label, which features soft, colorful knitwear, in September 2022.

“Over the last handful of years, I didn’t want to be backed into starting my own line just because there was an offer on the table or a deal to be made,” she wrote to her followers on Instagram at the time.

“The earliest days of Guest in Residence came about when I started to question the cashmere market, and those answers gave me a path,” she added.

“I believe that because of its sustainable qualities — natural and made to cherish and to pass down — cashmere is a luxury that should be more accessible.”

Celebrities including Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Swift and Bradley Cooper have been spotted wearing the label’s designs.

In June, Hadid also unveiled a new campaign with Brazilian footwear brand Havaianas.

The model, who launched a line with the flip flop label, starred in a vintage-inspired series of photographs. In the shots, she shows off slippers from her collection with the brand and is seen wearing retro outfits on a beach.


Post Malone to headline 2025 Esports World Cup opening ceremony in Riyadh

Updated 20 June 2025
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Post Malone to headline 2025 Esports World Cup opening ceremony in Riyadh

DUBAI: US rapper Post Malone – known for tracks like “Rockstar,” “I Had Some Help” and “Sunflower” – will perform will headline the opening ceremony of the 2025 Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia.

The rap and country music artist will hit the stage in Riyadh on July 10.

In August 2020, the singer became part of Envy Gaming‘s ownership group, taking an undisclosed stake in the company, Esports Insider reporter of the North American organization that has since merged with Native Gaming.

The singer will return to the region to perform at the 2025 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Friday Dec. 5.

Malone previously performed at the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He then returned in 2022, taking to the stage at Etihad Park.