More than ever, women are mastering the gastronomic scene in Dubai. From haute cuisine to elevated casual dining and comfort food, these businesswomen have firmly taken a seat at the table.
The culinary landscape in Dubai is booming. Quite frequently, one hears of a new restaurant opening – each with a unique concept. From homegrown brands serving feel-good food to Michelin-star restaurants and elevated fast-food joints, Dubai is a food lover’s paradise. In 2022, it became the first city in the Middle East to have its own Michelin guide, featuring 69 restaurants and 21 cuisines. In the Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, six of the top 10 restaurants are also in Dubai. But even more interesting is the rise in female-led restaurants in the region that continuously break barriers and glass ceilings in a male-dominated industry. Some of the city’s most popular hotspots, including Mohalla, Home Bakery, Tashas, and Kinoya, are run and owned by women. They have done everything – from supervising construction sites to working as wait staff or designing the menu, while facing multiple disappointments along the way. It doesn’t end there – many of the restaurateurs are also expanding, be it to Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, or London, further amplifying the popularity of their concepts.
Vogue Arabia speaks to five women trailblazers who defied the odds and created culinary success stories.
Hind Habib Al Mulla, Home Bakery
Photo: Sam Allison
Hind Habib Al Mulla knows a thing or two about turning a childhood passion into a career. The founder of Home Bakery – one of Dubai’s most popular dessert spots that is always fully booked – started her business out of her home (hence the name) in 2011. In 2014, Al Mulla opened the first flagship branch at Galleria Mall, which was an instant success. Her signature “chewy melt” cookies, milk cakes, and brownies are known all over the city. As a child, Al Mulla struggled in school and later realized she had dyslexia. But she did enjoy being in the kitchen. “At 13, I made my first vanilla soufflé, and it was excellent. After that, whenever my parents had guests, I oversaw desserts,” recalls Al Mulla. Once she married, she started experimenting in her home kitchen. As a female business owner, the path she faced was tricky. She says she had a tough time getting a license; malls were not interested in leasing her space, and even registering her name was an issue. That all changed when Galleria Mall on Al Wasl Road offered her a space. She and her siblings worked tirelessly once the branch opened, including cleaning, washing dishes, and even waiting on the customers. “Being an Emirati and working as a waitress in your establishment was frowned upon – people I knew would make remarks and give me strange looks. The comments got to me a few weeks after opening, and I felt the excitement fade.” Word soon spread to HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, about the Emiratis working as waiters, and he visited the branch to see for himself. “He was proud to see Emiratis on top of things, and said we set a good example for other locals.” Today, Al Mulla’s Home Bakery has nine branches and plans on international expansion soon.
Heba Rumhein, Siraj
Photo: Sam Allison
Launched in 2016, Siraj is a fusion of Emirati and Levantine cuisine. Founded by Heba Rumhein, the restaurant has been featured in the Michelin Guide for two years and frequented by Sheikh Mohammed multiple times. Rumhein’s passion for food goes back to her childhood. “My mother is a fantastic chef, and everyone who has tasted her food would ask for her recipes,” she says. Her career in the hospitality sector included roles such as the Director of Events at Atlantis, The Palm, and associate director of Madinat Jumeirah’s special VIP events wing. Rumhein’s extensive work experience further propelled her understanding of the F&B industry. After noticing a gap in the market for elevated dining featuring the two cuisines, she decided to open her own restaurant paying homage to her two homes – Syria and UAE. Finding an ideal site, she recalls, was tough, especially in this competitive market. “Prime locations were typically reserved for established franchises and brands. Despite my disappointment, I persisted until I found a space at Souk Al Bahar.” The restaurant’s menu stands out for its unique offering that specializes in blending traditional flavors with modern influences. “I’ve taken my mother’s and grandmother’s recipes and enhanced them with new techniques while preserving my family’s culinary heritage.” Signature dishes include saffron lobster, veal chops made in zaatar pesto (without the basil), biryani wrapped in saj bread, and camel steak. Rumhein adds that they were among the first to introduce camel on the menu. Next up for her is enhancing the Siraj experience, while outlining upgrades to their current space.
Neha Mishra, Kinoya
Photo: Sam Allison
Launched in April 2021, Kinoya is Dubai’s go-to spot for the best ramen in the city. The brainchild of Neha Mishra, a self-taught chef, the izakaya restaurant made it to Mena’s 50 Best Restaurants (2022) shortly after its opening. Mishra, who is of Indian origin, says making ramen happened by chance. “I was cooking a lot of food – it was my creative outlet from my day job. One day, I decided to make ramen and quickly realized how difficult it was. Then, I got obsessed with understanding all aspects of it,” says Mishra. Eventually, the obsession became a supper club, quickly gaining popularity via social media and word of mouth. Her Instagram account, A Story of Food, became a creative outlet where she could share her cooking adventures. Every supper club schedule she posted sold out within minutes. Various potential investors also approached her, but she didn’t feel ready. “Then Covid hit, and it seemed like I would be very broke soon. I was a single mum (at the time), so the pressure to pay bills was always overwhelming.” Just when she thought she would have to throw in the towel and leave Dubai, her current investor and partner asked her if she was ready to open a restaurant, and the rest is history. If opening during a pandemic wasn’t hard enough, the first few months were brutal for other reasons. “The reviews, the judgment, the absolute annihilation. I would even get comments about how I looked miserable when trying to focus on my work – no one would ever say that about a male chef.” Still, Mishra persevered, and her restaurant became a success story with a new location opening in Harrod’s London. “Life is so wild right now. I have three sons – one leaving home soon, another turning 14, and a baby who will be shy of six months the week we open Kinoya London.”
Natasha Sideris, Tashas Group
Photo: Sam Allison
There’s no stopping Natasha Sideris, founder and CEO of Tashas Group. Since the South African restaurateur opened the city’s first Tashas café in Dubai’s Galleria Mall in 2014, she’s moved quickly with multiple other ventures, including Avli, Flamingo Room, and Bungalo34. Sideris credits her dad, a chef and a successful restaurateur, for being her inspiration. “Despite his warnings about the pitfalls of the business, I wasn’t put off. Being a restaurateur incorporates everything I love – making beautiful food, creating stunning environments, and engaging with people,” says Sideris. She opened her first Tashas café in Johannesburg in 2005 with the idea of redefining casual dining, and recalls it being a complex process. “No reputable bank would loan me money as I had no proof of concept or money of my own. Eventually, I borrowed it from a loan shark.” After Johannesburg, she set her eyes on Dubai and found the right business partner to make it happen. “Opening our first Tashas in Dubai was one of our biggest milestones. We came into a highly competitive market with little knowledge of the landscape and few contacts for sourcing produce and shopfitters.” Now, they have six outlets in the UAE alongside several other ventures. When creating new concepts, she says that location sets the stage for the idea to take shape. For instance, with Bungalo34, she wanted it to be a family style restaurant with a sense of nostalgia rather than a beach club. Additionally, she adds that being authentic and staying away from gimmicks is important. The next four months are incredibly busy for Sideris as Tashas Group will see new restaurant openings in Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, and London. “We are opening a Flamingo Collecti on in Riyadh, which offers guests a unique experience with three concepts under one roof – Flamingo Room by tashas, Collective Africa, a curated luxury retail experience, and a brand new concept, African Lounge.”
Panchali Mahendra, Atelier House Hospitality
Photo: Sam Allison
The president of Atelier House Hospitality, a Dubai-based boutique restaurant group, Panchali Mahendra brings two decades of experience in the hospitality industry. The AHH umbrella features some of the finest restaurants in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and India, including 11 Woodfire, Mohalla, Marea, and RSVP. The first woman to hold a UAE Golden Visa in the hospitality industry, Mahendra has a lot many feathers in her cap. “A truly memorable moment was when 11 Woodfire earned its Michelin star two years in a row and also made it to the Mena’s 50 best restaurant list,” she recalls. Mahendra’s passion for hospitality is rooted in her educational background; she studied at one of India’s top hotel schools, the Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad, along with post-graduate experience at the Oberoi Group of Hotels. Through the years, she has overseen the opening and operations of more than 75 restaurants, each boasting an interesting culinary concept. Mahendra looks for authenticity and a unique story when working with homegrown establishments. In New Delhi, she launched Inja – the world’s first Indian Japanese restaurant. “Restaurants should offer an experience, and the concept should align with market trends. I also concentrate on working on three or four USP dishes that define a concept,” she says. For instance, Mohalla in Dubai’s Design District is a fresh take on Indian street food, and Mahendra adds it resonated well with diners. She recently returned from Saudi Arabia after opening a second branch there. “However, 11 Woodfire holds a special place as it earned a Michelin star in less than six months, a testament to our team’s hard work and the unique woodfire cuisine we brought to the table.” Despite skyrocketing overheads in the region, instead of cutting corners she and her team enhance the offering. “The idea is to offer a unique and engaging experience, which provides consistent footfall.”
Production assistant: Thanaaz Hisham
Originally published in the October 2023 issue of Vogue Arabia
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