This week we sit with Stasha Toncev, founder of Dubai’s award-winning Balkan bistro, 21 Grams. Hailed in the media, Stasha’s restaurant was praised as “charming” and “brain melting” by The Financial Times supplement, How To Spend It, and Bill Addison, the Los Angeles Times’ celebrated food critic. In a heart-to-heart with Hashem, Stasha opened up about her c ... Show More
Sep 8
El Primo’s Jonathan Colin on trading 10 years in fine dining for a taco place & the supper club that paid for it
“I could have opened Mediterranean. Japanese. Anything I already knew how to run. But my heart wasn’t going to be in it.”Jonathan Colin, founder of El Primo, spent seven years at LPM Dubai and two at Zuma Abu Dhabi — long enough to know exactly how to open another one of those. H ... Show More
47m 41s
Jun 4
“I observe. I document. And more recently, I speak my mind.” Hani AlMalki on Dubai’s F&B reset, credibility over clout, and a restaurant career built without a restaurant.
Hani AlMalki — aka Bedouinfoodie — returns to podcast for a second sit-down, and it lands nothing like the first. When war hit the region, he started writing: a daily diary on his Instagram Stories that became required reading for Dubai’s food community, built on the one thing m ... Show More
56m 43s
Apr 2026
“If you tell me we're not going to build, then probably replace me. There is no need for having me.” Karim Awad on leading EFG Hermes mid-revolution, a decade of building, and why legacy is measured by what remains after you leave
Karim Awad walked into EFG Hermes at one of the most turbulent moments in Egypt's recent history — a company caught mid-revolution, a bruised brand, and a region that wasn't sure it wanted to stabilise. What he did next is what this conversation is about. Karim and Hashem talke ... Show More
53m 4s
Apr 2023
To strive, to seek, to find, with Stasha Toncev
This week, co-host Tiffany Eslick sits down at urban Balkan bistro, 21 Grams, with its founder, Stasha Toncev. Stasha shares how she went from growing up in Serbia cooking lavish meals for her friends to uncovering her purpose and becoming the centre of discovery of Balkan food i ... Show More
35m 33s
Sep 2023
55. Dual Language, Doubly Appealing
Today, we're delighted to have Hala Gebran, the founder of Halo Halo Printworks, as our guest. Hala's business journey is a testament to persistence, passion, and creativity. She started with a unique concept, crafting Arabic-inspired greeting cards that bridge language barriers. ... Show More
16m 41s