Top Chefs in UAE

It started when I was a child back in the South Coast of India before moving to Dubai, UAE. I came from a large family and there were many get-togethers which revolved around food. My family had a farm and my mother would cook a traditional seven course Thali using produce from our garden. I would help my mother in the kitchen so she could join the family at the dining table, and eventually she inspired my love for cooking. When I do get a chance to cook with her, I still get amazed at the way she prepares the food. I learned the importance of time management through family gatherings. If you organise yourself and gather the dietary information from guests before they arrive, life becomes a lot easier in the kitchen. Because my mother knew the likes and dislikes of family guests, she made sure they were never disappointed. I apply the same ethic to my present role and understand my guests, what they want and deliver that. My style of cooking is very simple, when I create a dish, it all starts with one main ingredient in that season. I don’t like to overcomplicate dishes with too many ingredients. I am a great believer in using local ingredients and proud to be associated with FRESHONTABLE’s ethos.

Chef Giovanni Ledon is no stranger to the quality and service expected of a high-end, fast paced restaurant environment. Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, his earliest memories are of only wanting to be a chef. Chef Giovanni’s parents owned a restaurant and seeing the hustle and bustle of the kitchen, he was instantly hooked. In 2007 Chef Giovanni graduated from The Culinary Institute of Las Vegas. Studying under Chef Raimund Hofmeister (CMC/AAC) he had the chance to learn more technical aspects of the restaurant industry. During the same time, Chef Giovanni started working at Nero’s Steakhouse at Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. A few years later, in 2009 he went to work for Chef Bobby Flay at Mesa Grill in Caesars Palace. This opportunity transitioned into a promotion at Mesa Grill in the Atlantis Resort in Nassau, Bahamas as the Executive Sous Chef. In 2010, Chef Giovanni became Sous Chef at Yellowtail Japanese restaurant at the Bellagio Hotel under Chef Akira Back. He spent seven years refining his skills and exploring his passion of Asian flavors and cuisine. Of the many things he has inherited from his time with Chef Akira, is to look at things from a different perspective. Through experience, Chef Giovanni believes in order to resolve an issue, you need to look at it from the perspective of the guest, manager, server or commis, to really understand what is going on in the restaurant. Chef Giovanni’s favorite dish at Akira Back is the Tuna or Eringi Mushroom Pizza. For the one reason that, from the outside, it looks like a simple dish, but actually all the components have to be executed perfectly for this dish to shine. In his new role at Akira Back Dubai, located at W Dubai – The Palm, Chef Giovanni’s main aim is to ensure that the guest has the best quality food and experience that Akira Back has to offer.

With more than 15 years of invaluable culinary experience both locally and further afield, Executive Chef Mohamad Chabchoul has a wealth of expertise in the F&B and catering industry. Originally from Lebanon, Chef Chabchoul began his career as Commie Chef 1 at le brasserie restaurant at Le Meridian Hotel in Damascus. He then re-located to Dubai where he assumed more senior role of Chef De Partie at InterContinental Dubai Festival City as part of the hotel opening. After two years at the helm of Belgian Beer Café Kitchen and Bistro Madeleine within InterContinental, Chef Chabchoul was appointed Room Service Chef at Fairmont Bab Al Bahar in Abu Dhabi in 2009. In 2010 Chef Chabchoul returned to Dubai to become the Garde Manger De Cuisine at The Ritz Carlton DIFC where he stayed for almost three years. From there, he worked at a range of restaurants within the IHG Group at Dubai Festival City, leaving as Chef De Cuisine Cluster before embarking on his next role as Executive Chef at Fauchon Paris. Two years later he took on a new challenge working for Binhendi Enterprises in its hospitality division as Executive Chef. Chef Chabchoul has continued to set the culinary pace throughout his career in terms of both quality and growth. His passion for kitchen operations and innovative concepts knows no bounds and in his role as Executive Chef at Grand Millennium Business Bay, he brings his wealth of culinary knowledge to seven different restaurants. He is highly experienced, creative and dedicated to the food and beverage industry; his drive is certain to keep each and every outlet within the hotel ahead of its competitors.

Roberto’s passion for cooking started at a young age in his native Peru. In 2005 he started the Culinary School and since there he didn’t stop working in renowned restaurants in Peru. Some of the restaurants He worked in Peru are La Rosa Nautica, Bravo Restobar within other in the top 10 restaurants in Lima, with chefs of great name as Christian Bravo. By 2008 he moved to Argentina to specialize in vanguardist cuisine and different techniques in the IDLA institute and started worked in the best restaurant in Buenos Aires by that time, Osaka restaurant that offers Nikkei cuisine. In 2010 he did different stages in Chile and Peru including one with Rafael Osterling at one of the 50 best restaurants in Latin America, the time there was amazing discovering a different kind of cuisine. The same year he went to Mexico to open a new restaurant, it was a great success and everyone loved the Nikkei Cuisine. By 2011 he started working with chef Richard Sandoval who took him later on to New York and later to Dubai to work in his restaurants Maya, Pampano and Toro Toro.By 2014 he started working as Executive Chef of The Act Dubai offering the first ever Peruvian menu in the Middle East. In 2014 he went to London to do a stage at a French bistro called Terroir and after that went to Lima – Peru to do an stage in Central Restaurant number 4 of the world of the chef Virgilio Martinez. Since then he didn’t stop creating new concepts and developing many recipes as Culinary Consultant, that took him to be awarded as chef of the year 2 consecutive years in different completions and opening different restaurants and dinning concepts in addition to a catering company. In 2019 he launched his own YouTube cooking channel as well an IGTV channel to teach and show recipes and tips to all his followers with the handle @cookingwithchefroberto He keeps researching and developing food and beverage concepts internationally with the aim to bring unique concepts to the Middle East market.