The Chef JKP Podcast
Episodes
170 episodes
The Hospitality Fixer Who Knows Why Guests Don’t Come Back | Samuel Graham
What happens when someone who once worked underground in engineering tunnels ends up shaping some of hospitality’s most iconic guest experiences?Chef JKP sits down with Samuel Graham, founder and CEO of The LightUp Group, hospitality co...
The Rise of Indian Food with Himanshu Saini and Liam Collens
What changes when a three Michelin star restaurant becomes a book?In this episode, Chef JKP sits down with Himanshu Saini and Liam Collens for the launch of The Rise of Indian Food: Recipes Reimagined by Trèsind Studio.This epis...
Why Do Some People Never Stop Chasing Food Stories? | Tiffany Eslick
What starts with olives on a kitchen counter becomes a life built around food, travel, stories, and bringing people to the table.Chef JKP sits down with Tiffany Eslick, content and creative director at Spinneys, food writer, podcaster, ...
What a Life in Storytelling Really Looks Like | Keith Dallison
This episode of the Chef JKP Podcast steps outside the kitchen and into the world of storytelling, with actor, voiceover artist, and video editor Keith Dallison, for a conversation about craft, creativity, and what it really takes to bring stor...
He Started Cooking In His 40s And Reached The Top Of Fine Dining
This episode of the Chef JKP Podcast features Chef Alvin Leung, better known around the world as The Demon Chef, for a conversation about reinvention, ambition, creativity, and the unconventional road that took him from engineering into the hig...
The Chef Who Said No To Engineering And Built An Empire Instead
This episode of the Chef JKP Podcast features Saradhi Dakara, chef and co-founder of Stellar Society, for a conversation about food, identity, entrepreneurship, and what it truly takes to build something of your own from the ground up.C...
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The Woman Behind Dubai’s Most Viral Food Series | Laura Lai Coughlin
This episode of the Chef JKP Podcast features Laura Lai Coughlin, one of Dubai’s most recognizable voices in food media, for a conversation about food, storytelling, journalism, and the path that took her from family kitchens to the centre of t...
Can Friendship Survive Building a Restaurant Together? | Neha Mishra and Panchali Mahendra
This episode of the Chef JKP Podcast brings together two standout names from Dubai’s dining scene for a conversation about friendship, entrepreneurship, hospitality, and building something meaningful in a competitive market.Chef James K...
What’s Coming This Season and Why It Matters....Season 12 Begins...
Season 12 of The Chef JKP Podcast kicks off with a solo episode, bringing you closer to the stories, people, and conversations you’ll hear across the season.With 14 episodes ahead, this season features chefs, operators, and industry voi...
What People Don’t Understand About Celebrity Chefs | Tasneem Rawat and Jenny Morris
This special collaborative episode of the Chef JKP Podcast brings together three voices from different corners of the culinary world for a conversation about identity, storytelling, and the power of food to connect cultures.Chef James K...
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What MENA 50 Best 2026 really feels like inside Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi
Front row at Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026, from a night at Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi.There’s a certain kind of tension in the air before the list is revealed. The chefs arrive, the teams g...
SNACKS Episode 3: What Great Kitchens Get Right About Leadership
Welcome to the third episode of the SNACKS series.SNACKS are short, bite-size episodes from the Chef JKP Podcast, built to spotlight the strongest ideas from our most impactful conversations.In SNACKS Episode 3, Chef JKP brings to...
SNACKS Episode 2: The Pressure That Comes After Michelin Recognition
Welcome to the second episode of the SNACKS series.SNACKS are short, bite-size episodes from the Chef JKP Podcast, built to spotlight the strongest ideas from our most impactful conversations.In SNACKS Episode 2, Chef JKP brings t...
SNACKS Episode 1: How Great Chefs Built Standards Before Visibility Mattered
Welcome to the first episode of the SNACKS series.SNACKS are short, bite-size episodes from the Chef JKP Podcast, built to spotlight the strongest ideas from our most impactful conversations.In Snack Episode 1, Chef JKP brings t...
Season 11 - Episode 16 - Why Discipline and Curiosity Matter More Than Talent in the Kitchen | Carmen Rueda Hernandez
Season 11 closes with a conversation that defines what true creative commitment looks like at the highest level of gastronomy.In this season finale of the Chef JKP Podcast, Chef JKP is joined by Carmen Rueda Hernandez, Executive Pastry ...
Season 11 - Episode 15 - A Christmas Special on Food, Hospitality, and What Really Mattered This Year
Season 11 closes with the annual festive conversation that has become a tradition on the Chef JKP Podcast.In this Christmas special, Chef JKP welcomes back two of MENA region's most respected food writers, Courtney Brandt and Liam Colli...
Season 11 - Episode 14 - What It Takes to Launch a Restaurant in Today’s Hospitality World | Georgie Woollam Edwards
Season 11 continues with conversations that explore the forces shaping hospitality beyond the kitchen.In this episode, Chef JKP sits down with Georgie Woollam Edwards, Founder of Katch International, a London and Dubai based PR and expe...
Season 11 - Episode 13 - How Early Food Memories Shaped Path to the Michelin World | Alex Dilling
Season 11 continues with a story built on discipline, precision and a chef who believes great food comes from craft, culture and the people you grow with.Alex Dilling grew up between London and California, splitting his childhood betwee...
Season 11 - Episode 12 - The Woman Behind the Food Brands Taking Over the Middle East | Victoria Hassani
Season 11 continues with a story shaped by culture, trade, and a woman who believes food can create understanding in ways politics never can.Victoria Hassani grew up inside her family’s restaurant on the Jersey shore. Breakfast crowds, ...
Season 11 - Episode 11 - How A Blog, A Camera, and A Leap of Faith Led Leen Al Zaben to 50 Best | Leen Al Zaben
Season 11 continues with a story shaped by culture, curiosity, and a woman who sees food as memory, craft, and connection.Leen Al Zaben grew up between Jordanian Bedouin hospitality and the fresh, seasonal cooking of her grandmother’s k...
Season 11 - Episode 10 - How Two Engineers Built Dubai’s Favourite Meat Brand | Dan & Fix
Season 11 continues with a story built on pressure, persistence, and two people who refused to settle for the careers they were “meant” to have.Dan and Fix spent years in engineering and construction before Carnistore ever existed. Long...
Season 11 - Episode 9 - What No One Tells You About Building a Restaurant in Dubai | Akmal Anuar
Season 11 continues with a story that’s as honest as it is inspiring.From a small hawker stall in Singapore to standing on the Michelin stage in Dubai, Chef Akmal Anuar has lived a journey built on discipline, sacrifice, and starting fr...
Season 11 - Episode 8 - Can passion take you from Mexico’s street food to Dubai’s fine dining ? Sergio Hernandez Ruiz
Season 11 continues with a story that blends tradition, determination, and the pursuit of flavour.From the heart of Mexico to Dubai’s shores, Chef Sergio Hernández Ruiz has built his career one kitchen and one lesson at a time.Now t...
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Season 11 - Episode 7 - How Chef Fabrice Rosso Earned Qatar’s First Michelin Star
Season 11 continues with a story built on precision, passion, and perseverance.From the south of France to the heart of Doha, Chef Fabrice Rosso has crafted his journey one plate and one lesson at a time.Now the Executive Che...
Season 11 - Episode 6 - How a Family Business Became a Global Cookbook | Joan Tuaño Rumsey
Season 11 continues with a story that brings together food, family, and fearless creativity.When her mom once suggested turning her newsletters into a book, Joan Tuaño Rumsey brushed it off. Years later, that tiny spark became Steak Sim...
