Dubai's most influential foodies share their festive season traditions
Family bingo. Nicaraguan patemaking. McGettigan’s honey-glazed ham…
What’s On reveals the weird and wonderful festive traditions from Dubai’s multicultural foodie personalities…
Gabriela Chamorro
Chef and founder of Girl and the Goose
“Every year, we prepare a special Christmas stuffing – a sweet and sour pâté with chicken, raisins, olives, carrots, chayote, prunes, onions, bread, and milk. I make it in Dubai, feeling nostalgic for reunions in my home country of Nicaragua. It’s a humble meal, but for me, it feels like a warm hug. We always make plenty so we can freeze it and enjoy it throughout January.”
Naim Maadad
Founder of Gates Hospitality
“Every year, my three siblings and I – now very much grown up – gather at my mother’s house to each organise a course for our Christmas feast. My contribution has always been a cake, a bottle of port, and cheese, while my sisters take on the lion’s share of the meal, with my mum preparing the turkey. It’s a beautiful way to celebrate together as a family.”
Kelvin Cheung
Chef and partner at Jun’s
“We have two main traditions each year: first, we create ornaments from cinnamon and glue that look like gingerbread men but last forever. They fill our home with a wonderful smell. The second tradition comes from our childhoods – my wife Andrea enjoyed tamales at Christmas dinner, while I had sticky rice in lotus leaf. Both dishes let everyone unwrap something special at the table. Now, we get to include our son in these traditions.”
Hadrien Villedieu
Chef, founder and co-owner of Chez Wam
“Other than eating some very good food and drinking some really good champagne, I’m probably just a boring Frenchman celebrating Christmas. Oh, actually now that we have kids, we do have a tradition, I forgot! We take a picture together as a family in front of the Christmas tree every year. I think that’s pretty special…”
Lilian Rihani
Co-founder of Three by Eva
“With our huge family, we go all out every year, whether it’s a grand turkey feast or stuffed lamb. But the highlight? Our annual bingo game. It gets rowdy, loud, and wonderfully messy – just the way I love it. With a million family members around, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Panchali Mehendra
CEO of Atelier Hospitality
“We love to make this for Thanksgiving, but I enjoy it so much that I ask my husband to prepare our Texan-Indian turkey for Christmas every year. We inject the turkey with jalapeño and butter overnight, then double fry it in 20 litres of peanut oil. The result? An unbelievably crispy exterior and a juicy, buttery inside. It’s a delicious tradition I can’t live without.”
Peggy Pui Ki Li
F&B consultant
“As an Anglo-fied Chinese, I need the yin to my yang every Christmas. In Dubai, my husband and I always indulge in McGettigan’s’ honey-glazed ham joint with all the trimmings – we order it every year without fail. But on Boxing Day, we switch it up with a family feast of Chinese dishes, like ginger and spring onion lobster egg noodles or Alaskan king crab typhoonstyle. It’s the perfect blend of cultures for us.”
Images: Supplied
