the first Middle Eastern podcast exclusively featuring foodies, chefs, F&B investors, food suppliers and storytellers covering the food culture and industry in the Middle East.
A Journey Through Heritage & Flavor with Azza Fahmy | Bilhana Foodspaces
Delve into the soul of remarkable jewelrydesigner Azza Fahmy in this special Bilhana Foodspaces episode. Yasmine El Gharablyjoins the iconic jewelry designer in her home for an intimate exploration ofher life, where heritage, family, and food intertwine.
Discover the profound influence of herfather, her deep-rooted passion for authentic Egyptian flavors, and how sheviews food as a cornerstone of identity. From cherished Saidi dishes like Faesh andWeka to her vision for preserving Egypt's culinary legacy, this conversationreveals the personal stories behind the legendary Azza Fahmy.
9 Feb 2025
Karim Abdelrahman: Mastering the Art of Cooking, Leadership & Legacy
At just 19, Karim Abdelrahman stepped into the culinary world, determined to learn from the ground up. His journey took him to Michelin-starred kitchens in Switzerland and France, including the legendary three-star Guy Savoy. But instead of staying abroad, he returned home with a bigger mission—to redefine Egyptian cuisine on a global scale.
In this episode, Karim opens up about the challenges of leadership, the struggles of balancing creativity with business, and why he believes Egypt’s culinary scene is still full of hidden gems waiting to be discovered. He also shares how food became his way of storytelling and connection—and why nothing in life is truly impossible.
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في سن الـ19، دخل الشيف كريم عبد الرحمن عالم الطهي بعزيمة حقيقية ليتعلم من الصفر. سافر إلى سويسرا وفرنسا وعمل في أرقى مطابخ ميشلان، بما في ذلك جاي سافوي الحاصل على ثلاث نجوم ميشلان. لكن بدلاً من البقاء في الخارج، عاد إلى مصر ليحقق حلمًا أكبر—إعادة تعريف المطبخ المصري عالميًا.
في هذه الحلقة، يشاركنا كريم تحديات القيادة، وكيفية الموازنة بين الإبداع وإدارة الأعمال، ولماذا يرى أن المطبخ المصري لا يزال مليئًا بالجواهر الخفية. كما يكشف كيف أصبح الطعام وسيلته لرواية القصص والتواصل مع الناس—ولماذا يؤمن أن لا شيء مستحيل.
الحلقة برعاية كارت فاليو مسبق الدفع
11 Jan 2025
Kesmat El Mehelmy: How Hard Work and Loss Shaped Her Success in the Restaurant World
Hard work is the key to her success, and her ability to ignore people’s discouraging words helped her build a remarkable name in the culinary world. Kesmat El Mehelmy was driven every day by the loss of her father, striving to honor his name and make her children proud of her. She is a character who treats her employees with humanity, even those who might not deserve it.
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الاجتهاد هو مفتاح نجاحها وعدم سماعها لكلام الناس واحباطتهم عمل اسم كبير في عالم الطبخ، قسمت المهلمي اللي كان بيحركها كل يوم عشان تشتغل انها فقدت والدها وكانت عايزه تستحق انها شايله اسمه صح وان ولادها يكونوا فخورين بيها، شخصية بتعامل موظفينها بشكل انساني حتى لو فيهم وحش
الحلقة براعية كارت فاليو مسبق الدفع
12 Dec 2024
Chef Moustafa ElRifai turned his love for his grandmother‘s food into one of the most successful global Egyptian food chains while changing the perception around Egyptian food
In the first episode of Season 2, we hear the story of Chef Mostafa ElRefai, co-founder and executive chef of Zooba. Mostafa started his journey studying psychology in the U.S., yet discovered his true passion working at a simple Italian restaurant. He began by washing dishes and, over time, learned from the Italian chefs until he became a professional.
Chef Mostafa ElRefai’s success is deeply connected to Zooba, the restaurant chain that has become a destination for lovers of authentic Egyptian food around the world. Although, he began his career studying psychology, his passion for cooking led him into the restaurant world, where he and his team created a unique vision serving Egyptian street food with a modern and innovative twist.
In 2012, Chef Mostafa founded Zooba with a new vision: offering street food with global quality and innovative flavors. Today, Zooba is not only one of the best restaurants in Egypt but has expanded internationally with branches in New York, Riyadh, Kuwait and Bahrain, and it ranks 9th on "The MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants" list.
Learn more about Chef Mostafa’s journey, how he turned his love for his grandmother’s cooking into a successful global business, and how he transformed the concept of Egyptian street food into something truly remarkable.
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اتعرفوا على تفاصيل رحلة مصطفى الرفاعي، إزاي حول شغفه لأكل جدته لمشروع ناجح عالمي، وقدر يغير مفهوم الأكل الشعبي المصري للأفضل.
الحلقة براعية كارت فاليو مسبق الدفع
في الحلقة الأولى من السيزون التاني، بنسمع قصة الشيف مصطفى الرفاعي، الشريك المؤسس لسلسلة مطاعم زووبا - Zooba.
بدأ مصطفى رحلته بدراسة علم النفس في أمريكا، لكنه لقى شغفه الحقيقي في المطبخ لما اشتغل في مطعم إيطالي بسيط. بدأ بغسل الأطباق، واتعلم من الشيفات يوم بعد يوم لحد ما بقى شيف محترف.
قصة نجاح مصطفى الرفاعي ترتبط ارتباطًا وثيقًا بسلسلة مطاعم "زووبا - Zooba"،
التي أصبحت وجهة لعشاق الطعام المصري الأصيل حول العالم. بدأ مصطفى مسيرته بدراسة علم النفس، لكن شغفه بالطهي قاده إلى عالم المطاعم، حيث أسس مع فريقه رؤية فريدة من نوعها لتقديم أطباق مطبخ الشارع المصري بأسلوب عصري ومبتكر.
في 2012، أسس مصطفى زووبا برؤية جديدة: تقديم أكل الشارع المصري بجودة عالمية ونكهات مبتكرة. النهارده، زووبا مش بس من أفضل المطاعم في مصر، لكنه كمان وصل للعالمية بفروع في نيويورك والرياض، وحصل على المركز التاسع في تصنيف MENA’s 50 Best.
اتعرفوا على تفاصيل رحلة مصطفى، إزاي حول شغفه لأكل جدته لمشروع ناجح عالمي، وقدر يغير مفهوم الأكل الشعبي المصري للأفضل.
الحلقة براعية كارت فاليو مسبق الدفع
4 Jul 2024
F&B tycoon Mario Haddad from investing in 18 restaurants across 5 countries to cinema production
Coming from a movie distribution family empire, Mario started off with a Sushi place in Beirut about 18 years ago and today owns 18 restaurants across 5 countries! The challenges and the customers he faces in Lebanon then Egypt and UAE are extremely different yet he finds his way through failures and success. Get the best tips from his experience.
6 May 2024
Dr. Mennat ElDorry on the history of food in Egypt and stories from Ancient Egypt
The history of food is a large part of heritage today... it explains how we eat, what we eat and why certain dishes are prepared in a certain way.
4 Apr 2024
Female Chef Mirette Aly on Entrepreneurship & Kitchen Life
At Bilhana Foodspaces, we dive into guests life with food. Mirette Aly is a female chef in the busy Lemon Tree & Co. fleet of restaurants between Cairo, Gouna and Athens. She tells us about working with her beloved husband and the acting career she left for the kitchen.
4 Mar 2024
Khufu Exec Chef Mostafa Seif on award-winning restaurant
At Bilhana Foodspaces we dive into guests life with food. This time we interview Executive Chef Mostafa Seif who started working on a liver cart and ended up winning awards for Egypt's number 1 Egyptian food restaurant with the world's ancient wonder as its backdrop, the Great Pyramids of Giza.
24 Jan 2024
Trailer of Season 1 Episode 1 with Chef Mostafa Seif
Chef Mostafa Seif's journey from a liver street cart in Zeitoun, Cairo to becoming the executive chef of Egypt's most elite fine dining restaurant with the iconic view of the Pyramids.
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