lifestyle and culture

Known for its contemporary take on modern gastronomy, Chef Heinz Beck’s culinary artistry brings fine Italian dining to Dubai as he transforms simple ingredients into highly evocative dishes.The world-renowned, three-star Michelin Chef Heinz Beck, has created a remarkable reputation in the Middle East as well as he continues to innovate in the world of food. Emirates Woman sat down with the chef to discuss his journey and on what inspired him to start Social by Heinz Beck.Where does your love of food come from?Everything comes from a youthful passion, to tell the truth, I really liked painting and the arts in general. As things often happen in life, you find new and similar emotions that seem very different but they are not so much. With regard to my everyday work, I think about creativity or imagination as a way that every Chef and painter must apply when they do their work.How did the opportunity to open a restaurant in Dubai come about?The opportunity was offered to Beck & Maltese consulting, the company me and my wife founded by the Waldorf Astoria brand that I thank because they gave us the possibility to confront ourselves with a different culture very rich in historical tradition and ideas.How does the food and beverage industry in Dubai differ from other places around the world? Dubai has a deep tradition regarding the F&B industry and I’m very respectful of it. Anyway, the globalisation has now made the market very homogeneous so we have to focus on our creativity and personality.Are there any other chefs who inspire you?Inspirations come from our experiences and our daily life, I certainly observe the world of many illustrious colleagues of mine and I respect them but I always try to keep my proposals original.What are some hurdles that you’ve experienced in your career?I think that in each activity there are some difficulties, we must be ready to solve the unexpected by involving all the resources we have available.What are some of the proudest moments?In our profession, we go “on stage” every time we offer our dishes to our guests, I believe that their satisfaction represents the best recognition to feel proud of. In any cash prizes and acknowledgements are always another great proud moment that motivates me and all my staff to do our best and to improve every single day.What do you love about what you do?Everything! Thanks to my job, I have the chance to travel a lot and to learn something new every day.What’s next for Social by Heinz Beck?In this year of great difficulties, especially due to COVID-19, the vision of the future is complex, however, we will certainly put our commitment to do everything at the maximum of our possibilities to maintain the high standards that has made Social the reality it is. Today, more than ever we have to focus on the healthy aspect of food, while we are continually working to make our dishes light and rich in nutrients. For more information or to make a reservation visit waldorfastoria.com , Social by Heinz Beck is located in Waldorf Astoria Dubai, Palm Jumeirah and is open every day from 6:30pm to 10:30pm. – For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and InstagramFeature image: Supplied More

March’s – ‘The Wellness Issue’ – Download Now The modern way to track your health is data-driven with the latest in tech. Apple is always a step ahead of the game says Dr. Tamara Ghazi, Founder of Diversified Integrated Sports ClinicWhat do your first 30 mins of the day look like, your morning routine?I usually wake up between 5:30-6:30 am depending on the day, its coffee and out the door to the activity of the day! I don’t give myself time to procrastinate; I love to train in the morning as it fuels my high energy and strong mindset for the day, especially at this time of the year when I run a lot and spend most of my mornings outdoors by the beach or around the city. It also ensures I’m tired enough by nightfall and helps to regulate my sleep pattern.What are the most important things to track when it comes to health and overall wellness?Movement is one of the most important things to track. We live in a fast-paced city with easy accessibility to most things and people here don’t move enough. I love tracking movement, heart rate and sleep, which is one of the most important parts of recovery and performance! How do you track your health on a daily basis?I track how many kilometers I’ve run and if I’m taking the day off exercise I ensure I get at least 10,000 steps a day. I also love to challenge my friends through community features on my Apple Watch to ensure they are also moving. I track my food and water intake because it’s so easy to under hydrate or over consume when everything is so accessible and I love to track my sleep! This also helps me understand how to schedule my day and holds me accountable; I won’t settle for anything less than 7 hours and if I’m pressured to sleep less due to obligations I make sure to train with less intensity to avoid injuries.How has tracking this allowed you to optimize your health by changing your habits?Definitely learning to create and prioritize a sleep routine has been the biggest shift I’ve had which helps me perform and recover better. Sleep is also key to wellness – is this something you monitor and what have you noticed?So many people suffer from insomnia nowadays, which has been shown to be attributed to too much screen time and overstimulating the brain through blue light. Of course, sleep is a crucial factor in maintaining good health and for optimum recovery and performance. I tend to use the Wind Down feature on my iPhone and Apple Watch to help me stick to my sleep goals every night. When it’s getting close to my bedtime, my iPhone automatically reduces the distractions and eye strain linked to the device and enables Do Not Disturb. It’s all about habit and creating routine, and I found this feature to be especially useful to get me to relax and prepare myself for a good night sleep.For people interested in understanding their sleep better, I would advise the use of an Apple Watch and ‘Sleep’ app which give you access to key metrics including Time in Bed, Time Asleep, and Heart Rate. ‘Wellness is finding yourself and your happiness.’What has been the biggest hurdle since launching Diversified Integrated Sports Clinic and how did you overcome it?Managing people and finding the right team who share the same work ethic, integrity and vision. It’s in my nature to make people happy, but I’ve learnt that it cannot come at the expense of one’s own happiness and peace of mind.  My work is my life, and it’s a big part of who I am, but I really focus on trying to achieve a work/ life balance, finding my purpose and happiness outside of work, which I’ve found in an active and healthy living. It allows me to be a role model to my team and my patients. What health issues do you see most commonly at the clinic?We treat musculoskeletal pain, so a lot of neck and back pain due to lack of movement, poor posture and ergonomics or over chronic repetitive loading of certain joints due to lack of movement variation. Contrary to what our name might suggest, we see more sedentary lifestyle related injuries in the working and ageing population. We also see a lot of stress- related tension inducing injuries and chronic pain.What advice would you give to your younger self, starting out?Live more in the now, stop worrying about what people think and focus on what makes you happy. I also wish I started my health journey when I was much younger, rather than when I was in my mid 20s. It would have definitely balanced and grounded me a lot more. I’ve recently taken up more adrenaline induced sports and as an adult you have more fear which can be good but also slows down your progression! Life happens outside your comfort zone.Which piece of tech is your daily go-to when it comes to health optimization?My go-to daily tech would have to be my Apple Watch. It wasn’t always the case, but over time I kept discovering new and convenient features that made me appreciate it more. For starters, it’s my health, fitness, and wellness partner. It lets me keep track of my goals and pushes me to improve them with time. Being within the health and fitness industry, I also love the fact that people within my network can share their workout progress with me and vice versa. That can be very motivating. And it’s very practical, it keeps me connected while I run through my busy work schedule without losing focus from my patients.This issue is ‘The Wellness Issue’ – what is wellness to you?To me wellness is holistic; knowing what works for your best interest and your best performance in every aspect of your life from your job to the gym, to your social structure. It’s finding your balance, between your personal life, your physical and mental health, being able to catch yourself when you’re not at your optimal state and recognizing what you need to bring yourself back to homeostasis. Wellness is finding yourself and your happiness in this beautiful journey of life.March’s – ‘The Wellness Issue’ – Download Now– For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and InstagramFeature image: Unsplash @lukechesser More

Welcome to EW‘s weekly series ‘How I got my job as…’ where we speak to some incredible entrepreneurs and businesswomen both based in the UAE and globally to find out about their career paths led them to where they are now; what their daily routines look like; the advice they’d give to those starting out; and the hurdles they’ve had to overcome.This week we chat with the co-founder, partner and general manager of Oblong Gallery, Paola MarucciBased in Bluewaters Dubai, the gallery is involved in promoting contemporary art, operating both locally and on the international art platform.EW sat down with Marucci to find out more about her career history, what brought her to Dubai and her passion for art.What was your favourite subject at school?I have done classical studies studying Greek and Latin, as well as Italian literature and art history but I have always been attracted to economics and mathematics.In fact, after my classical studies, my university career was economics and commerce.Over the years I have been able to combine these various elements that have distinguished my school and study path, making the passion for art a managerial activityWhat was your first job?My first job was consulting for corporate start-ups. Now some may wonder what link a consultancy activity has for business projects and the activity of gallery owner well the answer is as follows: creativity.Analyzing and building the business plan of a new company develops great creativity in analyzing the various aspects involved in the projectWhat inspired you to go into the art industry?Living in Pietrasanta for over 20 years I began to cultivate even more my passion for art. Visiting the marble artisan workshops, the Bronze Foundries, attending all the inaugurations of the countless art exhibitions that followed each other in Pietrasanta, knowing and attending all the major contemporary artists was born my indissoluble love for art that then materialized in the opening at first of the gallery in Forte dei Marmi, secondary to that of Dubai.What eventually brought you to Dubai?I had been in Dubai on holiday many years ago and fell in love with it. Later I decided to open the gallery in Dubai both because I believe that the Middle East is an expanding market. And because I love betting and my dream is to integrate our culture more with that of the Middle East favouring a transfer of experience between the two countries. Art is the instrument that allows achieving full integration between peoples.Can you talk us through what inspired you to open your own gallery?In addition to being an art lover, I am an entrepreneur and as such always attracted by new challengesWhat are the key elements of your role?My role as a Partner and General Manager involves different aspects, from the choice of artists to promote on the market, to the management of events, sales and administrative issues. I mean, I don’t have much time to get bored.Talk us through your daily routine.My daily routine is to always think about how to develop our business and evolve.What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?The advice I can give is that you have to be very courageous and believe in what you are doing even if everything seems to suggest that you have to give up.What is the best piece of advice you ever received?The best advice I generally always get from my husband who is like me a fighter and who always manages to encourage me and give me so much strength to carry on my choices with determination.What has been the biggest challenge you had to overcome?The biggest change was to go from a simple partner of a gallery in Dubai to General Manager, with all the logistical difficulties that have resulted living in Italy, a wonderful challenge and that fills me with satisfactionWhat are your goals for 2021?My goals are to make Oblong Contemporary Gallery a reference on the Emirati territory for the purchase of sculptures, our peculiarity, and to achieve the goal of creating a cultural bridge between Italy and the UAE.– For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and InstagramImages: Supplied More

Supermodels Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid often express how proud they are of their Middle Eastern heritage.Their father, Mohamed Hadid, is Palestinian and is passionate about his culture and has instilled this in his children too.Recently, the property tycoon opened up about his five children – Alana and Marielle Hadid from his first marriage and Gigi, Bella and Anwar from his second marriage to Yolanda Hadid – and revealed the Arabic names of all of them.Per Turkey-based newspaper the Daily Sabah, Hadid had been on a visit to Istanbul and prayed in the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque and the Blue Mosque.Talking about his four daughters, Hadid elaborated of their Arabic names.“Marielle’s name is Zayn, Alana’s name is Amal,” Hadid said. “Gigi’s name is Noura and Bella’s name is Khairiah.” Meanwhile, his son Anwar is named after his father, Mohamed Anwar.Interestingly, model Gigi and her boyfriend Zayn Malik gave their newborn daughter an Arabic name – Khai. Not only is Khai a beautiful name, but there’s also a truly special meaning behind the moniker.Khai means “crowned”, “the chosen one” or “strong” in some Arabic terms and dialects. The name was also chosen as it pays tribute to her late grandmother, Khairia, on Mohamed Hadid’s side of the family, according to TMZ.Hadid has previously claimed his late mother descended from royalty. “Her great grandfather was the Prince of Nazareth – King of Galilee in the 18th century Daher Al-Omer The Ruler,” he previously said.– For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and InstagramImages: Gigi Hadid Instagram More

This time last year, Dubai and the rest of the world were heading into citywide lockdowns. One of the most affected industries as a result of the lockdown was the F&B industry.As a culinary haven, known for its plethora of incredible eateries, Dubai’s restaurant scene was turned on its head.Around the same time of the outbreak of coronavirus, Roka Dubai opened its doors – definitely unfortunate timing. However, one year on, Roka is thriving amongst the heart of Business Bay, despite the continued restrictions.In fact, following the restaurant’s introduction to the Middle East, Roka, which is known for its traditional Japanese Robatayaki concept of cooking, is set to expand its offerings in the GCC.It was announced earlier this month Roka is set to open its doors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this summer. Furthering its expansion in the GCC, Roka will also open in Kuwait in autumn 2021 in the country’s first Waldorf Astoria.Commenting on the exciting partnership, Chief Executive Officer of Mabanee, Waleed Alsharian said: “We are very pleased to be bringing the exceptional and renowned ROKA restaurant to Kuwait.”“Mabanee strives to create unique experiences for its customers, a vision that is embedded in our values as well as all projects we develop,” he added. “We believe this is an ideal partnership that will add value to the prestigious Waldorf Astoria Kuwait, soon to be opening its doors this autumn.”Roka embraces the traditional Japanese Robatayaki concept of cooking originating from the fishermen of the northern coastal waters of Japan, this popular fine-dining encompasses an industrial style as it’s located in London and Dubai.With its flagship restaurant located in London and now Dubai, with soon-to-be venues in Saudi and Kuwait, Roka has hero dishes including dishes such as the flaming grill include kankoku fu kohitsuji which is lamb cutlets with Korean spices and sesame cucumber to kampachi sashimi no salada including yellowtail sashimi, yuzu-truffle dressing, a dish made famously in London, the menu is full of delectable created with authentic ingredients.– For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and InstagramImages: Supplied More