Life

With the love for avocados increasing year after year due to the food’s ample health benefits and delicious taste, the fruit has become a staple in almost every dish.
Dubai now has its very own café – with all things avocado. From burger buns to smoothies, this special ingredient is a part of every dish in a unique format adding its own flair.

Say hello to Avocadolicious which has now opened its doors in Umm Sequim, next to Kite beach, with fun and innovative dishes including popsicles.

The hero ingredient, which is sometimes known as alligator pear, comes in all shapes and sizes in this region, be it a savoury snack or a dessert.
Starting from a humble abode in Global Village as a kiosk, the concept quickly gained popularity and a café this year was born, making it a home-grown concept.
After seeing the vast popularity of avocado cafes in cities such as New York, the same theme was started to bring the same joy to the people of this emirate.
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Feature Image: Instagram @avocadolicious More

Bella Hadid often shows how proud she is of her Palestinian heritage, which is where her father, Mohamed Hadid, was born.
To mark his birthday, the model shared a heartfelt Instagram post about her father, as well as paying tribute to her Palestinian heritage, sharing a series of photos with her dad.

“Happy birthday to my baba,” she said. “I always loved to be with you.”

The supermodel also shared a photo of herself with Mohamed, 72, in the kitchen, reflecting on her Palestinian roots and cooking with her father
“I love learning how to cook Palestinian food with you,” she said. “Thank you for teaching me about our culture. I love Palestine and you so much.
“Your roots will forever be intertwined within our family line. It’s my favourite part about us.”
Earlier this year the 24-year-old opened up about how proud she was to have Palestinian roots, but the post was subsequently removed from Instagram for supposedly “violating their community guidelines”.

However, the social media platform realised this was a mistake admitting the “content shouldn’t have been removed” and also apologised to the supermodel for the mistake.
More recently, Mohamed reflected on his childhood hardships having to flee his home country when he was just a baby, and becoming a refugee along with his other family members.
Sharing a picture from his younger years, the property tycoon explained that he doesn’t have “a single picture of me [as] when I was a baby I was just about 9 days old when I and my family were refugees to the refugee camps in Syria from Palestine”.
He shared his thanks to Syria, Lebanon and Tunisia and most of all Jordan, where he and his family received Jordanian citizenship many years ago.
He also shared his gratitude for being able to relocate to the USA with his family.
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Images: Bella Hadid Instagram More

While the world of work has profoundly been impacted by the novel coronavirus this year, the UAE community is standing together with their little acts of kindness to share moments of positivity in the country.
While recruiting amid the pandemic can be quite tricky, Spice Grill located in Al Majaz Waterfront in Sharjah opened its doors on October 24 becoming a ray of hope by stepping in, by hiring those that have been specifically made redundant due to COVID-19.

Discussing the selfless move to help people get back on their feet, owners Christine Caringal-Melad and Lourds Adalia-Evertse explained they wanted to “set an example and lead an initiative to other business owners”.
“The UAE has done a great job on protecting and prioritising our safety during this pandemic,” they explained. “As a genuine gesture of giving back to the community, let’s prioritise employing those who lost their jobs.”

With a seating area of 300 diners both indoors and outdoors, the newly-opened restaurant has already hired around 17 competent candidates and wants to provide more opportunities for more people in the future
Emirates Woman recently sat down with owners Caringal-Melad and Adalia-Evertse, founders of Spice Grill, to see how they are managing to give back to the community during these trying times.

What are the key challenges that you faced while opening this year?
COVID-19 has pushed back all of our plans, we were supposed to open our restaurant in April but it was delayed to October 2020. All came to standstill due to pandemic and we heavily experienced challenges such movement restrictions in the UAE due to lockdown and we had to pause construction that led to a further delay in opening. Not to mention the fear if we will be able to pick up since F&B is one of the hardest hit by the pandemic.
Have you noticed a growing trend in deliveries amid the pandemic?
Yes, as most people are frightened and reluctant to go out. This resulted in increased home delivery demand. However, despite the sudden change in F&B demand pattern, it is of human behaviour that we see the need of having to socialise with others provided that safety precaution measures are in place which is the number one priority across not just the food industry but all establishments and individuals.
How many staff members have you hired so far and how many do you wish to do so in the foreseeable future?
We currently have 17 team members and we are aiming to hire the next batch of skilled individuals giving preference to those who were affected by COVID-19. We are optimistic that we will be able to do this once the restaurant becomes busy given that we are already approaching nice weather in the gulf.
Around how many applications were received when you made the announcement of hiring?
We interviewed around 200 applicants during the hiring process. We have carefully selected those who have qualities, skills and good attitude to be part of Spice Grill family.
It’s a really special move you’ve made – what was the driving force behind helping those who have been made redundant?
We ourselves have been affected by the pandemic too. During our earlier discussions, we thought of things on how we can make a difference despite these trying times. We have genuinely prioritized those applicants who lost their jobs and give hope to people during this pandemic.

What has been the reaction from staff members you have hired and from the clientele you have attracted since opening?
All our team members who had almost lost hope when they got redundant felt so blessed and thankful that they have found new jobs to support their families back home.
As from our clientele’s point of view, they were truly moved and touched by our story, and the word of mouth is spreading. It has always been our values that in these simple ways, we have managed to make a difference and gave hope during this crisis.
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After entering the world of golf in 2017, Jasmine, better known as ‘The Jazzy Golfer’ has induced a fresh hint of energy into the sport with her newfound passion for the game. After quickly establishing a loyal fanbase, she has been committed to the game since April 2019 while levering into a full-time content creator specializing in golf while managing key partnerships.
Emirates Woman discussed all of this and more with Jasmine when including the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic, which recently took place in Dubai, and is part of a professional golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour shines a light on women’s golf.
How did you get into golf?

I was introduced to the game a few years ago on a family holiday in Portugal. Bored of driving the buggy around they told me to ‘give it a go’, so I did! Having played lots of sports as a youngster I thought, “How hard could this be?” Well, it turns out it was pretty difficult! However, after hitting most of my shots in the water and taking chunks out of the course, I hit that ‘one clean shot’ and I was totally hooked. So, like a typical millennial, I went online to find someone to look up to and learn from but realised there wasn’t really anyone showcasing the young, beginner females perspective so, ‘The Jazzy Golfer’ was born!
What were your first experiences of the sport?
After being in and around the golf club environment, I began to encounter quite a few obstacles and saw the games’ shortcomings in welcoming and nurturing new players, especially women and juniors. I absolutely loved the challenge of the sport and playing it was so much more fun than I had ever expected (as many people still see it as a boring, old, white man sport) so it felt like a shame that the culture didn’t reflect how fun the game was or do it justice. In all the sports I’ve played, I’d never felt so much of an outsider as I had in golf and realised this really wasn’t right and felt compelled to do my bit to change this. I started speaking out online and creating conversation about such topics as: some clubs not allowing female members, men-only areas (yes, these still exist in 2020!), women not allowed on the course at the weekends and the lack of coverage and purse sizes of the women’s game.

How did you make golf your career?
After speaking out about my experiences and documenting my journey, my content was incredibly well-received and seemed to be well-needed as I amassed over 30,000 followers on social media in a short space of time and started to be asked to join certain golfing projects. Fast forward 2 years, what started as a passion project alongside my full-time job as a Treasury Consultant at PwC had gotten to a point where the demand for my time to support such great causes outweighed the days of holiday I had left so I ended up taking the bold step of handing in my notice and this is now my full-time job!
Where has this great career taken you?
To date, I’ve putted with Tiger Woods, played golf with Rory McIlroy, Sir Nick Faldo, Michelle Wie, Azahara Munoz, Tommy Fleetwood, many excellent well-known and up and coming female pros on the LET, presented for both the men’s and women’s European Tours, been a member of the R&A panel for the Women In Golf Charter launch and many more. I was also lucky enough to be the official presenter for Visit Scotland at last years’ Solheim Cup which was one of the biggest highlights of my career to date. However, the greatest buzz I still get is seeing the impact it has had on the people who I enjoy playing golf with and interacting with the most: the women and juniors I have set out to bring into the game. The greatest feeling is getting feedback from young fans who have given the sport a go and find me to say thank you. When I worked with Niall Horan at one of his golf companies’ events in Ireland, 4 junior girls came over and asked for a photo, all wearing Jazzy leggings because they’d seen my content!

What would say needs to change in the sport for women and what do you hope to see happen in golf in the future?
The culture of sexism remains quite apparent in many clubs and at some clubs, females are still restricted to what times they can play and peak or ‘preferred’ tee times are reserved for men. Rules like this need to be eradicated completely so that women feel as much a part of a golf club as men. I’d also like to see a wider range of offerings in terms of equipment, clothing and golf breaks – women seem to be a bit of an afterthought in this sport and we need equal consideration in the aforementioned categories. I’d especially ask that equipment and clothing isn’t all pink, not all women love pink! Women’s golf (and women’s sport in general) needs a lot more coverage and I’d encourage all media outlets to go the extra mile to showcase just how exceptionally talented female pros can be. As I say, ‘if you can’t see it, you can’t be it’ so to encourage more juniors to look up to these women and to perhaps want to follow in their footsteps, we need make sure their stories are put out there!
What is it like playing golf in Dubai and how does golf here differ from other places in the world?
I’ve only played a few rounds so far in Dubai, but the real variety of golf clubs out here is such an appeal. The courses are always in such immaculate condition and the service at every single club I’ve been to is second to none. Having the Dubai skyline as a backdrop is a grand, spectacular sight and a real bonus to any round of golf! I also played my first round of night golf here in Dubai and I absolutely love it! It’s such a fun and different concept to anything else we have back in the UK and I can’t get enough!
What have you most enjoyed about being part of the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic so far?
It’s incredible to think that I’m involved with such a prestigious event that’s been going on for 14 years! It’s only Tuesday so the event hasn’t kicked off yet but yesterday we spent the day behind the scenes and filming with a prize winner. Omega did a great competition where they encouraged people to tag a friend who deserved their Time To Shine. Our lucky winner Zania, nominated by her friend Yana, was surprised with a video call from Dame Laura Davies herself, a lesson from Solheim Cup superstar Celine Boutier, some customized Titleist wedges AND signed items from world-famous players Lydia Ko and Rory McIlroy. To be a part of that and really give back to female golf in that way was a huge privilege and it’s given Zania the inspiration and boost to continue to pursue her desired career of being a pro on the LPGA!
What is your mission from now?
My mission now is to document my journey in lowering my handicap whilst showcasing the fun and interesting side of the sport as well as increasing recognition of the role, importance and benefits of more women and juniors being encouraged to this great game. And, of course, providing a much-needed Jazzing-Up of how the game is portrayed and perceived!
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Images: Supplied More