The Chef JKP Podcast

Send us a textSeason 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 Collins, for an unfiltered year-end conversation on everything that shaped hospitality, dining, and food culture in 2025.From Michelin milestones and major restaurant openings to media responsibility, service standards, awards fatigue, and the reality behind hype, this episode captures the mood of the industry at a moment of reflection. It is personal, honest, occasionally controversial, and deeply rooted in lived experience.Courtney shares a landmark year that included working with the world’s first three Michelin starred Indian restaurant, stepping into beverage culture, and witnessing how global recognition reshapes local pride. Liam reflects on his second year as a father, writing with more intention, and how Dubai continues to evolve from an importer of talent into an exporter of culinary identity.Together, they unpack what truly matters right now. Community over noise. Consistency over spectacle. Thoughtful growth over rushed expansion. And why hospitality still begins and ends with people.This festive special moves effortlessly between industry insight and personal storytelling, touching on Michelin, 50 Best, Tatler, food halls, service culture, PR ethics, neighbourhood dining, underrepresented cuisines, and what 2026 might bring.A conversation that feels like being invited back to the table with family.WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE• The biggest hospitality moments of 2025• Michelin stars, losses, and what they still mean today• Media responsibility and the misuse of “Michelin” language• Why community-led dining is winning over hype• The rise of neighbourhood restaurants and food hubs• Service culture and what truly defines great hospitality• Underrepresented cuisines and where the real innovation lies• PR, influencers, and credibility in modern food media• Festive food memories, traditions, and industry realities• Predictions and hopes for hospitality in 2026CHAPTERS00:00 Festive welcome and setting the tone02:10 A year in review for Courtney and Liam05:30 Family, food memories, and life beyond work12:40 Michelin moments and historic milestones21:30 Awards, recognition, and industry maturity32:20 Openings, closures, and where the market is shifting45:10 PR, media ethics, and inflated expectations58:30 Service culture and what guests truly remember72:40 Community dining, food halls, and neighbourhood growth88:00 Underrepresented cuisines and future opportunities102:10 Predictions for 2026114:30 Festive reflections and gratitude for hospitality teams120:00 Closing thoughts and Christmas wishesPROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY POTATOES USAPotatoes USA represents America’s potato growers and champions chefs, home cooks, and food lovers across the world. From nutrition to creativity, they continue to show why the potato remains one of the most versatile and essential ingredients in every kitchen.Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/potatogoodnessgcc/Websitehttps://www.potatogoodnessgcc.com/FOLLOW THE GUESTSCourtney BrandtInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/_courtneybrandt_/Liam CollinsInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/itsliamcollens/FOLLOW CHEF JKPInstagramhttps:/Support the showFollow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE

Send us a textSeason 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 experiential agency that has helped shape some of the region’s most influential restaurant and hotel launches.Georgie’s journey moves from early years in theatre and media to studying culture, storytelling, and communication, before building a career across events, PR, and brand strategy. In 2010, she founded Katch in memory of her late sister, grounding the agency in values of honesty, craft, and emotional connection.Today, Katch operates across the UK, UAE, and Saudi Arabia, working behind the scenes on hospitality brands, global restaurant groups, and landmark openings including Atlantis The Royal.This conversation explores what PR really means in modern hospitality. From storytelling and brand positioning to influencer culture, restaurant launches, reintroductions, and why food, consistency, and people matter more than hype.What You Will Hear in This Episode• Childhood memories and early creative influences• Theatre, media, and learning to work behind the scenes• Studying culture, storytelling, and communication• Founding Katch in memory of her sister• Lessons from events and wedding planning• What PR actually means in hospitality today• Influencers, critics, and brand credibility• Launching and reintroducing restaurants in the Middle East• Building loyal teams and strong company culture• Advice for hospitality brands and creativesChapters00:00 Introduction and welcome05:20 Childhood and creative foundations12:40 Theatre, media, and storytelling21:10 Founding Katch and personal purpose32:00 Events, weddings, and hospitality lessons45:30 What PR really means today58:40 Influencers, critics, and credibility72:20 Reintroducing restaurants to the market88:10 Team culture and leadership102:30 Closing reflections and adviceProudly Brought to You by Potatoes USAPotatoes USA represents America’s potato growers and inspires chefs, home cooks, and food lovers everywhere. From nutrition to creativity, they show why the humble potato remains one of the most powerful ingredients in every kitchen.Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/potatogoodnessgcc/Websitehttps://www.potatogoodnessgcc.comFollow Georgie Woollam EdwardsInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/georgiewoollams/Follow Katch InternationalInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/katch_int/Websitehttps://katchinternational.com/Follow Chef JKPInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/chefjkppodcastLinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/james-knight-paccheco-447b1b17TikTokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@jamesknightpacchecoSupport the showFollow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE

Send us a textSeason 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 between home-cooked food, travel, music and skateboarding. Cooking was not the plan until it became the only thing that made sense.From culinary school in London to the demanding Michelin kitchens of New York, Alex built his career inside some of the most intense brigades in the world. He trained under Alain Ducasse teams, worked alongside Helene Darroze, developed his own creative identity at Caviar Russe, and later took the helm at The Greenhouse in London before opening his namesake restaurant at Hotel Cafe Royal.Today, Alex Dilling at Hotel Cafe Royal holds two Michelin stars awarded just six months after opening and has become one of London’s most precise, technique-driven and emotionally honest dining rooms.This conversation opens up the world behind fine dining, leadership, creativity, the realities of pressure, and the craft behind dishes that take years to understand and seconds to enjoy.What You Will Hear in This Episode• Growing up between the UK and California• Early food memories with his mother and grandfather• Punk bands, skateboarding and choosing cooking late• Culinary school, externships and finding French classics• Moving to New York with no job and entering Michelin culture• Training under Ducasse and running sections at 21• Creative freedom and earning a Michelin star at Caviar Russe• Becoming head chef for Helene Darroze at The Connaught at 28• Leadership, pressure and the realities of managing big teams• Rebuilding The Greenhouse and shaping his identity• Opening Alex Dilling at Cafe Royal• Achieving two Michelin stars in six months• Menu development, technique and perfectionism• Why collaboration fuels growth• His Bangkok project and global work• Advice for young chefs entering fine diningChapters00:00 Introduction and welcome to the episode04:00 Childhood across London and California08:00 Music, skateboarding and teenage years12:00 Family cooks and early food memories18:00 Culinary school and discovering French technique23:00 Moving to New York with no job lined up26:00 Entering Ducasse kitchens and learning intensity33:00 Creative freedom and a Michelin star at Caviar Russe40:00 Becoming head chef for Helene Darroze48:00 Leadership, pressure and managing a brigade55:00 The Greenhouse and redefining French cuisine67:00 Opening Alex Dilling at Cafe Royal78:00 Earning two Michelin stars in six months87:00 Collaborating with Albert Adria102:00 Bangkok project and a new chapter112:00 Advice for young chefs and closing reflectionsProudly Brought to You by Potatoes USAPotatoes USA represents America’s potato growers and inspires chefs, home cooks and food lovers everywhere. From nutrition to creativity, they show why the humble potato remains one of the most powerful ingredients in every kitchen.Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/potatogoodnessgcc/Websitehttps://www.potatogoodnessgcc.comFollow Alex DillingInstagram (Personal)https://www.instagram.com/adills1/Restauranthttps://www.instagram.com/alexdillingcaferoyal/LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-dilling-b658b295/Follow Chef JKPInstagramhttps://www.instagraSupport the showFollow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE

Send us a textSeason 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, seafood dinners, a deli, an ice cream shop and a childhood built around menus, ingredients, cost control and hospitality. Her earliest memories were not hobbies or weekend activities. They were food memories.She later studied music, moved to France, learned language and culture, and discovered how food reflects a place long before she learned it professionally. What she did not expect was that this curiosity would eventually lead her across borders, governments and global industries.Victoria built her career in international trade and marketing, working between the US and Canada before moving to Dubai in 2007. What started as a temporary opportunity became the foundation of a company that now supports agriculture boards, global brands and regional retailers across the Middle East.Today she runs GMA Marketing Management between New Jersey and Dubai. Her work connects farmers to markets, governments to businesses, chefs to ingredients and consumers to better understanding what they are buying. She has helped shape how products like US potatoes are positioned in the region, why education matters and how food can be used as a bridge between cultures.Her story is honest, ambitious and full of the lessons that come from building something from scratch in a region that changes every year.This conversation opens up the world behind trade, marketing, agriculture and the people who make global food systems function.What You Will Hear in This Episode• Growing up in a family restaurant across breakfast, lunch and dinner• How Russian heritage and French influence shaped her palate• Moving to France at 18 and discovering food through culture• Entering trade, marketing and cross-border business development• How Canada and the US built strong food trade relationships• Why she moved to Dubai and started her own company• How GMA helps global brands enter the GCC market• The education gap around potatoes and why it matters• Understanding fresh, frozen and dehydrated potatoes• How US agriculture boards work behind the scenes• Why food and trade are powerful tools for peace• How she works with governments, retailers and chefs• Her mission to connect cultures through food• Advice for young marketers and women entering the industryChapters00:00 Introduction and welcome to the episode04:00 Childhood inside a family restaurant08:00 Lessons from chaos, hospitality and family business12:00 Russian heritage and early food memories18:00 Studying in France and discovering culture23:00 Returning to the US and shifting into international relations26:00 Entering global trade and marketing33:00 Moving to Dubai and starting a new professional chapter40:00 How the Potatoes USA partnership began48:00 Educating chefs and the region about potatoes55:00 Fresh, frozen and dehydrated potato insights67:00 Trade shows, government meetings and culinary training78:00 Why food diplomacy matters87:00 Trade, peace and building cultural understanding102:00 The future of GMA and Victoria’s advice to young talentProudly Brought to You by Potatoes USAPotatoes USA represents America’s potato growers and inspires chefs, home cooks and food lovers everywhere. From nutrition to creativity, tSupport the showFollow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE

Send us a textSeason 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 kitchen. Big salads, olive oil, Friday breakfasts, and long family tables. Those early moments became the foundation of her palate and the way she understands flavor.Her path was never straight. She studied business, tried multiple careers, moved cities, felt lost, and often doubted herself. But writing, photography, and a quiet pull toward food kept finding their way back to her. From Amman to Montreal to Paris to San Francisco, each chapter pushed her closer to the work she was meant to do.A blog she started one summer opened doors. Teaching herself photography opened more. A chance introduction in San Francisco led her into a food tech startup where she built content, tested recipes, and literally taught an oven how to cook.Then came Japan. Quiet streets during COVID. Markets, donabe cooking, miso, rice, tea houses. A new universe of discipline and craft.Today Leen is the Academy Chair for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and MENA’s 50 Best. She champions homegrown talent, documents culture, and brings a thoughtful, grounded voice to the region’s culinary story.This episode is honest, generous, reflective, and full of the moments that shape a career.What You Will Hear in This Episode• Growing up between Bedouin hospitality, family cooking, and early food memories• The salads, textures, and seasons that shaped her palate• Feeling lost in her early twenties and the long search for direction• Why writing and creative expression changed everything• The blog that quietly kickstarted her food career• How photography and content work became her entry point into the industry• Moving to San Francisco and working at a food tech startup• Discovering Japan, cooking traditions, and learning through stillness• How she became Academy Chair for 50 Best and what the role really involves• The future of Middle Eastern cuisine and her message to young chefs and writersChapters00:00 Introduction04:00 Bedouin hospitality, grandma’s salads, and childhood food stories12:00 How seasons shaped her palate and love for fresh ingredients18:00 Career confusion, studying business, and feeling completely lost26:00 The mentor who changed everything and the move toward writing30:00 Oxford, the blog, and teaching herself photography38:00 San Francisco and joining a food tech startup55:00 Life in Japan during COVID and learning Japanese cooking67:00 Becoming Academy Chair and the truth about how voting works87:00 The rise of homegrown restaurants across the region104:00 The future of Middle Eastern cuisine and advice for young talentProudly Brought to You by Potatoes USAPotatoes USA represents America’s potato growers and inspires chefs, home cooks, and food lovers everywhere.From nutrition to creativity, they show why the humble potato remains one of the most powerful ingredients in every kitchen.Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/potatogoodnessgcc/Websitehttps://www.potatogoodnessgcc.comFollow Leen Al ZabenInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/leenalzaben/LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/leenalzabenWebsitehttps://www.leenalzaben.com/Follow Chef JKPInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/chefjkpSupport the showFollow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE