Ali Salem Al Badwa

An Emirati chef who discovered his love of cooking when he was travelling to Slovakia and asked his mother for some recipes and start cooking them. His love affair with food grew so much that on his return to the Emirates he bought a restaurant called Mezlai at the Emirates Palace. But he did not tell his friends that in addition to being the owner, he also was an executive chef in the kitchen and bills itself as Emirati-owned and -operated. Now aged 38, Mr. Al Badwa is a successful chef. He has had three cooking shows on television and the most recent, Rams al Suhoor, ran during Ramadan last year. In 2007, he was named best Arabic chef by the Emirates International Salon Culinaire.

Ariana Bundy
An American-Iranian chef and cookbook writer. She graduated from Le Cordon Bleu and Le Ntre in Paris, trained at Fauchon Ptisserie, and was head pastry chef for the Mondrian Hotel in Los Angeles. She lives much of the year in Paris with her family, but her roots are firmly planted in Persian soil. With the writing of her sumptuous and visually stunning cookbook Pomegranates and Roses, she feels she is finally home; having travelled extensively to Tehran and the lands and villages of her forbears, she reclaims thousands of years of Irans incredible culinary heritage and evokes an elegant and exotic culture where food and family are a priority.

Bhavna Mishra
Dubai based home chef and author of the recently published cookbook Accessory Recipes for Magical mealtimes. Bhavna started cooking at the age of 11 and had formal training as a teenager. While traveling for work, she discovered her deep intrigue and passion for food, which eventually led to her to leave the corporate world to enjoy life as a home chef, housewife and a mother of two young boys. Trying out local cuisines, learning to cook from local chefs and then experimenting with various ingredients became even easier as they lived in UAE, a place which is an amalgamation of different cultures and nationalities and is full of amazing eating places.

Catherine Gilbert
Mad about cooking since she was a little girl, Catherine Gilbert turned her attention to everyday gastronomy, a savoir faire France is universally famous for and which UNESCO put on the list of Humanitys Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage. Her aim is to give people a taste for home cooking and to offer an alternative to junk food. In her workshops, she demonstrates that cooking can be a creative leisure and a source of great satisfaction. Nutritional advice, smart tips and original ideas are a precious accompaniment. A culinary consultant for many French brands, she has published books of recipes, both simple and surprising, with Editions Solar.

Khulood Atiq
An Arabic and Emirati Cuisine Specialist and the UAEs first female Emirati food chef. Chef Khulood is responsible for overseeing the implementation of Arabic and Emirati cuisine throughout TDICs food and beverage outlets. TDIC, with the help of Chef Khuloods expertise, aims to develop and preserve local culture through all forms of art, including cooking. Khulood worked with TDIC on Sarareed: an Emirati cuisine cookbook, which she hopes will help raise international awareness of this highly-traditional type of food. The book, which consists of approximately 80 dishes, was published at Gourmet Abu Dhabi festival 2012.

Sally Butcher
She blundered into catering by accident. She worked in all sorts of catering venues, from being a chambermaid in Devon to cooking for ungrateful expats in Spain. She met her husband Jamshid when they were managing different outlets in the same restaurant chain. They set up their own import company, bringing the pick of Persia to British customers. As such they are now one of the best-known Iranian suppliers in the country. Sally started producing monthly newsletters for her customers, with Persian recipes and random information, which grew into her first book, Persia in Peckham. Veggiestan, her second book, offers more of the same: a funny mix of stories, shoplore and things she picks up from her customers. And some recipes, of course!

Suzanne Husseini
A contributor in publications such as BBC Good Food and Caterer, Suzanne Husseini hosted one of the most popular Arabic cooking shows, Sohbe Taibe, and is currently preparing a new show to be announced soon. Suzanne frequently conducts live cooking demonstrations and has been a featured presenter at major food events such as Taste of Dubai and Gourmands Paris Cook Book Fair. She has been a restaurant manager and a teacher, conveying her skills and passion for food to those eager to unlock the mysteries of Middle Eastern cuisine in her very popular cooking classes. She is the author of bestseller When Suzanne Cooks: Modern Flavours of Arabia.

TASTES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Taste of Brazil-UAE: Adrianna Kezh, Dora Smithberg, Rosilene Suffredini, Rosely Jorge and Wanessa Faria will prepare a full Brazilian meal. They are currently working on a book about Brazilian gastronomy and how it can be done with the products available in the UAE. Thursday 29 March, 11am-1pm. Let Them Eat Cake!: Aude Segurens, a talented home-cook and member of the Femmes Francophones association, will show us delicious pastry and cake recipes. Thursday 29, Friday 30 and Saturday 31 March, 4-5pm. Mummy, Im Hungry!: Karen Kennedy is a member of Abu Dhabi Mums and will share with us some of her enticing recipes for little ones (see her fabulous input at pinterest.com) Sunday 1 April, 11am-1pm. Italian Flavors: Melissa Bianchimano and Francesca Rizzi, members of Circolo Italiano, will show us how to make pasta from scratch and will regale us with a Tiramisu! Sunday 1 April, 7-9pm. Diplomatic Dinning: We are delighted to welcome members of the Group for Spouses of Ambassadors - UAE who will demostrate recipes from their countries - with the help of master chef Suzanne Husseini Saturday 31 March, 11am-1pm.

UNIVERSCIENCES - EDUCATIVE WORKSHOPS

Universciences is one of the most popular cultural venues in France and one of the world largest centres dedicated to science edutainment, joining the two prestigious Cit des sciences et de lindustrie and Palais de la dcouverte in Paris. This is the first time that Universcience brings its popular Whats for dinner today? workshop in the Middle East, giving ADIBFs visitors the opportunity to spend a fun and exciting moment learning serious and unusual facts about food and nutrition. These very interactive sessions have been designed for a broad age range, encouraging an active audience participation while exploring three main themes: Why is slow sugar so important for our bodies? What do people eat around the world? Why dont we all experience taste the same way? Daily morning and afternoon sessions.