Claim OwnershipThe Lighthouse Conversations with Hashem Montasser
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Hashem Montasser, Founder of the The Lighthouse Restaurant & Concept Store in the UAE, is a raconteur who avidly follows the work of arts, culture, technology and, of course, food. In a series of conversations aimed at introducing its audience to the Middle East’s entrepreneurial landscape, Hashem asks his guests about their life journeys, inspirations, successes and failures and everything in-between.
120 Episodes
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“I really wanted to slow things down… to create an experience where people take their time, build relationships, and connect with design in a more human way.”
Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte has spent fifteen years living out of a suitcase, experiencing the quiet palazzos of Venice as well as the bustling streets of Beirut. He sits down with Hashem to share how his way of life and thirst for travel have inspired Nomad, a design fair that trades the noise of transactional fairs for the soul found in historic architecture.
They dive into the intentional revival of Abu Dhabi’s Terminal 1 for Nomad's Middle Eastern debut, the cultural renaissance currently sweeping the Middle East, and why, in our digital-heavy world, we’re all just looking for a reason to put down our phones and experience real connections.
In this year-in-review episode, Hashem looks back on 2025 and what it actually took to open two restaurants in Riyadh in one year.
It’s a conversation about going up the learning curve fast, staying humble, and why consistency always outlasts hype.
Chapters:
0:00 Coming up...
6:13 Navigating Expansion into Saudi Arabia
10:01 Understanding Local Market Differences
13:44 The Impact of Social Media
21:19 The Role of Technology in F&B
25:12 Seeking Balance in a Digital World
35:43 What comes next?
39:19 Keith McNally's book
Lynn Hazim, founder of Middle Child and creator of popular food blog @nosoupforyou, shares her journey from corporate life at Google to building her own restaurant in Dubai.
The episode explores her early love for food, the roots of her inspiration, and her bold pivot to entrepreneurship. Lynn talks candidly about the challenges she faced funding the business and how she was determined to create a concept that felt true to herself. She shares how Middle Child in essence became the physical expression of her curiosity and creative restlessness.
Raj Malhotra, co-founder of Sole DXB, shares the story behind building one of the GCC’s last major independent festivals — a cultural platform born from minimal capital yet lots of passion and grit.
The episode traces his journey to meeting co-founders Hussain Moloobhoy and Joshua Cox, and how their shared love for fashion, music, food, and design helped shape the DNA of Sole DXB. Raj reflects on the drive for excellence that fuels the festival each year, their commitment to empowering homegrown businesses in the UAE, and what it means to create a cultural space that can fuel the region’s growth.
Heba El Gabaly, co-founder and CEO of Efreshli, discusses her journey from corporate to entrepreneurship, scaling a tech-driven design-led business, and the importance of blending online and offline experiences. The episode explores her unique blend of leadership, what it felt like to bring on a co-founder and her mission to make quality design accessible to everyone.
Chapters
0:01 Coming up…
2:36 The Efreshli journey
3:11 Building a business online vs offline
7:21 The Challenges of Entrepreneurship
8:53 First Customers and Social Media Success
14:15 Navigating VC Funding
19:31 Men vs Women Entrepreneurs
25:21 Bringing in a co-founder
35:16 Scaling and expanding Efreshli
38:47 The Impact of AI
47:42 ‘Good design companies sell taste’
53:26 Expanding Efreshli to the UAE & Saudi Arabia
57:13 Creating keeps you young
This week on The Lighthouse Conversations, Hashem sits down with Abdullah Alajaji, Founder of Driven Properties, to discuss his meteoric journey in real estate. Tune in as they discuss taking personal risks, how he spotted a gap in the UAE real-estate market, and how Driven Properties successfully navigates an ever-evolving business landscape.
@hashem is back this month with Chef Salam, the Chef-Operator of one of the UAE’s most popular restaurants, Bait Maryam. Chef Salam shares the journey behind her success and how she slowly built up her business from the ground up while honoring the legacy of her late mother. She also explores the evolution that led to her starting Sufret Maryam, the sister of her original brand and the many lessons learned thus far.
Hashem Montasser sits down with Sultan Al Darmaki, founder of 1833, an exclusive members’ club redefining community spaces and activations. Sultan shares his journey so far—from his unorthodox approach to fashion, how he felt working in London to the creation of 1833, a space that bridges the worlds of entrepreneurship and creativity.
Don’t miss this inside look at the vision behind 1833 and the moments that shaped Sultan’s career thus far.
Hashem is back this month with the ever-inspiring Rami Al Ali. Together, they explore the evolution of Arab couture, from breaking stereotypes to redefining luxury on a global stage. Listen in as they swap stories about navigating tradition and modernity, and that unforgettable moment Rami realized the world was ready for a new wave of Arab designers.
Hashem sits down with acclaimed Syrian fashion designer Rami Al-Ali. Tune in this week to hear about Rami’s journey from Damascus to the global fashion stage.
Hashem and the ever-stylish Samir Aghera delve into the dynamic world of luxury retail, discussing Hashem’s aesthetic vision for The Lighthouse and Samir’s keen eye for detail at Montroi. Listen in as they share insightful anecdotes ranging from Samir’s first pop-up and that unforgettable moment when a customer was this close to swiping the card!
Hashem is joined this week by accomplished fashion designer Faiza Bouguessa. The two consider the trials and tribulations of founding a successful business, and the importance of finding an authentic design aesthetic for one’s brand. Influenced by vintage elegance, Faiza discusses how ‘Bouguessa’ is a display of her own unique, minimalist style, and why she aims to create timeless pieces that resonate with her true self-expression.
This week on The Lighthouse Conversations, Hashem is joined by the talented fashion designer and Creative Director of ‘Bouguessa’, Faiza Bouguessa.
Tune in this Thursday to hear about her topsy-turvy journey from willing her eponymous fashion brand into existence to Queen B wearing her designs.
Hashem catches up with Avni Doshi, author of ‘Burnt Sugar’, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize. In her book, Avni explores the themes of identity, culture and motherhood. The heartfelt discussion captures the poignant moments of personal growth that permeate her narrative, now seen through the lens of maternal experience, where vulnerability and understanding intertwine. Their conversion navigates Avni’s love of astrology, her artistic doubts, and the prospect of her book hitting the big screen.
Links
Nadia Wassef on narrative structure, trafficking in nostalgia and life after publishing a debut memoir.
Yasmina Jraissati on unlocking the potential of the Arabic language and how she accidentally became a rebel with a cause.
00:00 Coming up
02:21 Character development
07:56 Anticipating success
08:53 The role of the mother in India
11:26 From child to caretaker
15:42 Moving to India
18:40 Harper’s Bazaar India comes knocking
20:55 Homesick but not sure where home is
22:18 Girl in White Cotton
24:35 First publication by Harper Collins India
25:35 Second publication by Penguin’s Hamish Hamilton in the UK
26:29 ‘Girl in White Cotton’ becomes ‘Burnt Sugar’
28:46 Booker’s Prize Shortlist
30:08 The brutality of motherhood
32:50 Real politics plays out in the family
34:38 The pressure of success
38:02 Avni’s writing process
44:48 Writing peer groups
46:54 Responding to critique
49:55 UAE’s literary scene
In our upcoming episode, award-winning novelist Avni Doshi opens up about her literary journey. From the process of crafting her debut novel Burnt Sugar, to grappling with the aftermath of critical acclaim, she shares insights into her creative process and the cultural depth that defines her work. Avni and Hashem’s conversion navigates Avni’s love of astrology before moving on to her artistic doubts and the prospect of her book hitting the big screen.
Coming to your podcast player August 8!
Chef, hotelier and author Fadi Kattan shares a special recipe to help Hashem reuse his leftover Molokhia. Listen to the full episode with Fadi in your podcast apps right before this one, or on our website: https://thelighthouse.ae/podcast/fadi-kattan/
Hashem catches up with chef, hotelier, and author, Fadi Kattan in Bethlehem. Chef Fadi talks about his newly published cookbook, Bethlehem, which is essentially a celebration of Palestinian Food. It is a beautiful homage to Palestine’s food culture conveyed via Fadi’s memories. Snippets of oral history are prominently featured including his grandmother’s recipes, his twists on traditional Palestinian dishes and the concept of ‘loqma’, breaking a dish down to its essence of a single bite. He also highlights the local farmers who inspired him to bring his culinary vision to life.
Links
Mohamad Orfali on his sensational pivot from TV chef to award-winning restauranteur
Bethlehem: A celebration of Palestinian Food
Teta’s Kitchen on YouTube
The Markaz Review: An Oral History of Mulukhiya from Egypt, Palestine, Tunisia and Japan
The Maria’s Review: Desire and the Palestinian Kitchen
The Markaz Review: Sacred fire, Profane fire: From Ritual to Barbecue
This week, we’re flipping the script. Art consultant Caroline Louca gets behind the host’s mic to chat with Hashem the art collector! As a long-time friend of Hashem’s, an art advisor, and former Managing Director of Christie’s Dubai, Caroline digs deep into Hashem’s passion for art. They talk about Hashem’s art enthusiast and academic mother, who exposed him to the world of art, how memories of Egypt’s bygone era continue to influence his collection, and why the introduction to seminal GCC artists such as Hassan Sharif was so pivotal to him.
Hashem and Caroline also discuss the evolution of The Lighthouse into a vibrant community hub that fosters connections between art-curious individuals and artists. And here’s a sneak peek: Hashem comes from art royalty, the father of modern Egyptian painting, Mahmoud Said, being his great granduncle.
Links
Hashem Montasser tells Youssef el Deeb about his journey from Wall Street to building The Lighthouse
Artists & Designers on The Lighthouse Conversations:
Maha Mahmoun
Myrna Ayad
Nada Debs
Anoud Alzaben
Vilma Jurkute, Alserkal Avenue
Tarik Al-Zaharna
Maya Allison
Isabelle van den Eynde, Gallery IVDE
David & Nicholas
Cyril Zammit
Bokja: Huda Baroudi & Maria Hibri
Brendan McGetrick, Museum of the Future
Sunny Rahbar, Third Line Gallery
Meshary AlNasser
Nakkash Gallery: Wajih, Aya & Omar Nakkash
Elie Khouri
Hashem catches up with the renowned art collector and CEO of Vivium Holding, his newly established family office.
Elie, a self-made man who grew up during Beirut's civil war has had a fascinating career journey, pivoting to advertising early in his career and then building & leading Omnicom Media Group MENA for 18 years. In 2017, he established Vivium Holding, a family office focused on all things Elie, a portfolio that includes real estate, tech and hospitality.
This wide-ranging conversation covers the evolution of advertising in the region, the current state of the Dubai art and design scene as well as his patronage and interest in art. Elie is also a "Shark" on the Dubai edition of the hit reality series Shark Tank and shares key advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
As someone with a keen eye for detail, Elie also picks up on Hashem's unwavering commitment to wearing black!
Hashem catches up with Hamad Al Awar, the founder of the home-grown burger brand, High Joint, a police officer and a creative artist. Having met at a shawarma place in a very interesting coincidence, Hashem decided to bring their conversation to The Lighthouse Podcast room and explore the man with multiple hats. Hamad walks us through how he is able to balance between all of his roles while being a father of four.
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