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James Knight-Paccheco celebrates the inspirational stories of people within hospitality, their ups, their downs and everything in between. What does it take to keep up in one of the most competitive, mentally and physically stressful industries in the world? Giving incredible insights and advice to the listeners. For more information go to http://www.chefjkp.com
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Send us a text Welcome to the second episode of the SNACKS series. SNACKS are short, bite-size episodes from the Chef JKP Podcast, built to spotlight the strongest ideas from our most impactful conversations. In SNACKS Episode 2, Chef JKP brings together insights from Himanshu Saini and Peggy Pui Ki Li, exploring pressure, recognition, and what really changes after success arrives. Himanshu speaks candidly about what Michelin recognition actually feels like. From the uncertainty of awards sea...
Send us a text Welcome to the first episode of the SNACKS series. SNACKS are short, bite-size episodes from the Chef JKP Podcast, built to spotlight the strongest ideas from our most impactful conversations. In Snack Episode 1, Chef JKP brings together insights from the legendary chef Pierre Koffmann and Reim El Houni, offering two perspectives on leadership, craft, and visibility in hospitality. Pierre reflects on building excellence in an era before trends, PR, and performance culture. H...
Send us a text Season 11 closes with a conversation that defines what true creative commitment looks like at the highest level of gastronomy. In this season finale of the Chef JKP Podcast, Chef JKP is joined by Carmen Rueda Hernandez, Executive Pastry Chef of Bricks Dessert and one of the most quietly influential pastry chefs working today. From a small village in the mountains of Spain to the kitchens of El Bulli and The Fat Duck, Carmen’s journey is not driven by titles or shortcuts, but ...
Send us a text Season 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 rea...
Send us a text Season 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 ca...
Send us a text Season 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 t...
Send us a text Season 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 ...
Send us a text Season 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, mo...
Send us a text Season 11 continues with a story built on pressure, persistence, and two people who refused to settle for the careers they were “meant” to have. Dan and Fix spent years in engineering and construction before Carnistore ever existed. Long days on site, managing hundreds of workers, solving problems nonstop, and dealing with deadlines that could cost millions. But the one thing that stayed with both of them was food. Memories from Egypt, home cooking, street food, and the feelin...
Send us a text Season 11 continues with a story that’s as honest as it is inspiring. From a small hawker stall in Singapore to standing on the Michelin stage in Dubai, Chef Akmal Anuar has lived a journey built on discipline, sacrifice, and starting from zero more than once. He didn’t grow up loving food. He grew up watching his parents hustle to feed their community. Cooking came later, through tough kitchens, rejection, and a moment that changed his life at Les Amis. In this episode, Akm...
Send us a text Season 11 continues with a story that blends tradition, determination, and the pursuit of flavour. From the heart of Mexico to Dubai’s shores, Chef Sergio Hernández Ruiz has built his career one kitchen and one lesson at a time. Now the Chef de Cuisine at Tamoka, Sergio brings Latin warmth, coastal soul, and bold creativity to every plate. In this episode, he opens up about growing up in a small town, discovering his calling through Iron Chef America, and pushing himself from...
Send us a text Season 11 continues with a story built on precision, passion, and perseverance. From the south of France to the heart of Doha, Chef Fabrice Rosso has crafted his journey one plate and one lesson at a time. Now the Executive Chef at IDAM by Alain Ducasse, Fabrice’s path takes us through the world of Michelin kitchens, from Nice and Monaco to Paris, where he trained under some of the world’s finest chefs, before finding his home in Qatar. In this episode, Fabrice opens up abou...
Send us a text Season 11 continues with a story that brings together food, family, and fearless creativity. When her mom once suggested turning her newsletters into a book, Joan Tuaño Rumsey brushed it off. Years later, that tiny spark became Steak Simplified, a thoughtful and beautifully written guide that makes people fall in love with meat, education, and culture all over again. From growing up in the Philippines to helping her parents build La Carne in Abu Dhabi, Joan’s story is rooted ...
Send us a text Season 11 continues with an inspiring story that blends precision, passion, and pastry in the most beautiful way. From cycling through snow at 3:30 in the morning to his first job in a small pastry shop in France, Chef Christophe Devoille has come a long way. Today, he leads one of the world’s most iconic pastry programs as the Executive Pastry Chef at Atlantis The Royal in Dubai. Over the years, Christophe has worked alongside Alain Ducasse, opened luxury hotels from Paris t...
Send us a text Season 11 continues with another remarkable story of resilience, flavor, and fire featuring Chef Thinus Van Der, Culinary Director 99 Sushi Bar. From growing up in South Africa surrounded by braais and family kitchens to becoming a Michelin-star chef in the UAE, Thinus’s story is a masterclass in grit, gratitude, and growth. After surviving stage three brain cancer, he returned to the kitchen stronger than ever, leading teams, redefining Japanese fine dining in Abu Dhabi, and ...
Send us a text Season 11 continues with another powerful voice in food: Solemann Haddad, Head Chef and Owner of Moonrise in Dubai. At just 26, Solemann became the youngest chef in the region to earn a Michelin star, but his story is about more than accolades. From dropping out of university three weeks before graduating to building one of Dubai’s most talked about restaurants, Solemann has forged his path with ambition, honesty, and an uncompromising belief in identity. In this conversation...
Send us a text Chef JKP AKA James Knight-Paccheco gives a warm welcome to Season 11. For the first time the season is extended to 16 episodes, and in this solo opener James shares what he has been up to, talks about the big Michelin moments in Dubai, thanks the hospitality community, introduces Potatoes USA as the season sponsor and launches a listener Q&A. This episode is an honest, personal update and a short celebration of the people who cook and serve food every day. You will hear ki...
Send us a text 🚨The Season 8 Finale is here! And we’re closing it out with an absolute legend in the world of gastronomy - Chef Pierre Koffmann. In this special episode, James Knight-Paccheco is joined by Pierre and his brother-in-law Simon for an unforgettable conversation that dives deep into the career of one of the most influential chefs of our time. From shaping the golden age of fine dining in London to mentoring industry giants like Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay, Pie...
Send us a text In this episode of the Chef JKP Podcast, James Knight-Paccheco chats with Neha Mishra, the trailblazing chef and founder of Kinoya, one of Dubai’s most celebrated culinary destinations. Neha opens up about her unique journey - from an independent upbringing and diverse career paths to discovering her passion for ramen and transforming it into an international phenomenon.Tune in to listen to our discussion on:👨🍳Going from independence to passion: Neha reflects on her indep...
Send us a text In this episode of the Chef JKP Podcast, James Knight-Paccheco chats with Neha Mishra, the trailblazing chef and founder of Kinoya, one of Dubai’s most celebrated culinary destinations. Neha opens up about her unique journey - from an independent upbringing and diverse career paths to discovering her passion for ramen and transforming it into an international phenomenon. Tune in to listen to our discussion on: 👨🍳Going from independence to passion: Neha reflects on her in...
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