What do we really know about the future of food?
One of Dubai’s biggest celebrations of food, culture and the synergy of the two is coming back to Dubai this month. ‘What The Food by Alserkal’ is slated to take place over the weekend of 25 and 26 October, and like for the past four years, the festival is all about good, great food. Brought to you by sponsor Dubai Eats, the 2025 programme is designed to challenge everything society thinks it knows about food.
The Theme
Disrupting the Table – this is the theme of 2025, a phrase that is meant to embody what the future of food is shaping up to look like in a rapidly evolving world. The aim is to sit up, think hard and question the norm, the status quo, what always has been.
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In today’s world, food is no longer just about taste or trends; it occupies a space of far more impact, with the power to shape world systems, control supply and forge global narratives. It is about storytelling and survival, and when something holds power like this, one must question who holds the reins to it.
Visitors, participants and enthusiasts will be invited to challenge traditional hierarchies, and celebrate emerging practices and forces that are showing us the way to the future of food.
The Highlights
The talks and workshops of this year have been put together under the sharp curatorial eye of a celebrated face on the region’s culinary scene – acclaimed tastemaker and the Gulf Academy Chair of MENA 50 Best Restaurants, Cláudia de Brito – who will shine a global spotlight on topics such as power and provenance, innovation beyond hype, and the practical techniques audiences can take back to their own kitchens and projects.
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A key event of the weekend will be the opening keynote from British Indian chef, restaurateur, author and founder of Darjeeling Express, one of London’s most acclaimed Indian eateries, Asma Khan. Titled Redefining Food for Tomorrow, this powerful address will encourage audiences to question food equality, who holds knowledge and what defines innovation, as well as consider the broader impact of food on global systems.
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Other international headliners of note include Douglas McMaster, award-winning chef and owner of Silo, the world’s first zero-waste restaurant; Nadir Nahdi, British filmmaker and cultural storyteller; Tala Bashmi, Bahraini chef redefining Khaleeji cuisine and Fatmata Binta, Basque Culinary World Prize winner and founder of the Fulani Kitchen Foundation.
Two panels will be dedicated to the UAE’s vibrant culinary community. Dubai DNA will bring together Dubai’s culinary pioneers, the firsts and the trailblazers, to explore the city’s unique identity and its continued evolution on the global food stage. Another panel, dedicated to Emirati chefs, will offer a wider lens into the culture, cuisine and ideas boosting this aspect of the UAE.
Visitors will also be able to explore an installation titled Tindahan Sa Tahanan Co., an exhibition by Filipino art collective Sa Tahanan Co., paying homage to Filipino tindahans – stores that sell essential daily goods. The project will bring together eight Filipino artists based in the UAE, UK, Italy, Qatar, and the Philippines.
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Overall, the festival will highlight Alserkal Avenue’s own community as a space where food is the centre of connection and storytelling with activations and workshops at The Growhouse by OneLife, Lila Molino, the brand new Middle Child, Nightjar, Cinema Akil, and Gulf Photo Plus, among others.
Through an immersive weekend of talks, workshops, masterclasses, installations, and film screenings, audiences will be equipped with the tools to act for a better tomorrow of food by connecting with a critical-thinking roster of MICHELIN-starred chefs, award-winning restauranteurs, farmers, artists, tastemakers, creators and innovators from around the world.
Think hard, think deep. What do you really know about the future of food?
Discover the full programme here.
Image credit: Supplied
Deeply passionate about food, culture and community, Manaal loves telling extraordinary stories of ordinary people. Besides sniffing out a tale to tell, her favourite things to do include binging true crime documentaries, chasing cats on the streets and curating a good outfit.
