Episode 12 - Samantha Wood aka FOODIVA!
Send us a textSamantha Wood is one of the most prominent food critics in the Gulf region.Her alias is Foodiva, below is the award winning website where she reviews new or up and coming restaurants.https://www.foodiva.netWith almost a decade into running her business, Samantha knows a thing or two when it comes to hospitality, as her dad used to run hotels for a living, plus she had extensive experience in corporate hospitality P.R.Samantha wears many disguises, not only does she write for her...
Samantha Wood is one of the most prominent food critics in the Gulf region.
Her alias is Foodiva, below is the award winning website where she reviews new or up and coming restaurants.
https://www.foodiva.net
With almost a decade into running her business, Samantha knows a thing or two when it comes to hospitality, as her dad used to run hotels for a living, plus she had extensive experience in corporate hospitality P.R.
Samantha wears many disguises, not only does she write for her award winning website, but also curates dining experiences and is a PR consultant. More recently, at the start of the crisis, she launched the #UAERestaurantsUnite pro bono social media campaign to support restaurants.
Her reviews are completely impartial, doing her homework on the cuisine and the chef, the day before heading to the restaurant, to ensure she has the full heads up, not forgetting that the bill is fully paid by Samantha herself.
Describing the journey as not easy for the first two years, hence consultancy was on the breadwinner in the very beginning.
Having a love of hospitality is one of the reasons she is so passionate about all things food and supporting the industry however possible, as you can imagine, writing reviews has also given her notoriety amongst foodies and professionals alike, not just in Dubai but around the world.
There are a number of local chefs who she respects for pushing up the levels of cuisine and creativity in the city of Dubai.
One of those being Colin Clague, who has been a prominent figure in the food scene for quite some time, his latest venture is Ruya, a modern take on Turkish food - http://www.ruyadubai.com
Another chef we discussed is Reif Othman, continuing to push the boundaries, trying new dishes on his guests almost every week, with one of his latest ventures, he is cooking top a storm - https://reifkushiyaki.com
One of the greats that always get mentioned on this podcast, is the late Anthony Bourdain. Samantha was fortunate enough to interview him face to face, at one of the most amazing press trips that she was invited to, listen out for that story!
With having so much knowledge plus having such an amazing palate, which is the meal that is to be one of the most memorable for an award winning food critic?
Just before the closing down of the St Pellegrino's Top 50 best restaurants, she describes having dined at the famous Gaggan - https://gaggananand.com
This was to be one of the most incredible meals she has ever had the pleasure of enjoying, so much so that she wanted to go the after-party!
An advocate for the amazing food in the Gulf, Samantha wants tourists to experience the very best that the United Arab Emirates has to offer, we are not just talking about chicken shawarmas and hummus, it is far deeper than that.
When going to Italy you will only eat Italian, when visiting Japan you only eat Japanese, but it is not the same when arriving in Dubai for some reason, and this is what needs to change, not just in her eyes, but in the view of many other foodies in the region.
Overall it seems like Samantha is a guardian for the food scene, and to that we say thank you FOODIVA!
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