Hungry for More: Interview with Sara Aqel

Hungry for More

Interview with Chef Sara Aqel of Fi’lia Dubai.

We recently had the chance to sit down with Chef Sara Aqel, one of the leading young talents on Dubai’s food scene. Sara is the 25-year-old chef de cuisine of Fi’lia, the first female-led restaurant in Dubai.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Sara Aqel. I am a Palestinian but I grew up in Amman, Jordan. I studied culinary arts and worked in the industry at a young age. I trained under Chef Massimo Bottura and also worked at Burj Al Arab, Four Seasons Hotel Amman and in Hong Kong. I recently opened Fi’lia in here in Dubai.

It’s not about creating hundreds of textures and putting it on a plate, it’s about creating a relationship between the guest and the dish.

Can you shed some light on your role atFi’lia and what you aim to bring to the table?

Fi’lia is aMediterranean-Italian conceptwhich is also the first female-led restaurant in the region. What I do in Fi’lia is create a menu that is inspired by everyone that I have worked with.

How was the experience of opening Fi’lia?

It was great! I believe that there are no good or bad openings, honestly. It’s always full of challenges, good times, and laughter which make the experience great. Moreover, I had all the support that I needed from the management and my team. I also fit into the place and the concept of Fi’lia very easily; it was meant to be.

How do you make your dishes special?

Mother nature is the true artist in my dishes. Most of our dishes in Fi’lia are extremely simple – you just need to get the right quality of the ingredients and put them all together. We are not changing the true art; we’re just framing it in a nice way.

It’s not about creating hundreds of textures and putting it on a plate, it’s about creating a relationship between the guest and the dish.

If one of our readers were to come here tomorrow to have dinner, what would you recommend?

The Feta Al Forno which is oven baked feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, sourdough toasted bread. For the pasta, the Spaghetti al Pomodoro, and Pappardelle Al Ragu with braised veal ossobuco, tomato, orange gremolata and pecorino. As for dessert, the Pavlova and the Fi’liamisu.

Is there any advice that you’d give to other aspiring chefs out there?

Always be hungry for more; there’s never a point where you’re done. Whatever accomplishment you do, don’t say “I’ve got here, I’m done”.

Also, don’t try to be the “next” thing. I think one of the reasons I’m here is because they saw my passion and trusted me. The world cannot resist authenticity.

Do you have a particular motto or saying that you live by?

Food is an expression of who we are. n