About the Academy

Aljohara Almogbel is a practising lawyer, dedicated food enthusiast and avid traveller based in Saudi Arabia. She held the role of regional editor for Destination Riyadh for a number of years and documents her family's culinary adventures on Two Boots and a Farwa, a blog she runs with her sister, Sara. Almogbel and her sister also co-host The Story Behind, a podcast showcasing leading restaurateurs in the region. Her interest in food is shaped by extensive travel and a curiosity about the people, stories and cultures behind restaurants and dining across Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East. 

A culinary entrepreneur from Amman, Jordan and based in Dubai, Leen Al Zaben has worked and lived across multiple continents. Introduced to great food at an early age, Al Zaben's passion and expertise lie in storytelling through food as a means of bringing people together. She works across food, hospitality and culture, advising governments, hospitality groups, foundations and cultural institutions. She built and led the inaugural Jordan International Food Festival and provided creative direction for the Royal Hashemite Court. Earlier, she was part of the founding team at kitchen technology start-up June.

The CEO of a luxury tea company that exports its products to five continents, Mohamed El Baroudi is based in Marrakech in his native Morocco. For business and leisure, he travels extensively around the world and uses his trips to discover new restaurants and dining experiences. He has a broad knowledge of the food scenes of Morocco, Africa and beyond, developed through years of international travel and a longstanding interest in hospitality. His work in tea also gives him a close connection to taste, provenance and food traditions.

Celebrated travel journalist and culinary historian Roy Yerushalmi has written for a multitude of international publications for more than two decades. His features, wine selections and recipes are published in Israel's Globes financial newspaper and on Rex, the culinary recommendations site he founded. Yerushalmi splits his time between Tel Aviv and the Princes Islands in Istanbul, drawing on both places in his work. His writing explores food, wine, travel and culinary history, with a particular interest in Israeli cuisine and his Turkish-Sephardic heritage. He also develops and publishes recipes that reflect the diverse culinary traditions of the Jewish Mediterranean.

Rouba Khalil is the founder and chef behind Rouba Khalil Kitchen, a Beirut and Dubai-based culinary company creating bespoke catering experiences, artisanal pastries and comfort foods. Originally trained as an engineer, Khalil left a career in finance in New York to study at the French Culinary Institute, before gaining experience in kitchens including Jean-Georges, Babbo and Boulud Sud. She later founded her culinary business in Beirut and expanded to Dubai. Born in the United States and raised between Paris and Beirut, Khalil divides her time between Lebanon and the UAE, travelling widely and drawing inspiration from restaurants, art and design. 

Food, lifestyle and travel photographer Sherif Tamim grew up in a family of artists and originally trained as an architect, graduating in 2001 before moving into photography. Based between Cairo and Dubai, Tamim has a personal and professional passion for food-based travel experiences, exploring everything from street food to fine dining. His work spans culinary, hospitality, design and lifestyle photography, and has taken him across the MENA region and internationally. Tamim is also PR director at Flavor Republic, which creates food and culture experiences and tells stories from Egypt and the wider region through events, digital content and other projects.