Across boardrooms, kitchens, and entrepreneurial ventures, women are reshaping the contours of the UAE’s food and hospitality landscape. They are redefining industry benchmarks, reimagining Emirati cuisine globally, and steering the growth of some of the country’s most impactful food businesses.
In this inaugural edition of Leading Women in Food & Hospitality 2025, The Restaurant Times recognizes and celebrates a distinguished cohort of women whose work exemplifies excellence, leadership, and transformation within the Emirati F&B ecosystem.
Divided into three defining categories—Executive Leadership, Founders & Entrepreneurs, and Culinary & Operational Excellence—this curated list reflects the diversity of roles and the depth of influence that women bring to the table in one of the world’s most complex and dynamic industries.
Executive Leadership:
These women sit at the helm of major organizations, overseeing critical functions that shape public perception, commercial strategy, and long-term brand value. Their contributions are both visible and foundational to the institutions they represent.
Beverley D’Cruz
With nearly two decades at YUM! Brands, Beverley D’Cruz commands a brand footprint that spans over 300 locations—each a reflection of her strategic command over quality, consistency, and innovation in the QSR space. Her leadership isn’t just measured in scale but in her ability to sustain relevance in a fast-evolving consumer landscape. Whether steering market growth or driving operational standards, Beverley brings both structure and heart to the pizza empire she helps lead.
Carolyn Mitchell
At the intersection of hospitality and human development, Carolyn Coe has created a people-first blueprint at Solutions Leisure Group. Her work has gone beyond policies to nurture purpose—shaping a culture that reflects empowerment, longevity, and trust. As HR lead, Carolyn’s presence anchors the group’s vibrant venues with a quiet yet transformative strength that radiates from team dynamics to guest experience.
Karolina Kortaba
Karolina Kortaba brings operational elegance to the sensory world of hospitality. Her decade-long journey with Solutions Leisure is built on a foundation of consistency, execution, and vision. She manages complexity across multiple venues with a steady hand and a collaborative mindset—proving that excellence in operations can be both rigorous and creative when rooted in empathy and clarity.
Maria Luisa Panzica la Manna
Maria Luisa doesn’t just lead strategy—she elevates it. As CCO at Country Hill International, she blends international vision with regional sensitivity to build brand narratives that resonate. Her work lives in the details—refining communication, aligning business goals with cultural nuance, and ensuring the brand’s voice speaks louder and clearer in a competitive space.
Founders & Entrepreneurs
These women are first-movers, market-makers, and brand architects. Through deep conviction and entrepreneurial resilience, they have built influential F&B ventures that are shaping consumer tastes and expectations across the UAE.
Salam Daqqaq
Salam Daqqaq’s kitchens are not just places of food—they’re sanctuaries of memory and meaning. Through Bait Maryam and Sufret Maryam, she has brought the flavors of the Levant to Dubai with warmth, humility, and emotional depth. Her leadership lives in the intimacy of her cooking and the cultural bridges she builds—serving stories with every plate and shaping the future of Levantine cuisine, one soul-filled dish at a time.
Stasha Toncev
Stasha Toncev is a storyteller before she is a chef. Through 21grams, her 8-year-old Balkan bistro, she brings a visceral, soulful kind of hospitality to Dubai—one that makes food feel like a personal letter from home. Her leadership is instinctive and immersive, with every menu item, plate, and space carefully tuned to emotional resonance. In a city of fast trends, Stasha’s slow sincerity stands out.
Gabriela Chamorro
At Girl & the Goose, Gabriela Chamorro fuses cultural narrative with culinary art. As both chef and founder, she channels her heritage and travels into a menu that’s layered, surprising, and sincere. Her leadership style is rooted in intuition—guided by a desire to create spaces that feel as expressive as they are flavorful. Her restaurant is a canvas, her work a moving celebration of identity through food.
Hadil Al Khatib
At The Broth Lab, Hadil Al Khatib is nurturing more than a brand—she’s cultivating a wellness movement. Her deep-rooted passion for gut health and holistic nourishment flows through every product, every process. From innovation in broth to intentionality in brand, her journey is one of care, clarity, and conviction—proof that mindful business can be both healing and commercially sound.
Kim Thompson
Kim Thompson’s legacy is steeped in purpose. With Raw Coffee Company, she’s built more than a specialty café—it’s a mission-driven institution for ethical sourcing, community, and coffee education. Her leadership style is bold, transparent, and relentless in its pursuit of better—better beans, better business, better world.
Michele Johnson
Michele Johnson is a quiet force behind one of Dubai’s most beloved casual dining brands. For nearly a decade, she’s helped build Pitfire Pizza into a neighborhood essential, known for its consistency, quality, and soul. Her hands-on approach to operations and her commitment to team and craft reflect a deeper mission: to create not just pizza, but connection.
Panchali Mahendra
Atelier House Hospitality under Panchali Mahendra’s leadership is where raw creative vision meets meticulous execution. Panchali doesn’t just open restaurants; she curates experiences that linger long after the meal. Her leadership is rooted in trust, instinct, and the kind of attention that turns good into unforgettable. In a space where speed often overshadows soul, she builds with care—balancing global ambition with an intensely personal touch that makes every decision feel deliberate, every space feel lived-in.
Lily Hoa Nguyen
Lily Hoa Nguyen’s Vietnamese Foodies is a love letter to her roots—written in herbs, broths, and humble comfort. Her journey from one restaurant to multiple outlets is powered by authenticity, affordability, and community. Every bowl tells a story of origin, and every decision reflects a balance between heart and hustle.
Kathy Johnston
Kathy Johnston has turned chocolate into a storyteller. As the creative mind behind Mirzam, she crafts single-origin bars that trace history, culture, and craft. Her brand is about more than flavor—it’s about reverence. Through innovation and narrative, Kathy has redefined what chocolate can mean in the UAE and beyond.
Culinary & Operational Excellence
These women represent the operational backbone of their enterprises. Whether managing complex kitchen operations or leading multi-location teams, their precision, innovation, and culinary rigor ensure that excellence is consistently delivered.
Eleonora Caso
Eleonora Caso sees beyond the cocktail. Her work at Orange Hospitality turns beverage programs into expressions of brand identity—each menu a thoughtful, profit-savvy, sensory experience. Her approach is part mixology, part narrative, and wholly aligned with the culinary journeys she helps shape.
Eti Bhasin
Eti Bhasin’s leadership is woven through every detail of the Dhaba Lane experience—from the flavor of the food to the warmth of the welcome. With nearly a decade in both hotels and F&B, she brings operational clarity and guest intuition to the forefront. Her vision is clear: celebrate Indian flavors with comfort, care, and modern relevance.
Closing Note
This edition of Leading Women in Food & Hospitality 2025 is a tribute to the women reshaping the future of the UAE’s food and beverage sector—not with noise but with nuance. They lead with purpose, execute with precision, and inspire with intent.
As the global industry moves toward a more equitable, innovative, and inclusive future, these women stand not just as role models but as architects of change.
