Arwa Lootah is part of a new wave of Emirati talent transforming the region’s food culture.
With formal training from Le Cordon Bleu and a background in art and design, she brings a multidisciplinary approach to cooking—one that fuses storytelling, visual aesthetics, and a rethinking of traditional Emirati flavours.
Based in Dubai, Lootah has already made her mark through high-profile collaborations with the Museum of the Future and the World Government Summit. She’s currently working on a new Emirati-inspired menu for Parlour Boutique, running her micro-bakery brand iwara, and preparing to launch a culinary lab dedicated to creative experimentation. Her work reflects a growing movement in the UAE’s food scene—one that values heritage while pushing boundaries. Here we find out more about her journey so far and how she hopes to transform the way Emirati cuisine is presented on a wider scale.
Where did your passion for cooking come from?
It came from memory, emotion, and imagination, all intertwined. I grew up in a household where food was deeply connected to storytelling, art and family history. This is when I found myself drawn to the way ingredients could carry memories, evoke moods, and tell stories. Over time, cooking became my canvas and sensory extension of how I process the world.
Tell us about your career today and how you got to where you are now.
I’m a self-taught Emirati chef with a background in art and design, and I later pursued an online culinary degree in Food Merchandising from Le Cordon Bleu. I started with a home-based cookie brand, which evolved into a high-end catering service and the curating of culinary experiences rooted in Emirati flavours.
How do you feel your background in art and design influences your career as a chef?
It shaped how I see food, not just how it tastes, but how it feels, and tells a story. In texture, colour, form, and symbolism.
What has been the biggest highlight so far?
Curating exclusive menus for government and cultural events, including the World Government Summit, where I showcased modern Emirati cuisine in unexpected ways. It was meaningful to see local ingredients take centre stage in a global conversation.
What would you still like to achieve?
I aim to expand the narrative of Emirati cuisine further, not as something traditional or nostalgic, but as something alive, contemporary, and worldly. I also want to grow my culinary space into a platform for experimental cooking, storytelling, and collaboration.
What can you tell us about Iwara?
Iwara started as a micro-batch cookie brand which I ran from my home, but it was never just about cookies. It was about quality, intention, and emotional connection through food. It became the seed that grew into my larger vision, a culinary brand that doesn’t limit itself to Emirati flavours, but is rooted in my heritage while exploring global techniques and influences.
What is your favourite dish to cook and why?
It depends on the season and the story I want to tell. However, I often return to dishes that reinterpret Emirati classics, such as pumpkin aseeda, reinventing them in ways that surprise people. I love the challenge of transforming something familiar into something new without losing its soul.
How do you feel your cooking is unique?
It aims to reimagine traditions. I incorporate Emirati ingredients in unexpected ways. It’s layered, emotional, and personal.
How would you assess the restaurant and hospitality industry in the UAE today?
It’s ambitious and fast-moving, but still finding its true voice. There is a growing appetite for authenticity and narrative-driven dining, and I believe the next wave of meaningful culinary work will emerge from local chefs who shape their identity from within.
What are the biggest challenges you face?
Balancing artistic integrity with business demands. Also, time. As a mother and entrepreneur, I’m constantly navigating how to honour and balance both my creative process and my responsibilities.
How does your heritage inspire you?
My heritage is everything, not just as nostalgia, but as a living resource. I draw from the maritime histories of my ancestors, the trade routes they sailed, and the spices they carried. Even silence, rituals, and poetry from Emirati culture find their way into my work.
What’s your first memory of food?
The scent of the house when I’d come back inside after playing outdoors. My mother would be cooking. Our house was always a stopping point for family and friends. They’d pass by after errands, sit for a meal or just a bite, and food was the constant thread that held it all together.
Tell us something about you as a woman.
As a woman, I hold multiple roles simultaneously (mother, chef, creative, leader) and carry them with intention. I trust my instincts, lead quietly, and build things in my own way, even when there’s no path before me.
Where is your go-to restaurant to eat in the UAE?
We always seem to go back to two restaurants, which are Zuma and Il Borro Toscana.
What advice would you give to aspiring chefs?
Don’t rush to fit in. Take your time developing your voice. Technical skill is important, but it’s your perspective that makes your food matter.
What is the professional motto you live by?
Stay rooted, but not still.
Where is a place you go when you want to relax and escape the world?
Anywhere with water and silence.
What else is coming up this year?
This year is about building, both behind the scenes and within. I’m developing new culinary concepts, refining long-term projects, and exploring collaborations that connect food with art, culture, and storytelling in deeper ways.
