# HOW TO WORK FOR A Sheikh as an INdian chef?



## kathmaria143 (Jul 4, 2012)

My husband lives in UK with the desire to work in Dubai for an Arab Sheikh, he is a 'South Indian Chef'. 

Also where are the highest populated english community based? Where is the highest indian population based? Where are the wealthiest arab locals live?

Thanks Katherine


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Try www.chefs4sheikhs.com


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

I read the heading as Indian CHIEF...


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## indoMLA (Feb 6, 2011)

Mr Rossi said:


> Try www.chefs4sheikhs.com


Don't click that link.... it leads to nowhere.

OP, why would he want to work for a sheikh?


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

indoMLA said:


> Don't click that link.... it leads to nowhere.
> 
> OP, why would he want to work for a sheikh?


Maybe someone has been watching Lawrence of Arabia?


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

indoMLA said:


> Don't click that link.... it leads to nowhere.
> 
> OP, why would he want to work for a sheikh?


More importantly, why would a sheikh want to eat nothing but Indian food?


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## jarvo (Jan 8, 2012)

Gavtek said:


> More importantly, why would a sheikh want to eat nothing but Indian food?


I assume a sheikh would be able to afford a number of chefs...


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

kathmaria143 said:


> My husband lives in UK with the desire to work in Dubai for an Arab Sheikh, he is a 'South Indian Chef'.
> 
> Also where are the highest populated english community based? Where is the highest indian population based? Where are the wealthiest arab locals live?
> 
> Thanks Katherine


Why?

Jo xxx


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

jojo said:


> Why?
> 
> Jo xxx


So that the Sheikh, after a particularly delicious meal which he enjoyed, gifts a big emirate to the chef.

to answer OPs questions:
The predominantly western communities are in new dubai (anything south of the trade center roaundabout)
The subcontinent ghetto is Bur Dubai, Karama, Deira. Anything north of the roundadbout
The Sheikhs have various palaces. Are you planning to have walk in interviews?


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## indoMLA (Feb 6, 2011)

Unbeknownst to all, I am actually a food taster of most UAE Sheikhs... 
OP, please submit to me 10 of your husbands best recipes (main courses) and I will judge them and then have one of our associates contact you.


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## kathmaria143 (Jul 4, 2012)

*How do I find out about walk in interviews*

The Sheikhs have various palaces. Are you planning to have walk in interviews?

How do I find out about walk in interviews? With the various Sheikhs Palaces...

Yes the website 'chefs4sheikhs' does not work!


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Conspiracy theory 101...

Has "Defragmantor" now evolved to "kathmaria134" ?


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

kathmaria143 said:


> The Sheikhs have various palaces. Are you planning to have walk in interviews?
> 
> How do I find out about walk in interviews? With the various Sheikhs Palaces...
> 
> Yes the website 'chefs4sheikhs' does not work!




I think we have a live one!! :eyebrows::eyebrows:


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

ccr said:


> Conspiracy theory 101...
> 
> Has "Defragmantor" now evolved to "kathmaria134" ?


Oh please don't get me started on conspiracy theories. Received an email today about 9/11 and Bilderberg, new world order and superclass. It was all quite confusing for my little brain but it seems there are something like 6,000 elite people globally who are poised to take over the world and get rid of royalty, etc. Ah, now not totally off topic. Probably not a good idea to take a job with a sheikh if this is going to happen as job security could be an issue .


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## cami (Aug 11, 2010)

BedouGirl said:


> Oh please don't get me started on conspiracy theories. Received an email today about 9/11 and Bilderberg, new world order and superclass. It was all quite confusing for my little brain but it seems there are something like 6,000 elite people globally who are poised to take over the world and get rid of royalty, etc. Ah, now not totally off topic. Probably not a good idea to take a job with a sheikh if this is going to happen as job security could be an issue .


don't worry. those 6,000 are too busy fighting with one another, trying to find people to like them, vote for them, defend them, cook for them, educate their brats, sell them nice stuff, make nice stuff for them, talk with them, rub them between shoulders when they are tired, sing for them, do their mani-pedi, and so on... that's us, so they need us


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

cami said:


> don't worry. those 6,000 are too busy fighting with one another, trying to find people to like them, vote for them, defend them, cook for them, educate their brats, sell them nice stuff, make nice stuff for them, talk with them, rub them between shoulders when they are tired, sing for them, do their mani-pedi, and so on... that's us, so they need us


Luvvit lol 


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

I will be the nice person here (someone has to be!). 

The palaces of the ruling sheikhs will have two sets of kitchens and kitchen staff. One is for preparing food for the family and the other will be a much larger operation that prepares food for the palace staff and visitors. Food is an important component of Arab hospitality so every day a huge amount of food is prepared and served, usually buffet style, in the palaces. A lot of it is thrown away. Think of hotel dining rooms and buffets and you have a good idea of the scale involved as well as the expertise required. The big kitchen will have a head chef and lots of underlies producing food canteen style. The private kitchen will have a few cooks producing a much higher quality level of food. 

Then we have the food itself. It will be predominately Arabic/Persian/Lebanese food rounded off with some European food. South Indian will not be desirable. I regularly frequent several of the better South Indian restaurants in Dubai and have never seen an Emirati dining there. South Indians are close to the bottom of the social pole in the UAE in the viewpoint of the Emiratis and I imagine that disregard fully carries over to the food. 

But Emiratis are happy to hire South Indians as menial servants. If you want to cook at a sheikh's palace I'm sure it's possible to find a job as an assembly line cook in the big kitchen. The pay will be lousy and you'll live in staff accommodations. Highly unlikely married couples will be accepted. 

If you have first rate expertise cooking Emirati, Arabic and Lebanese food then you might be qualified to cook in the private kitchen, but I have no idea how you go about finding such a job, nor the pay involved. Mind you the last thing I'd want to do is to be a private servant to one of the ruling families, always at their beck and call. Sounds horrendous.


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

TallyHo said:


> South Indians are close to the bottom of the social pole in the UAE in the viewpoint of the Emiratis and I imagine that disregard fully carries over to the food.
> 
> .


While there is a lot of hierarchy BS that goes on, the reason South Indian food isnt eaten by native people here has nothing to do with South Indians and their place in the "social pole".

The very few times i have been to South Indian places here, there were hardly anyone apart from South Indians themselves, i.e. there werent even very many North Indians , let alone Arabs. 

India's culinary exports to the world has been predominantly the Punjabi/North Indian variant, and that is why if you go to a popular "Indian" place in Dubai , the clientele will comprise many ethnicities. 

So if the OP is adept in North Indian cooking, he can stress that bit when applying to jobs, as palace kitchens do offer those dishes in addition to the usual Arabic/continental fare.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Just for my education, could someone please expand...

In summary, what are the main differences between South and North Indian cuisines ?


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

South Indian cuisine generally uses coconut and its byproducts very very liberally (one reason why i havent tried it too much as the wife absolutely detests it)


South is based on rice, while North focuses more on bread (Naan, Roti).

Northern dishes are often based on butter, cream, and are less spicy than the typical Southern dish. 

Northern popular dishes include Rogan Josh, Butter Chicken, Dal Makhani, Aloo Gobi, chicken tandoori

Southern items include Idli, Sambar, Rasam, and of course Dosa


What is considered North Indian in Indian restaurants has a huge Punjabi influence though: other parts of North India like Gujurat, Rajasthan, Bihar have their own specialities, which somehow werent exported that well


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## wazza2222 (Sep 7, 2011)

I am Wazza2222, lawyer and barrister acting for the estate of Bob Sheikhchef, late of Bungafiva, Nigeria. Mr Sheikchef was killed in a tragic tandoor accident in 2008 and his estate has been intestate since that time.
As you are the last living relative of Mr Sheikhchef, I am authorised to transfer his estate of 12000000000 Pounds to your account upon proof that you have 10 of his best recipes as evidence of blood relation.
Please forward them along with your credit card number to me at: [email protected] so that we can succesfully conclude our business.

I can also arrange meetings with kings and other world leaders behind the bike sheds with a days notice.

Yours sincerely
Tim Horton


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Tropicana said:


> South Indian cuisine generally uses coconut and its byproducts very very liberally (one reason why i havent tried it too much as the wife absolutely detests it)
> 
> 
> South is based on rice, while North focuses more on bread (Naan, Roti).
> ...


Thanks Tropicana.

Without knowing the differences before, I now understand why I like certain dishes more than others because (personally) I lean toward the dishes "similar" cooking style to general Thai-style curry (i.e. coconut juice, spicy, etc)...


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## ipshi (Jul 23, 2010)

@ CCR -- its almost like every state in India has its own kind of food. I come from Bombay and I have grown up on North-Indian based food which is vegetarian and very spicy.

the East has its own brand of spicy food which is based around seafood. 

Most of the "Indian" restaurants here have either South Indian food from Kerala or Pakistani food


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

I have never met a local who likes any type of indian food...


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

ipshi said:


> Most of the "Indian" restaurants here have either South Indian food from Kerala or Pakistani food


 Most licensed "Indian" restaurants serve North Indian/UP/Punjabi cuisine; the small canteen style "restaurats" frequented by taxi drivers may serve South Indian, but the more famous places (Ashas, Khazana, to mention 2) offer predominantly North Indian stuff


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

Jynxgirl said:


> I have never met a local who likes any type of indian food...


Yet whenever I dine at India Palace, there is at least 1 Emirati family, and often more


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## ipshi (Jul 23, 2010)

Tropicana said:


> Most licensed "Indian" restaurants serve North Indian/UP/Punjabi cuisine; the small canteen style "restaurats" frequented by taxi drivers may serve South Indian, but the famous licensed places (Ashas, Khazanas, to mention 2) offer predominantly North Indian stuff


Im from UP and none of these places have food from there -- its usually Mughlai which is very very different. Asha's has Maharashtrian food (Asha Bhonsle is Maharastrian) & Khazana's is predominantly fusion food with a Gujarati base (Sanjeev Kapoor is gujarati)

I have yet to eat proper good vegetarian north indian food. In case you think you've found it... please do give me a shout


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

ipshi said:


> Im from UP and none of these places have food from there -- its usually Mughlai which is very very different. Asha's has Maharashtrian food (Asha Bhonsle is Maharastrian) & Khazana's is predominantly fusion food with a Gujarati base (Sanjeev Kapoor is gujarati)
> 
> I have yet to eat proper good vegetarian north indian food. In case you think you've found it... please do give me a shout


By UP I did not mean proper UP fare that you would find as daily dishes at homes in Allahabad; rather the classic "Awadhi/Nawabi" style which you see used interchangeably with "Mughlai" to describe the same style of cooking

Ashas has some Marathi items: but most of it is regular Indian fare.
Khazanas may have Gujrati items in the veg section but as with Ashas, it is fusion and Mughlai.

The best North Indian veg food i have had in Dubai was Rajasthani stuff at Manvaar in Karama. It may not be true North Indian, but much much different from South Indian veg stuff


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## ipshi (Jul 23, 2010)

like i said... im from there and none of these compare (im a poet & I dont even know it)

anyways... back to topic


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## kathmaria143 (Jul 4, 2012)

*Thanks Tally Ho for your very kind heart, thoughts and words*



TallyHo said:


> I will be the nice person here (someone has to be!).
> Thanks to Tally Ho, for u r kindness and detailed thread. It must have taken a long time to write! Your advice has really helped my husband and I make a really difficult decision. We were really shocked about the situation of working! May you and your family be blessed and have a good future and success! I think u can definitely be a excellent writer.
> 
> We r considering setting up a south Indian restaurant! Do u have any idea what area in Dubai would be good! I did do some research that there is an English, French, Italian, Russia, china cluster!
> ...


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

kathmaria143 said:


> We r considering setting up a south Indian restaurant! Do u have any idea what area in Dubai would be good! I did do some research that there is an English, French, Italian, Russia, china cluster!
> 
> I also looked at the population of Dubai by nationality. *• Nationality*
> (2005)
> ...



1) The clusters you talk of are probably International City clusters, that is a housing complex, and not ethnic enclaves. And Intl city is among the lesser desirable areas to live in

2) The population breakdown is not accurate, the other countries would include more than 5.7% as there is no separate category for Arab expats who comprise quite a few people.
Similarly Europeans and Americans would add up to much more than 1.2% 

And out of the 35% Indians, around 65-75% are blue collar workers who dont frequent restaurants.

3) Karama is the area with the most concentration of Indian restaurants but you will be competing against established places. You may want to look at areas which dont have South Indian places: Barsha seems to be one such area. Nahda/Qusais may not be a bad idea as they get many visitors from neighboring Sharjah which has a huge Indian population

In DG and Marina there are 2 branches of a very popular South Indian place, Saravana BhojanShala, otherwise they wouldnt have been bad areas


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## ipshi (Jul 23, 2010)

I genuinely think this is a troll...


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## kathmaria143 (Jul 4, 2012)

ipshi said:


> I genuinely think this is a troll...


In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory,[2]extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion

I am sorry if I am asking advise on my husband and my two children future from you all as experts in Dubai. It is an important decision to us to settle in Dubai, and uproot everything! Uk is as everyone knows is in a bad recession! So thanks for u positive advice!


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

kathmaria143 said:


> In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory,[2]extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion
> 
> I am sorry if I am asking advise on my husband and my two children future from you all as experts in Dubai. It is an important decision to us to settle in Dubai, and uproot everything! Uk is as everyone knows is in a bad recession! So thanks for u positive advice!


Kathmaria, you sound like a nice person but a bit naive. Restaurants are a very local business. Tropicana has already corrected you on the research that you have done so far. You need to understand the place, and the min you need to do is to come down to visit Dubai and speak to people. Once you go about setting the business, you would also realise you need to have a local partner and deal with the local bureaucracy.
Also, my guess is that your business is unfortunately not doing well in the UK and you are looking out for options. Hence all kinds of thoughts like being a sheikh's chef or what not. It will be a very long journey for you in case you decide to set up shop here. Do your research on the internet, but i cant emphasize enough that you need to visit the place and speak to people in the business in dubai before you make any life changing decisions. All the best


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