Dubai-based YouTube chef cooks up a success story

DUBAI, UAE: For Syrian cook and entrepreneur Alia Adi, the kitchen is also a filming set. Here, she creates Arabic- language recipe videos, cooking food ranging from Middle Eastern specialties to all- around favorites like brownies and ice cream.

Adi is the founder and CEO of Basmaty World, an Arabic-language cooking channel on YouTube that she is transforming into a network that brings cooks from across the region under one brand. Basmaty generates around 1 million views per month on YouTube and has more than 300,000 followers on Facebook.

She is part of a growing group of entrepreneurs who have chosen Dubai as a ground for growing their business. Two of the region’s biggest success stories — ridehailing app Careem and Souq.com — are based in Dubai.

Adi started her business in 2011 in her hometown of Damascus, Syria, working with a small team of videographers and Syrian chefs, known in the Middle East for producing some of the most complex and delicious Mediterranean dishes.

“As I was searching for recipes in Arabic, I saw that there was a gap, there was not much out there, so the idea emerged this way, “she said. “I decided why don’t I do a website that provides reliable and high- quality recipes in Arabic to serve the MENA ( Middle East and North Africa) region.”

Soon after the war erupted in Syria that same year, Adi left Damascus. To keep her business running, she quickly taught herself how to shoot and edit videos featuring herself as a passionate cook.

Adi’s videos take hard work behind the scenes, including collaborating with brands for recipe creation and product placement.

On this particular shoot, Adi whips up a popular Levantine dip called lebnah, made fresh from yoghurt she strained overnight. She chops pistachios and apricots before drizzling honey on one lebnah dish.

Adi initially relocated to London after leaving Syria, but despite it being easier and cheaper to establish her business there, she settled on Dubai to be closer to her customers and clients.

“Dubai for me was the best location to do that. It’s the country that provides most value for me, as a startup,” she said.