The chef, restaurateur and MasterChef Australia judge George Calombaris recently oversaw a series of dinners at Atlantis, The Palm; Gary Rhodes has been out and about at various events in recent weeks; and later on this month, Pierre Gagnaire will be dropping into his Dubai restaurant Reflets to check that all is well. It can only mean one thing: the foodie season is well and truly under way.
The latest celebrity chef to wing his way UAE-wards is Antonio Carluccio, the television chef and cookery writer who played an integral role in developing the hugely successful restaurant/deli chain Carluccio’s, for which he now acts as a consultant.
Sitting outside on the terrace at Carluccio's in The Dubai Mall, during a visit to promote his autobiography A Recipe for Life, the 75-year-old was on good form. The moment I joined him, he insisted I sample the chilled melon soup in front of him – garnished with slivers of bresaola, a combination he dreamt up earlier that day – and he remained genial and talkative throughout.
What made you decide to write an autobiography?
I was curious to see who I am. When you look back over all those years, you see a pattern emerging – the good and the bad. I thought it would be useful to go back over events, to gather together my memories, think about the decisions I made and why they seemed right at the time. I did it for me.
How did the process compare with producing a cookbook?
Oh, it’s much more difficult; far more emotional. I spent almost three years collecting my memories, sorting them chronologically and asking others around me to do the same. It was hard. Not all those memories were good ones, but it forced me to analyse my life and it means that I won’t repeat my mistakes. I wrote everything down longhand, in pencil. No computers for me; I don’t like computers.
How would you describe the way you cook?
In 50 years it has never changed; my style has always been about simple cooking, with quality ingredients. I call it MFMF, which means minimum fuss, maximum flavour. Jamie Oliver worked as an apprentice under me at Neal Street Restaurant and his cooking is based on what he learnt there.
Ingredients are there to be treated nicely. For me, fine-dining Italian doesn’t really exist; the chefs are too fussy. Someone recently gave me an oyster covered in chocolate – I don’t want to eat that.
What sort of food do you like to eat?
I like authentic dishes, cooked to perfection. It doesn’t matter which cuisine, as long as its cooked well. I am allergic to bad food.
Italian food is simple, but it has variety; that’s why it is popular all over the world. I still love to cook and experiment, but I think that food should have value for the body, it should be full of goodness. I like garlic, ceps, olive oil. Tomatoes are lovely – the base of so many dishes. I love basil the most; when I die, I am organising to be buried on a bed of basil.
What does the future hold?
There was a time when I didn’t think I’d live to see the year 2000 and now it is 12 years on. I’ve lost weight – by halving everything I ate – and I feel much more healthy now. My muse is 101 years old and she calls me her toy boy. There is a lot to live for!
I never thought that at my age I’d be doing what I do, but there’s a lot in the pipeline: consultancies, books, restaurants, it gives me the impression that I’m still valuable, which is very nice.
Antonio Carluccio’s autobiography A Recipe for Life is on sale now in bookshops across the UAE and at Carluccio’s in The Dubai Mall, Dubai Marina Mall and Mirdif City Centre.
eshardlow@thenational.ae
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs: Macan Turbo
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Milkman by Anna Burns
Ordinary People by Diana Evans
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Circe by Madeline Miller
