Sohla El-Waylly is immensely personable. The chef and YouTube star is not only credited with having an encyclopedic knowledge of all things culinary, but she also makes the most unusual of recipes fun to watch; the more bizarre, the more brilliant, in fact.
Married to Egyptian-Bolivian chef Hamish El-Waylly, Sohla was brought up in Los Angeles by Bengali parents, who owned a Baskin-Robbins store. Her own culinary journey led her from working in Michelin-starred Atera to opening a restaurant called Hail Mary with her husband, before moving on to Bon Appetit magazine as assistant food editor and, since September, hosting her own YouTube show, Stump Sohla.
Stump Sohla
Stump Sohla is part of the Babish Culinary Universe YouTube channel (formerly Binging with Babish, best known as the show that recreated the Moist Maker sandwich from Friends). Stump Sohla, as its name suggests, requires Sohla to cook a meal with a twist.
The caper in question is decided by a gameshow-style spinning wheel, peppered with bizarre requirements, such as “Make it sad”, “Serve on fire”, “Astronaut food” and “[Prepare it] one-handed”.
This is cooking that’s meant to be watched, not learnt. There are only so many guests who’ll be left at a dinner party that serves beetle-stuffed candy (from the “Make it scary” Halloween episode) or pasta slow-cooked over an open flame (from the “18th-century” Mac & Cheese episode). And immensely watchable it is. Sohla’s tongue-in-cheek delivery combined with her incontestable culinary know-how and twisted recipes are internet gold.
Even if you don't recreate these specific dishes at home, Sohla shares cooking tips and ingredient trivia useful to the novice chef, all with her trademark bone-dry humour. For instance, "Gelatin does not need much heat to dissolve, so ensure it doesn't get over the boiling point, because then it can deactivate...", she explains, adding with a poker face, "and then it will die."
The show is part of a 10-episode contract, but that figure is likely to go up given its popularity.
The 'Bon Appetit' setback
Having joined as assistant food editor at Conde Nast's Bon Appetit magazine last August, Sohla quickly became the go-to person for its Test Kitchen YouTube show. However, she left the role within a year amid a flurry of accusations – from racial discrimination to being underpaid and over experienced.
Multiple fan-made videos prove that Sohla basically ran the whole show, at least behind the scenes, despite often being relegated to the background in the actual episodes and not being paid for them.
Bon Appetit's loss is Babish's gain, though, as the four Slump Sohla episodes released so far have raked up an average of two million views each.
What’s next for Sohla?
Stump Sohla aside, Sohla is guest-judging culinary shows, including Dishmantled. She has written the first of her Off-Script with Sohla weekly columns for Food52.com (titled Chicken & Rice, however the heck you want), and she is also working on a cookbook.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Book%20Details
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More coverage from the Future Forum
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Results
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m | Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Al Shamkhah, Royston Ffrench, Sandeep Jadhav
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m | Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m | Winner: Kawasir, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m | Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m | Winner: Quartier Francais, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
THREE
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Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Saturday's schedule at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 race, 12:30pm
Formula 1 final practice, 2pm
Formula 1 qualifying, 5pm
Formula 2 race, 6:40pm
Performance: Sam Smith
