Michelin-lauded chef Vikas Khanna was in the news recently when he launched Sacred Foods of India in Dubai. Only 250 copies of the limited-edition book are available, and Khanna also tied up with phygital platform Akshaya.io, which has created unique NFTs for each copy.
For the uninitiated, a non-fungible token or NFT is a blockchain-based certificate of authenticity that signifies ownership of an asset. While fungible items such as cryptocurrency can be exchanged, an NFT is unique, in that no other copy of the asset exists.
With this latest project, Khanna has tapped into the “foodverse”, a digital world for food that exists in the metaverse and merges the virtual with the real, as well as allowing visitors to become familiar with the dishes of a multitude of chefs across the globe.
Take a bite out of the foodverse
OneRare is the company behind the world's first food metaverse, which it’s building with the aim to celebrate food from across the world by bringing the global food and beverage industry on to the blockchain for the first time.
Celebrity chefs, restaurants and food and beverage brands will be able to create virtual food experiences, launch signature dish NFTs and interact with a global audience, all of whom are hungry (pardon the pun) for news ways to explore food.
“We are creating a unique gaming layer that allows users to claim NFTs, play food-themed games and discover new products along the way,” says Supreet Raju, co-founder of OneRare. “It's a way for the industry to leverage blockchain technology to develop a direct relationship with their audience.
"Patrons can support their favourite restaurants in the same way they support favourite influencers, while businesses can discover new markets.”
Masterchef musings
Depinder Chhibber, a MasterChef Australia alumni, became the first female chef to join the food metaverse, where she brings signature delicacies such as fried chicken with the mango and chilli glaze recipe passed down by her grandmum from Amritsar, Punjab, to a blockchain audience.
“When this opportunity came my way, I did my research and found the concept deliciously futuristic. Being in Australia and cooking Indian food, I felt this would be a great opportunity for people to be part of my culinary journey. This space will allow people living all over the world access to my restaurant and recipes, as well as my food dreams.”
Other global names who have a presence in the foodverse include the "dessert king" of Australia, Reynold Poernomo; Michelin-lauded chef Anthony Sarpong; MasterChef judge Arnold Poernomo; entrepreneur and founder of technology and information company HeyHey!, Franklin Caleb; India’s Olive Group; and US brand Burattino Brick Oven Pizza.
AD Singh, founder and managing director of the Olive Group, says: “We are excited to see what our integration into this means and where we can provide real value, both for our customers and for us as a group. Our foray into the metaverse is an opportunity to be able to create immersive experiences for different communities and bring them together. Hopefully, with this, we can move beyond the great real-world experiences at our restaurants to offer experiences fit for the future.”
Real rewards
Given the metaverse is open to all, the foodverse has the potential to reach people regardless of borders or boundaries, and it opens up more meaningful conversations around food, as well as introduces cultural connotations and festive foods to a wider audience.
Further, with Gen Z largely submerged in this world, it only follows that brands and chefs will have to be a part of the metaverse and create their digital avatars to cater to this next crop of foodies.
As to what's in it for users of the foodverse? Not only can they be more in tune with the goings-on in the F&B world, they can also learn to cook dishes from their favourite chefs and win tokens that can eventually be exchanged for a meal at the physical restaurant.
Zorawar Kalra, founder and managing director of Massive Restaurants, which operates Farzi Cafe in the UAE and India, explains: “The metaverse is a fusion of intellect, and positions itself between the real and virtual world. Hence, actions taken in the virtual world will have benefits in the physical world. For example, you can collect various ingredients and redeem a dish at Farzi Cafe.
“The idea behind it all is to build a community and introduce a restaurant to more people. The ultimate challenge for online community building is going to be a world where you can meet friends and fellow gamers, and live a cool alternative life that’s built around virtual experiences.”
Likewise, celebrity chef Saransh Goila says: “The plan is to share a few of my signature recipes, which OneRare will use to create NFTs and gaming segments. Users who are able to ‘crack’ the recipe code can win tokens that can be redeemed as anything from real-life restaurant experiences or a day with me in the kitchen.
“A day will come when you might be eating a burger in your home and your friends will be eating the same burger elsewhere on the planet, but you will all be chilling together in the metaverse together.” For those who live to eat, then, the foodverse is your oyster, so when are you logging in?
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETwin-turbo%2C%20V8%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20automatic%20and%20manual%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E503%20bhp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E513Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh646%2C800%20(%24176%2C095)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE v IRELAND
All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi
1st ODI, Friday, January 8
2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10
3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12
4th ODI, Thursday, January 14
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
Results:
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m | Winner: Eghel De Pine, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Sheaar, Szczepan Mazur, Saeed Al Shamsi
6pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (PA) Group 3 Dh500,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Torch, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (TB) Listed Dh380,000 1,600m | Winner: Forjatt, Chris Hayes, Nicholas Bachalard
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup for Private Owners Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 1,400m | Winner: Hawafez, Connor Beasley, Ridha ben Attia
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 80,000 1,600m | Winner: Qader, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roaulle
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
