There is a new culinary playground in Dubai for chefs and food bloggers, stocked with fresh organic produce and the latest kitchen gadgets.
The Ripe Organic store, which has weekly outdoor markets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, has launched the Ripe Organic Kitchen at The Courtyard in Al Quoz, to give food aficionados a space to mingle, test recipes, and attend culinary and healthy-eating workshops.
“The kitchen is just a natural extension of what we do,” says Becky Balderstone, founder of Ripe Organic. “We’re foodies at heart and passionate about healthy eating.”
Before any of the organic, local and natural products go on sale at the Ripe stores and markets in the UAE, they go through a rigorous taste testing process in this cosy kitchen, which is tucked away in the bustling arts and crafts space in Al Quoz.
“We try everything before it hits our stores and markets,” says Balderstone.
“Also, once the taste test is complete, the kitchen allows us to turn it into a delicious meal, do our photography in-house, and invite other foodies, such as chefs and bloggers, to use the space for the same.”
The kitchen pantry has everything a cook needs – from local vegetables and fruits to hormone-free meats. It has been developed to provide a home-away-from home experience and is equipped with the latest appliances from Kenwood and De’Longhi.
The space, which has been set up with a long wooden table and countertop lined with jars, pots and pans, can accommodate a group of up to five people.
There are blenders, juicers, hand-mixers, food processors, an induction hob and a multi-fryer where raw-food dishes, breakfast items, salads, fresh natural smoothies and dips can be prepared.
“It is quite intimate to feel as if you are in your own home,” says Balderstone, who is British. “We can accommodate one chef at a time, and workshops accommodating up to four people.”
The Collective, Ripe’s new artisan and food hub at The Courtyard, can accommodate bigger workshops for 15 or more participants.
Balderstone launched her campaign to put organic food on the tables of households in the UAE in 2011. She began creating and selling boxes of fresh produce from local farms. The business quickly grew, and the Ripe store, was launched. It expanded into outdoor markets that not only sell Ripe’s organic products, but have become a community event for resident cooks and food vendors.
Balderstone says the kitchen is Ripe’s way of encouraging UAE residents to adopt a healthy-eating lifestyle.
To this end, it has also teamed up with nutritionists, health enthusiasts and chefs to offer workshops all year round.
“We’d like to use the space to invite foodies to use our kitchen and we’ll feature them and their recipes on our blog, social media and newsletter,” she says.
“We’ll continue to host intimate workshops and would like to expand on this programme in the new year, with more raw food, juicing and fermenting workshops all planned for January.”
Mia Man, a certified raw and plant-based chef, yoga teacher and health coach, has been using the kitchen to introduce textures and flavours of raw chocolate.
“The kitchen is a good place to educate people about healthy eating and food,” says the 33-year-old, from the United Kingdom. “It’s also a space where like- minded people can get together. And people can hang out in the accompanying cafe and boutique shops at The Collective as well.”
Man says there are very few kitchens available for experimental cooks and health bloggers to use.
“And then some of them require a certain level of culinary expertise,” she adds. “But here at Ripe, all sorts of cooks interested in spreading the healthy-eating mantra are welcome.”
The chef says it is also easy for participants to recreate what they learn at home because the ingredients are readily available next door.
• The Ripe Organic Kitchen is located at The Courtyard in Al Quoz. For details, visit www.ripeme.com
aahmed@thenational.ae
