Robert Stevens - The Viking in the Desert (E15)

Send us Fan MailChef Robert Stevens, was only a couple of months old when he first arrived in Dubai, born in Finland, there was always going to be a draw towards fermentation, produce and incredible flavours.Robert was 22 years old when he decided to become a chef, this was the time he took to go back to Scandinavia to learn the trade, once graduating from culinary school, he then decided to go back to the heat of the desert.Once in Dubai, a few opportunities beckoned, however the job of a lifetime came up in the way of working with the legendary 3 star Michelin legend - Heinz Beck!https://heinzbeck.comThis was the place where he truly discovered what it takes to be a professional, the other challenge which he faced, was the fact that he was the only English speaker in the entire brigade, no an easy situation to be in.18 months later, Robert was an entirely different chef!He now heads up the kitchen in the coveted Intersct by Lexus, located in the trendy financial district of Dubai.https://www.intersectbylexus.ae/homeThe food is about the local produce, maximising the flavours, at the same time his roots of fermentation, pickling, and smoking are of-course being showcased in the menu.Vegan specials regularly take centre stage, especially on the A La Carte, even more interestingly  there are beautiful Arabic touches to the food, another nod to the local culture.One particularly great skill that Robert has developed, is making cheese from scratch, again, the produce takes precedence, by getting fresh milk directly from the farms in the United Arab Emirates.It is fair to see influences from his culinary heroes Rene Redzepi, Alan Passard, and of course Heinz Beck.He is also part of the educational recipe development team for the Dubai Chef's Collective.https://www.dubaichefscollective.comOverall what Robert is ultimately doing, is going back to his origins, purely focusing on the provenance, techniques and incredible flavours.His food is not only delicious, but also delightfully intelligent.A true Viking in the Desert.To see all of the work that Robert is doing, follow him on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chefroblar/Support the showFollow The Chef JKP Podcast on Instagram HERE