DUBAI: For more than a decade, Arva Ahmed has led curious diners through Dubai’s backstreets with her company Frying Pan Adventures. Now, she is taking those stories to a new audience with “Ditch the Silver,” a YouTube series that has grown into a 10-part exclusive docuseries for OSN and OSN+.
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Launched in late 2023 in collaboration with Ti22 Films, “Ditch the Silver” shines a light on food cultures that thrive away from the city’s fine-dining glare.
“We’re not trying to go viral, but we’re just trying to document the food stories the way they are,” said Ahmed in an interview with Arab News. These stories range from Ethiopian vegan fasting platters to why Dubai is a contender for the world’s number one bread city.
The OSN series, filmed over an intense three weeks, dives deeper into those narratives. In the process, Ahmed has witnessed a shift in Dubai’s dining scene: High-powered chefs leaving corporate hotel kitchens to open intimate, accessible eateries. She points to a former Cantonese hotel chef now serving an expanded menu in Oud Metha, an Italian chef experimenting with fermented date fiber and a Moroccan cook inspired by his grandmother. “Luxury food is becoming accessible without losing authenticity,” she said.
