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SHAWARMA NOUVEAU
Interview by Jade George / Photographed by Rawan Gebran
Many people switch from marketing to advertising in their careers. Others make a move from accounting
to business development. But fewer investment bankers become restaurateurs. But thats the switch Fadel
Belmahdi made. The Paris-born, Qatar-raised, London-turned-Dubai resident partnered up with his pal
Palestinian-Kuwaiti Bader Al Kalooti, also an investment banker turned entrepreneur. Together they created
a gourmet shawarma joint in the Marina area of Dubai, aptly named Swich.
Jade George is the chairperson of the Middle East region at the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants Academy and
the co-founder of Art And Then Some, the publishing operation and idea factory behind The Cartona
magazine about food culture and the Middle East. She joins Fadel, a friend and colleague over a round of
shawarmas at his shop.
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FB: [Groans]
FB: Sourcing traceable meats. We secured hormonefree, grass-fed beef and grain-fed veal.
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