Arwa Lootah’s path to the kitchen was not a conventional one. With a background in art and design, she began cooking just two years ago after realizing that much of the UAE’s culinary heritage has remained undocumented and never formally written down.

“Emirati cuisine has been around for hundreds of years, if not even more,” the UAE-born chef Arwa Lootah explains. “But we have a saying here in the Emirate’s that a ‘Freeman’s eyes are his scale’ [which is why] they never used to scale anything or weigh anything.”

Many of these recipes can be traced to the UAE’s history as a maritime trading hub, when merchants returned with spices and grains from Persia and India that gradually found their way into local cooking. Much of this culinary heritage endured as an oral tradition, passed from one generation to the next by memory rather than written record. Concerned that such knowledge could dwindle, Lootah began documenting it herself, starting with her mother’s cooking.

Lootah in her kitchen creating an Emirati influenced menu [Credit: Arwa Lootah]

“It started randomly. I told her that I would like to learn a recipe and while she was making it, I quickly wrote everything down and weighed the ingredients –  which really annoyed her, but then I would go home and type everything up,” Lootah explains.

What began as a family archive has evolved into a career. Today, Lootah cooks at national events, leads culinary workshops and develops bespoke menus for restaurants across the UAE that feature Emirati flavors through a modern lens. Her goal is not only to cook Emirati cuisine but to transform the way Emirati cuisine is presented on a wider scale.

Wagyu kebabs glazed with date vinegar sauce, pistachio dukkah and served with pita. [Credit: Arwa Lootah]

“My approach to Emirati cuisine is that when Emirati’s try my food, they can relate to it and know exactly what dish [they are eating]… and for people from different cultures and different backgrounds to try something new,”  Arwa explains.

A modern interpretation of pistachio date milk pudding made with smoked camel milk, featured on Arwa Lootah’s Ramadan menu at Knead Bakery in Abu Dhabi. [Credit: Arwa Lootah]

Often grouped under the broader label of Middle Eastern cuisine, her menus and dishes define what makes Emirati food distinct.

Arwa Lootah’s menu for Parlour Boutique’s reopening in 2025 ([Credit: Arwa Lootah]

“Emirati cuisine has its own identity, and it differs from one region to another,” she says. “There are dishes from the desert, the sea and the mountains. This is something I would like people to know more about.”

From showcasing ingredients such as smoked camel milk as a sweet pudding  to using the UAE’s most ubiquitous ingredient, dates, as a tangy vinegar glaze for wagyu, her cooking has become known for bringing familiar Emirati flavors into a fine-dining setting.

Her efforts have not gone unnoticed. She recalls a defining moment at the World Government Summit in 2025 when Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum stopped to ask about her work.

Lootah showcasing Emirati dishes. [Credit: Arwa Lootah]

“That really validated that I am making a difference, and that I really should continue doing this,” Lootah says. “We are in the process of showing the world that Emirati cuisine is a serious cuisine. It should be documented, archived and celebrated daily,” she added.