Weekly A to Z, March 11th.

The one from Holland.

Packing for an adventure to Holland, I was able to visit Wagingnen and the Unilever campus for the Future Menus Summit this week. My travel day kicked off in style on Wednesday, as I was collected by Blacklane (my preferred chauffeur service is now available in Dubai, AND with a carbon-neutral fleet — click here to download the app), and then, for the first time in over 10 years, Emirates upgraded me (for free!!!).

At the conference, made up of chefs, culinary professionals, and Unilever executives from around the world, I had the chance to try lots of unique and delicious food and interact with a number of wonderful people. There were several sessions where we heard from industry experts, and we were able to experience upcoming trends (including sampling a few) in real time. I have a lot of thoughts to process about the conference, and I’ll share them in the coming weeks. There is a lot to be inspired by, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to meet everyone and be a part of this experience. Catch some of my highlights here (and there are more coming). #invited

Want to know more? I encourage you to read the full report here.

As we made an unexpected move to Amsterdam on Friday, I reached out to Chef Sidney to see if he might (?!) have room for me at Spectrum**. To my great delight, he was able to fit me in for dinner, and I was able to revisit the restaurant (my last attendance was in 2017 when it was Librije’s Zusje.) I’ll post a Reel of the visit soon. It remains a lovely place to dine. #invited

Links, please.

• Catch me quoted in this article about influencers. The National

• My latest for The Ethicalist.

• Delighted to see this coverage of Mohammad Orfali in the New York Times!

• Michelin to let chefs know in advance if losing stars. Robb Report

• Underrated cooking tips. Buzzfeed

• Getting the Bookers or BonBons together. TikTok

• Is current wine vocabulary exclusionary? Washington Post

• Prop alcohol and ‘drinking’ on screen. VinePair

• How we eat impacts the planet: what changes we can make? The Verge

• Create amazing content quickly with Canva – no design skills needed. #sponsored

• How to correctly cut a grapefruit. Instagram

• Bring back the giant baked potato. Eater

• How to actually say you’re sorry. Vox

• What is a Cadbury Creme egg’s gooey filling made of? Tasting Table

• What groceries people buy at the most expensive grocery store in LA. Buzzfeed

• Make David Chang’s ramen at home. Food Nouveau

• Ghost kitchen surprise. Twitter

• What you need to drink for better sleep. Well and Good

• A great St. Patrick’s Day contest. Vine Pair

• Pedro Pascal + Chilean snacks. Pajiba

• What about cocaine in Coca-Cola? Eater

• How you use your paper towels says something about your personality. The Kitchn

This weekend? Flying home! Keep those fingers crossed for another upgrade.

Next week? Another trip around the sun for yours truly, and a unique adventure outside of the UAE… I hope you’re all wearing green on Friday. 🍀

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C.