Work With Me.
Culinary and hospitality consulting.
Hi, I’m Courtney Brandt. I’m an American ex-pat with 15+ years of experience in the Middle East (Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi). From my residence in Dubai, I focus mainly on fine dining and hospitality coverage.
Please consider my portfolio via my press clippings, some photo highlights, Spotify for my radio and podcast appearances, or additional appearances on my YouTube channel.
To discuss opportunities, please get in touch with me at atozaatar(at)outlook(dot)com
Ready to commit to an exploratory conversation? Please book time in my calendar.
Rates are available upon request.
It all begins with an idea, and I want to help you bring your project to life. My comprehensive partnership supports your vision through planning and execution to post-operational guidance.
Still stuck on where to get started? Here are some specific ideas of what I can offer your organization. Examples are available upon request.
Media training
Content creation
Writing and copy-editing
Freelance F&B consultancy
TV, podcast, or series host
Speaker, moderator, or forum panelist
Website and newsletter content
Guest list compilation and event support
Assistance with gastro-tourism itineraries
Food or culinary judge
Press trips to promote a destination
Brand Ambassador
Guest chef activations
Event organization
Pop-ups and supper clubs
Mystery shopper reports
Menu writing
On my social media channels, I would be happy to work with you on any of the below:
Sponsored post
Sponsored links
Product reviews
To date, I’ve been published with Conde Nast Middle East, Tasting Table, EuroCave, Travel Curator, Vogue Arabia, Fast Company, Destinations of the World, Forbes Middle East, Curiosity Magazine, Elite Daily, The Forward Feed, Food&Wine, A Luxury Travel Blog, Matador Network, Sopexa, JustLuxe, Travelettes, Citizen Femme, Columbus Travel, Dining and Nightlife Middle East, and Roads & Kingdoms. I provide global hotel coverage with Northstar Media and was part of The World’s Most Luxurious Hotels program on BBC5 in 2019. Most recently, I’ve appeared on EuroNews, DXB Today, and as the host of the first season of UAE byFood. I’ve written commercially for Couqley, AddMind Hospitality, Dima Ayad Consulting, Spinneys, Sapaad, and Umami Communications. I also regularly contribute to Dubai Eye 103.8 for food and travel.
I’ve spoken at a number of conferences, including hosting the Top Table at Gulfood 2024 and being both a panelist and moderator at The Restaurant Show, Middle East Food Forum, Travel Tech Middle East, Caterer Middle East, PechaKucha, and SMS Summit Jordan. I attended the Google Local Guides Summit in October 2018 and November 2019, as well as The World’s 50 Best Restaurants international and MENA events and San Sebastian Gastronomika. Unilever invited me to attend the Future Trends report in March 2023 and hosted the Middle East activation in June 2023. I served as a judge for the Specialty Food Festival YouthX 2023 panel and the Deliveroo Awards 2023. I’ve worked with Marriott More Cravings, 1800 Tequila, Louis XIII, Wonderful Pistachios, Grana Padano, California Wines, Carnistore, Jacob’s Creek, Silver Fern Farms, and Dubai Tourism. I was recently recognized by Raemona magazine in their 2024 ‘40 over FORTY’ list, and in March 2024, I was tapped as a Luxury Lifestyle Awards Food & Beverages Advisory Board member.
I’m also a published author, with ten young adult novels and three contemporary adult novels completed.
I hold an attested degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia, with honors, and have an active registered trade license for work in the UAE.
My largest platform is Google Maps, where I currently have over 126 million views. I also have 19,600+ followers on Instagram, 1,300+ followers on Pinterest (75,200+ monthly views), and 3,300+ followers on Threads.
My Weekly A to Z newsletter goes out to over 6,500 subscribers, including PR, Marketing, and culinary professionals (including the C-Suite), and has an 18% open rate.
I am currently working with Tresind Studio** as a Senior Marketing Consultant and with Unilever Food Solutions Arabia.
Weekly A to Z insights (April 2024).
Testimonials
“We absolutely loved having you! Thank you so much for the content posted - you are simply the ideal media guest to host.”
Four Seasons Abu Dhabi
“Courtney is indeed a powerhouse of many talents. Her newsletter, A to Za'atar, is definitely a source of food inspiration, and she knows the Dubai restaurant scene like nobody else. Courtney is also an established writer who has shared quite a few tips with me. On a personal level, Courtney has been one of the best colleagues to have shared a business trip to Italy. I enjoyed everything from tasting the new dishes to sharing the Italian vocabulary and simply laughing about so many small things.
If you are looking for someone to create engaging content or host your event, be assured Courtney will bring all her expertise to do an excellent job. It is quite rare to find a journalist who is also this tech-savvy, so if digital presence is important to you, look no further.”
Slava Noor, Editor of Arte & Lusso
“Courtney is a brilliant writer with an effervescent personality. Working at Emirates Palace, I have invited Courtney to review/produce a number of stories about our restaurants, visit Michelin-star chefs, and visit Emirates Palace’s Spa and beach club. Her work is honest, concise, entertaining, and always served with her signature sense of humor and natural flair. Courtney's other qualities include — she is easy to work with, creative, highly professional, motivated, hardworking, and an overall nice person!”
Liz Totton, media professional
“I wanted to express my gratitude and congratulations sooner: you are an outstanding host. You made all the speakers feel at ease and ensured an engaging and successful debate without even a single rehearsal! I received numerous questions afterward, indicating that people were truly engaged! I hope this is only our first collaboration and that many more will follow!”
CEO Panelist, Gulfood 2024