Billy Durney | Red Hook Tavern & Hometown BBQ | New York

Paolo Griffa was born in Piedmont, a hilly region in North-West Italy, the land of white truffles and Barolo wine, where the gastronomic culture is rich and strong, and that has certainly been the first source of inspiration for him. Griffa trained in some of the best restaurants in the world, such as Combal Zero** and Piccolo Lago** in Italy, Le Chateaubriand*, Septime* and Serge Vieira** in France, Studio* and in Copenhagen. In 2015, he won the San Pellegrino Young chef award for Italy and, in 2017, he took part to the Italian Selection of the Bocuse d'Or, just before becoming the chef of Petit Royal restaurant in Courmayeur, at the foot of Mont Blanc, awarded with a Michelin star 2 years later. In March 2021 Paolo was been awarded by Forbes among the 100 most influential Italians Under 30 in Italy. In August 2022 Paolo’s dream of having his own restaurant finally came true and he moved to Aosta, a pretty town surrounded by the Alps, to open his “Paolo Griffa al Caffè Nazionale”, that was awarded its first Michelin star in November 2022, only 3 months after opening.“Paolo Griffa al Caffè Nazionale” is one of the most technological restaurants in Italy, curiously located in one of the oldest restaurants in the Aosta region, a place full of history that has always been the cultural, social and gourmand heart of the city, but that has been closed for years, before Paolo has decided to give it a new life. Griffa's signature cooking is always creative, ironic, and joyful: a hymn to the Aosta Valley in all seasons, to its peculiarities, its history and its future.

Dina Hosny | Dine With Deenuh | Cairo

Dina is a chef with a passion for creating Middle Eastern and Mediterranean inspired food through the use of local ingredients. Building from her Le Cordon Bleu London education, and her training experience at The Four Seasons Hotel, she currently curates & hosts pop-up dinners and events always with a focus on seasonal local ingredients.

Hazem Abdelghany | Coolcat | Cairo

Hazem started his professional cooking journey with a two month stage at Kazoku in 2020, then worked his way up to Executive Chef at Ralph’s German Bakery in 2021. In 2022, he spent two months in Rome earning a culinary diploma at the Italian Chef Academy, which opened the door to a dream he’d had since 2015 for a five-month stage at Osteria Francescana. An experience that completely reshaped how he saw food. He went back to Rome and joined the team at Æde, a modern Nordic-inspired restaurant in the center of Rome, where he became the sous chef. In summer 2024, Hazem returned to Cairo to lead the kitchen at Kiki’s Setup (A Gn’K Group concept); and in 2025 launched Cool Cat - a way to bring together everything he’s learned and to explore food as a space for curiosity, connection, and storytelling.