There are many pros when moving to a new city: new experiences, meeting new people, exploring new cultures and foods. Deciding to move to Dubai to live as an expat, these pros are amplified. Beautifully tolerant and welcoming to all, it’s a place where locals and expats find success together. There is a mix of everyone and their cultures, so feeling at home in a new city comes easy and almost diminishes the downs of moving.
Expats are quickly able to find their footing and their comforts by visiting the local markets to buy an ingredient they miss from home, making friends in restaurants or cafes that boast their hometown cuisines, or even experiencing the local art scene and finding cultural nuances celebrating your roots. It’s a melting pot that continues to grow and greets diversity with open arms across all corners of the city.
In this article, part two of a three-part series, we explore the story of three chefs who have come to Dubai from various parts of the world. They tell us their story of how their culinary journey brought them to Dubai and their experience so far.
We had the pleasure of speaking with chef Burcu Cracknell, Head Chef at MICHELIN-selected Josette, to learn more about how her career brought her to Dubai and how she found success as a leading chef in a city she now calls home.
READ MORE: How Dubai became home for Hakkasan chef, Andy Toh
Born in Istanbul, Turkiye, chef Burcu Cracknell began studying for a degree in industrial engineering before she decided to follow her passions to become a chef, against her family’s wishes. Today, she is highly acclaimed in Dubai’s culinary scene and paves the way for burgeoning female chefs in the industry.
With a career spanning over sixteen years, chef Burcu began shaping her path in Zuma Istanbul, where she made culinary connections that led her to Dubai in 2011. She travelled to the city to join LPM as a Demi chef, embarking on collaborations with Dubai’s renowned chefs like Timothy Newton and Izu Ani, which further propelled her career in the city. Then, she spent four years at Il Borro Tuscan Bistro Dubai, which solidified Burcu’s standing in the industry, before leading the charge as Head Chef of French restaurant, Josette.
While her professional journey in Dubai proved to be successful, it was not an easy start for the Turkish chef. When chef Burcu first arrived in Dubai all those years ago, she admits that she was homesick. Living away from her family and home comforts for the first time was tough; however, this was alleviated on her first visit to LPM.
“I really felt that I was in a good place with good people and it’s a warm memory in my mind.”
This, as well as messages of support from her family to stay and “give it a go,” encouraged chef Burcu to pursue this new venture and she hasn’t looked back since.
Chef Burcu has witnessed a lot of changes including an increase in people, traffic, and the number of restaurants since coming here in 2011. “When I first came to Dubai, there weren’t many restaurant options or much competition,” she recalls, “but the city has grown a lot since then and that’s why us expats are happy, and we can call this place home.” Being able to find her beloved flavours of Turkiye, such as baklava, helps cure her homesickness in just a matter of bites.
READ MORE: Here are some of the MICHELIN Inspectors favourite dishes in Dubai
Family holds the highest level of importance for Josette’s Head Chef. “Wherever your loved ones are is where you call home,” she says. While she arrived to the city of the future alone and without knowing anyone, she has garnered a network of friendships that are “like family” over the years. Meeting her husband in Dubai, and being joined by her brother later on, cemented chef Burcu’s sense of belonging in the city even further. “They make me feel like I belong here,” she says smiling. “Dubai is not even my second home now – it is my home.”
Another reason chef Burcu finds comfort and happiness in the bustling city is the level of safety it boasts economically and socially. She credits Dubai’s multicultural tapestry to being the reason why people are so welcoming and accepting, creating a sense of community that is safe for people of all backgrounds.
“People are so inclusive and tolerant here, which is great, and I love that all chefs here are supporting each other.”
While chef Burcu’s move to the city was initially short-term, her plans to return to Turkiye have long dissipated. Not knowing what the future holds for her, whether that’s working in a kitchen (if her stamina allows) or something else within the food and beverage space, she is confident she will remain in Dubai with her extended family, husband, and two precious cats.
DISCOVER NOW: Dubai's MICHELIN Restaurant brunches you don't want to miss
Bonus Questions with chef Burcu:
Favourite places to eat in Dubai?
21 Grams, Alici is one of my favourites as it reminds me of Turkiye a little bit, Ninive is also one of my favourites as it's intimate and I love the food. For very special occasions, definitely Trèsind Studio and Ossiano.
Three words to describe Dubai?
Opportunity, Tolerance, Warmth
Favourite activity/thing to do in Dubai?
Going to the beach and cycling
