Against All Odds: Dubai-Based Celebrity Chef Silvena Rowe Silvena Rowe is a chef, television personality, and author who runs the restaurants Nassau and Al Botanica at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, UAE.

By Tamara Pupic

You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Against All Odds is an Entrepreneur Middle East Live webinar series that features enterprising women who have risen above personal and professional challenges to develop solutions, launch businesses, and lead global initiatives that make them inspirational role models around the world.

In this edition of Against All Odds, Silvena Rowe, chef, television personality, and author who runs the restaurants Nassau and Al Botanica at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, UAE, shared her thoughts on enabling the greater representation of female chefs, which was built based off insights from her own professional journey.

"The difficult part is that I was a woman in a man's world," she said, as she detailed her career as a professional chef. "I had to work twice as hard as men, in addition to having children and taking care of them after a 12-hour-long shift. Then, I left a prolific career in the UK, and Dubai literally saved my life. The culture here is such that women are treasured, they are put on a pedestal. It is the best place to be a female chef."

Rowe is one of the first advocates of the organic food movement in Dubai, with her known for sourcing produce from local organic farms across the region, and today, she specializes in the areas of bio-hacking and anti-aging by educating people on the right food choices.

For more highlights from our conversation with Rowe, check out the video!

Related: Against All Odds: Maria Hatzistefanis, Founder, Rodial

Tamara Pupic

Entrepreneur Staff

Managing Editor, Entrepreneur Middle East

Tamara Pupic is the Managing Editor of Entrepreneur Middle East.

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