Keynote Speaker
Co-Founder, Frying Pan Adventures
Arva Ahmed is a food entrepreneur and cultural storyteller who has redefined how Dubai is seen, through its kitchens and neighborhoods rather than its skylines. In 2013, she founded Frying Pan Adventures, the city’s first walking food tour company, pioneering an approach that uncovered Dubai’s story through the everyday dishes and diverse cultures that shape it.
In 2024, Ahmed partnered with Ti22 Films to produce Ditch the Silver, a YouTube channel and food docu-series that also airs on Emirates Airlines as well as on OSN and OSN+. The show celebrates the diverse people and subcultures shaping the city’s street food identity.
Her voice has long been part of the region’s media landscape—as a columnist for Friday magazine, co-host of the UAE’s first food podcast Deep Fried, and today as the food reporter on Dubai One TV’s DXBToday. Both Deep Fried and Ditch the Silver are featured on Emirates in-flight entertainment, extending her reach to global audiences.
Ahmed has appeared internationally on Netflix, Travel Channel, Food Network, iTV, and CNN, earning her a reputation as one of the region’s most trusted cultural interpreters. Across these platforms, Ahmed advances a powerful idea: food is not just sustenance, but the most enduring way for cities in constant motion to preserve authenticity and human connection.
Arva Ahmed is a food entrepreneur and cultural storyteller who has redefined how Dubai is seen, through its kitchens and neighborhoods rather than its skylines. In 2013, she founded Frying Pan Adventures, the city’s first walking food tour company, pioneering an approach that uncovered Dubai’s story through the everyday dishes and diverse cultures that shape it.
In 2024, Ahmed partnered with Ti22 Films to produce Ditch the Silver, a YouTube channel and food docu-series that also airs on Emirates Airlines as well as on OSN and OSN+. The show celebrates the diverse people and subcultures shaping the city’s street food identity.
Her voice has long been part of the region’s media landscape—as a columnist for Friday magazine, co-host of the UAE’s first food podcast Deep Fried, and today as the food reporter on Dubai One TV’s DXBToday. Both Deep Fried and Ditch the Silver are featured on Emirates in-flight entertainment, extending her reach to global audiences.
Ahmed has appeared internationally on Netflix, Travel Channel, Food Network, iTV, and CNN, earning her a reputation as one of the region’s most trusted cultural interpreters. Across these platforms, Ahmed advances a powerful idea: food is not just sustenance, but the most enduring way for cities in constant motion to preserve authenticity and human connection.