Associate Professor in Business & Leadership at University of East Anglia. Passionate about doodling, imagination, and creativity. Author of Self-Making Studio.
A chocolate bar that emptied the world’s pistachio stocks, a weight-loss drug that shrank the snack aisle, a former fighter who saves restaurants with one bite, and the recipe for building your own small food empire. Tonight’s menu is served in eight courses. Please arrive hungry and curious.
In 2021, Sarah Hamouda, a Dubai resident on maternity leave, started a small dessert business as a side hustle. Her pregnancy cravings pointed toward chocolate, with a nostalgic Middle Eastern twist. Her shop, Fix Dessert Chocolatier, sold a thick milk chocolate bar filled with pistachio cream, tahini and crunchy shredded pastry, inspired by knafeh. She named it with a pun, “Can’t Get Knafeh of It.” FIX stands for “freaking incredible experience.”
For two years, it was a local treat. Then, in December 2023, a Dubai food creator named Maria Vehera filmed herself biting into one, ASMR-style, letting the microphone catch the crack of chocolate and the crunch of pastry. The video has since passed 124 million views.
Associate Professor in Business & Leadership at University of East Anglia. Passionate about doodling, imagination, and creativity. Author of Self-Making Studio.
