Meet Chef Ariana Bundy, Ariana’s Persian Kitchen, Atlantis The Royal Dubai

“As Iranians, we’ve learned to be flexible. As we dispersed across the globe, we adapted to fit in any society, any country. I couldn’t barge in and start barking commands like the other chefs. I should have because I have the same rights. But I would have been eaten alive. I had to find that balance. Luckily, I wasn’t mistreated at all. But, as a woman, I feel that we are certainly not looked at the same way in the restaurant industry, and there is still room for much improvement.”

Bundy left the Mondrian after two years to follow individual pursuits. She published a cookbook, Sweet Alternative, in 2005, followed by Pomegranates and Roses: My Persian Family Recipes, a part cookbook and part memoir, in 2012. Between these projects, she got married, moved to Dubai, and started a family.