Dubai Culture and L’Occitane Café: an innovative collaboration that drew inspiration from the emirate’s authentic heritage

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority collaborated with L’Occitane Café on an initiative that aimed to support and encourage culinary art  as an art that stimulates innovation, creativity and leadership as well as highlights authentic Emirati flavours, motivating all segments of society to participate in inspiring activities, in line with the Authority’s strategic roadmap that contributes to strengthening the emirate’s position as an incubator for creativity and creators.

As part of this cooperation, L’Occitane Café offers a special almond and date tart that combines French culture and Dubai’s heritage, as its ingredients include French almonds and Medjool dates, a variety of authentic local dates that are of special importance to Emiratis. In an amalgamation of western and eastern flavours, the tart emphasises the role that culinary art, as a creative art, could play in converging viewpoints, exchanging ideas, and blending and coexisting on several levels.

Reflecting the fusion and coexistence in Dubai’s multicultural environment, each box contained a rich almond tart, inspired by almonds from the south of France and authentic local Medjool dates, to present a special Emirati touch. The recipe and ingredients were sent out to selected members of the community, who were challenged with preparing the recipe, adding their own personal touch, and sharing their creations with Dubai Culture.

Through this initiative, Dubai Culture sought to highlight the different culinary arts from the multiple cultures that live in Dubai, as well as introduce community members to cooking methods that differ from one country to another and from one culture to another, in a scene that reflects the intermingling and coexistence of those cultures. The initiative also fell within the Authority’s commitment to supporting and empowering its partners from the sector and connecting them to the largest possible segment of society.