Wanderlust Chef

Chef Eliza Veitch travelled the world and fell in love with food, resulting in her venture, Jetlagged Chef

About me: I moved to the UAE in 2012 to pursue my dream role in aviation — since then I have been privileged to visit many countries and try their local cuisines. This spurred my love for cooking and taught me to experiment with flavours and concepts.

Jetlagged Chef is about bringing a positive lifestyle change. We offer lunch and dinner plans, which are calorie and macro controlled, whilst focusing on fuelling the body. I started with one customer in July 2020 and since then have grown purely by word of mouth. Follow me on Instagram (@jetlagged_chef) for easy recipes.

My journey was met with amazing support from the Dubai community. As a self-taught chef, there was an element of vulnerability to really put myself out there. I have had many women share that they have felt motivated to reach for their own dreams. Designing my kitchen was really when I felt like a real chef — getting to try out equipment and being called Chef Eliza.

Favourite dish to cook: Thai green curry. The strong flavours mixed with coconut rice is heaven.

Favourite time of the year: Christmas. One year, I took on the challenge to create one dish request from each person, so they felt like it was their own Christmas. The table was full of different dishes, and it was amazing.

My role model(s): My mum raised me on her own and taught me to be strong and work hard. She managed it all on her own and worked her way up into a specialised role in medicine. Another is a chef from Australia whom I have followed for years, Leah Itsines. She is also self-taught and has always shared her honest journey since starting her own company.

The future: I want my company to mean something more than cooking. Since the beginning, I have donated profits, fridges and groceries to women-run charities to help families in need. On the business side, my partner has inspired me to ‘think big’ and we have plans to open availability to other emirates.

Advice to budding chefs: Embrace the challenge and don’t be afraid! Be proud of each milestone and whenever you feel stressed, remember how far you have come.