French-Lebanese national Ralph Joudet moved to Dubai from Paris in 2007 along with his wife Sara for a real estate job at Majid Al Futtaim Properties LLC. The 34-year old is the founder of Cooking with Ralph, where he shares his love for baking and cooking from his home in Al Hudaiba, Dubai. A typical day in Ralph’s life includes work, cooking, updating his blog with recipes he has tried, and a workout at the gym – he works out five days a week to work off all the calories he gains from tasting his own sweet treats! A man of many interests, he also likes to spend time with nature and animals, and counts fishing and collecting shells as his other hobbies.

About the blog

CookingwithRalph.com began in September 2010, after friends and family kept asking for my culinary advice and recipes. I started the blog so that they could access my recipes whenever they wanted. Initially it was all about baking, but I gradually made the move towards a few healthy dishes, as I felt the blog needed to reflect me more. I began a diet a year ago and have lost 25kgs in five months by only eating healthy, organic food. All these dishes are on the blog, which is in French at the moment, but can be translated via Google translate.

A foodie personality I would love to dine with…

Emeril Lagasse – I watch him every other day on TV. I like the way he cooks and his show is amazing. I would make Lacquered chicken, a baked chicken dish with teriyaki sauce, honey, orange juice, minced ginger and garlic and sesame seeds – it’s a family favourite that my mother used to make.

Ultimate food luxuries

I can’t live without organic almond butter and manuka honey. I add a little to apple slices every morning.

Guiltypleasure

Burgers! Wherever I go, I order them with a sunny side up egg – kind of like a Croque-Madame.

Reading pleasure

The first cookbook I read was Le Larousse du Chocolat (Larousse) when I was 17 years old. I made brownies and have become famous amongst my friends and family for it since then. The book also sparked my passion for cooking and baking.

Five pantry staples

Olive oil, za’atar, balsamic vinegar, quinoa and eggs.

Cooking tips

*When making tabbouleh, massage salt and cinnamon on to the finely chopped onions, to reduce the strong smell and make them taste better.

* To give meat a smoky, barbecue flavour when baking or roasting, light a piece of charcoal, put it in a small piece of aluminium, and place in the middle of the dish. Cover for about 10 minutes and notice the difference when you eat it.

*To make your own buttermilk, add one tablespoon of white vinegar to 240ml of milk and set aside for 10 minutes.

Fondest food memory

A few years ago, I was in Cesena, Italy, on a business trip and was invited to a Romanian restaurant called Cã ad Pancot for lunch. I ate all kinds of grilled meat with handmade flatbread (Piadina). The portions were huge and delicious and it was the best meal I’ve ever eaten till now.

My quick-fix healthy dish

Organic quinoa, sundried tomato, fresh tomato chunks, spinach, olive oil and balsamic glaze.