i. Biography
Chef-owner of Bait Maryam in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Salam Dakkak was named Middle East & North Africa’s Best Female Chef in 2023. The distinction fits a body of work built on authentic Levantine dishes and Palestinian cuisine, carried from her Palestinian roots into a Dubai dining room that speaks plainly through food, hospitality, and origin. In Dakkak’s kitchen, the work is not about polish for its own sake; it is about holding a regional tradition steady and making it legible to a wider table.
Coming Up
Teaching came early in Salam Dakkak’s career, through her work as an Arabic cuisine instructor at cooking studio in Saudi Arabia. That role set the terms of her practice: precision, patience, and the discipline of breaking technique down so it can be learned, repeated, and carried on. For a cook, instruction is its own craft, and in Dakkak’s case it became part of the structure behind later authorship. The line from classroom to restaurant is clear in Bait Maryam, where food, memory, and care are treated as working principles rather than decoration.
Where They Are Now
Ownership at Bait Maryam in Dubai has belonged to Dakkak since 2017, and the chef-owner role keeps authorship tied to responsibility. Under her name, the food, hospitality, and identity of the place are managed as one operation. That kind of control shows up in the room as well as on the plate: the restaurant reflects a direct, grounded sensibility, with no need to overstate its point of view. The cooking at Bait Maryam is built on authentic Levantine dishes and Palestinian cuisine, and Dakkak has been explicit about the kind of hospitality that framework is meant to support. “In Bait Maryam, we bring people from all over the world together to enjoy a hearty meal prepared with love,” she has said, drawing a clean line between shared table and regional cooking. That same logic appears in another of her statements: “Bait Maryam is a place where people can come and feel at home, no matter where they come from.” For a chef-owner born in Palestine and working in Dubai, the sentence places origin, food, and welcome in the same frame, with the restaurant serving as both a point of recognition and a place to eat.
Signature
Salam's signature dishes include hummus with pine nuts.
In Their Words “In Bait Maryam, we bring people from all over the world together to enjoy a hearty meal prepared with love.” “Bait Maryam is a place where people can come and feel at home, no matter where they come from.”
Honors
Salam's honors include MICHELIN Guide Dubai Bib Gourmand (2022) and Middle East & North Africa's Best Female Chef 2023 (2023).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Salam
What is Salam Dakkak's current role?
As of 2026, Salam Dakkak is Chef-owner.
Where did Salam Dakkak work before?
Salam Dakkak's earlier career included cooking studio.
What recognition has Salam Dakkak received?
MICHELIN Guide Dubai Bib Gourmand (2022).
