From Bob Marley's Playlist to Dubai's Kitchen: My Ital Journey

Picture this: It's 2018, I'm a dreadhead from Kenya with Bob Marley's "Natural Mystic" on repeat, convinced I understand Jamaican culture better than some people who've never left the island. Then life happened, and I found myself 4,000 miles away in Dubai, about to learn what "Ital" really means.

Fresh out of culinary school with locs down my back, Dennis Brown on my playlist, and a head full of dreams about Jamaican culture that I'd only experienced through music and documentaries. Dubai wasn't exactly the Jamaica of my dreams, but it was where my career was calling.

From Nairobi to Dubai: Following the Music

For four years, I worked my way up through various kitchens, always with my headphones on, always with reggae keeping me company. My colleagues thought I was just another African guy obsessed with Jamaican music. They had no idea I was studying.

Then, in my final year, I heard about a position that made my heart skip: Head Pastry Chef at Ting Irie, Dubai's most authentic Jamaican restaurant. The interview was with Miss Claudette, a 60-year-old Jamaican woman who took one look at my locs and said, "So you love the culture, but do you understand it?"

"Yute, you love the culture, but do you understand it? Ital isn't just about what you don't eat—it's about respecting what you do eat."
— Miss Claudette, Ting Irie Dubai

Ting Irie: My Real Jamaican University

Walking into Ting Irie was like stepping into a piece of Jamaica that had been carefully transported to the Middle East. The walls vibrated with authentic reggae, the kitchen smelled like scotch bonnet and allspice, and the staff—all Jamaicans—spoke in patois that made my heart sing and my brain work overtime to keep up.

Miss Claudette became my first teacher. On my second day, she watched me make what I thought was a perfect batch of festival dumplings and shook her head. That's when I learned that Ital isn't just a diet—it's a philosophy.

The Real Meaning of Ital

It comes from "vital," but it's so much more than eating plants. Chef Marvin, the head chef who became my mentor, explained it like this: "Ital food is meditation you can taste. Every ingredient has purpose, every meal has meaning."

It's about:

• Respect for ingredients - Every carrot, every grain of rice has a story
• Connection to the earth - Food should nourish, not just fill
• Community over consumption - Sharing meals builds souls, not just bodies
• Simplicity over complexity - The best flavors don't need to shout

From Ting Irie to Italea

After a year at Ting Irie, I understood something profound: Ital wasn't just Jamaican—it was universal. The same respect for ingredients, the same connection to community, the same focus on nourishment over indulgence—I'd seen it all in my grandmother's kitchen in Nairobi.

That's when the idea for Italea was born. Not as a Jamaican restaurant in Kenya, but as a place where the Ital philosophy could meet Kenyan ingredients and Italian simplicity. A place where "vital" food could be accessible, delicious, and real.