Girl and the Goose
The ‘girl’ in question is Gabriela, or Gigi, who traveled 14,000 kilometers from Nicaragua to live, work and cook in Dubai. And ‘goose’ is some kind of totem or spirit guide, who appeared to Gigi in a dream when she decided to host a supper club and struggled to think of a name for it. Her childhood dream of becoming a chef has finally come true half a world away when she started Girl and the goose two years ago, “…thanks to my support system and people like Jill, Roberto, and Heimo, who gave me that kick and confidence I needed to put myself out there,” she says. Certain items shared by Girl and the goose began with recipes from Gigi’s grandma, including the Nicaraguan fritters known as buñuelos, though the older woman soaked hers in sugar cane syrup while Gigi uses a combination of three less artery-clogging sauces. The challenge, “is to adopt a traditional recipe and make it healthy without losing the core, the essence” a creative process Gigi really enjoys. Her menu now changes every three months, which gives her ever-widening social circle plenty of time to visit and try word-of-mouth hits like maduros en gloria (sweet plantains in glory), her ceviche, and desserts like tres leches, with goat milk and mango sorbet.