Born in Rabat, Khalid Dahbi's love for culinary arts made him tour Europe for years. Based in London, the Moroccan man is a successful chef in the City and an entrepreneur who is fascinated with luxury and sophistication. Celebrating Morocco is the motto of Khalid Dahbi, a chef and entrepreneur who managed to make a career out of what he loved the most : gastronomy. Born in Rabat, Chef Dahbi decided at the age of 16 to leave Morocco to start a new adventure in Europe away from his family. «My family was quite well-off and I wanted to build my own career and show them that I did not need their money», Khalid Dahbi told Yabiladi. The young man headed to Switzerland, where he worked as a volunteer. From charity to culinary In Geneva, Dahbi enjoyed giving more than he was receiving so he participated to multiple workcamps for children and people in need. His journey in Europe pushed the Moroccan man to study culinary arts in Naples, Italy. His thirst for knowledge brought him back to Switzerland, the country he loves the most. «I always had a connection with this country… It is there that I studied business management», Dahbi explained. Not very far from Switzerland, Dahbi packed up his suitcase and went for France, where he made his first steps as a cook and a chef in the country's top restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Restaurant Le Meurice and L'Arpège. To wrap up his European adventure, Khalid Dahbi spent some time in Venice, before deciding to settle down in London in 1999. «I have been to London many times before with my father», Dahbi recalled, adding that the City was «the place to be». Working with London's top chefs Once in London, Dahbi worked with the best chefs out there, from Gordon Ramsay and Macro Pierre White to Jamie Oliver. His multicultural background, linguistic skills and travels helped him shine and find his path to success. Dahbi became a Resident chef at the Quintenssentially Group, a British concierge company headquartered in London. In June 2018, Dahbi brought his skills and experience into the spotlight, establishing the Beso Moorish food project. Located in Central London, the restaurant is an interpretation of all the travels Dahbi did in the past 20 years. «Beso as a gastronomic kit illustrates the flavors of all the places I have been», he proudly declared. Celebrating Morocco's cuisine All dishes listed in Beso's menu tell a story, going from Marrakech to Spain all the way down to Switzerland. «Every dish is linked to my passion, my journey … the menu is an homage to these places», the Rabat-native told Yabiladi. Indeed, Beso's menu gives an overview of Dahbi's style as a distinguished chef in London. To him, simplicity, elegance and most importantly flavor are the key to a perfect dish. Besides international cuisine, the chef is working on celebrating Moroccan food and dishes. He believes that it is his mission to do justice to his roots through cooking. «I wanted to represent the ingredients and the diversity that we have … there is far more to the Moroccan cuisine than just couscous and tajine». Dahbi is always in search of elegance, finesse and flavors, so his traditional Moroccan dishes must have all of the three elements. In addition to the Beso in London, Dahbi has another restaurant in Switzerland. Khalid Dahbi the entrepreneur Khalid Dahbi is also an entrepreneur who works on many products through his company KD Luxury. Dahbi's business, indeed, is all about elegance and luxury. «I am the first Moroccan in the UK who imports the finest caviar in the world», he told Yabiladi. Moreover, part of KD Luxury sells a range of products with 24 karat gold. «I am also a fashion designer, I designed the first bag in the world that combines python skin and crocodile and that is through a line called Antoine Amato», Dahbi said.
