After the French, the British and the Indians, UAE residents must ready themselves for the invasion of the Australians. Even as the land down under prepares to educate the world on its high-quality but undervalued culinary achievements, two of its chefs have their sights trained on Dubai as a pivot to their conquest of the Middle East — although they’re using very different strategies.

Entrepreneur and MasterChef Australia judge George Calombaris may open his first international restaurant here, in the city he says he’s come to regard as a second home. And culinary legend Maggie Beer hopes her beverages and condiments will soon be on our supermarket shelves.

“Dubai was actually the place that inspired my Sparkling Ruby Cabernet. I find the mix of cultures and geographical aspects truly amazing,” Beer tells GN Focus by email. The non-alcoholic wine is positioned as a celebratory alternative to champagne, and her company is currently in search of local distributors for its unusual products, such as verjuice, an alternative to vinegar that she was the first to produce commercially.

Calombaris runs seven restaurants in Australia and isn’t actually saying he’s going to open a restaurant in the UAE, but he admits to having been in talks with regional investors for some time now.