The UAEs first-ever community-driven reef restoration project
JOEY GHAZAL, Co-Founder
Serial gastropreneur, Joey is the Founder & Managing Partner of The MAINE New England Brasserie Company, established in 2015, now with three outlets all across Dubai. Joey has been recognized by Caterer Magazine as 'Middle East Restauranteur of the Year' and is regularly featured as one of the Most Powerful Independent Restauranteurs in the Middle East in their yearly ‘Power 50’ issue. Joey is a vocal advocate for sustainability, eliminating all single use plastics from his restaurants and supporting local farms and fisheries by using local ingredients in all his menus. Joey partnered with Fadi Abu Ghali, EMEG and The Arbor School, to bring his vision of recycling discarded Oyster Shells from The MAINE, to life in the hopes of conserving and improving the marine ecosystem in the emirate.
FADI ABU GHALI, Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Fadi Abu Ghali is a Dubai based entrepreneur, executive advisor and friend of the MAINE, a dynamic and forward-thinking school that prepares young people for a rapidly changing world, nurturing a core belief in environmental mindfulness, responsibility and the importance of sustainability. Fadi was intrinsic in advising and helping expand on Joey's idea for this Oyster project. He was responsible for enlisting schools, scientists and staff to the table to grow the vision and turn it into a meaningful CSR initiative that will hopefully have a great impact on the marine ecosystem while empowering students to make a direct tangible contribution to conservation efforts in the UAE. Fadi is also the co-founder of a sustainable children’s online toy shop called My Backyard Chronicles.