q&a with chef judy
Meet Chef Judy Karkour, the mind behind õdē by judy, a supper club where each menu is built around a single seasonal ingredient. Raised in Damascus and rooted in a culture where the sufra is sacred, Judy blends her background in art with her deep love for home-style cooking to create experiences that are as thoughtful as they are flavorful.
From her first “õdē to mushrooms” to now her ninth menu, Judy’s style is spontaneous, heartful, and quietly innovative, a celebration of ingredients, memories, and the joy of gathering. At her table, food isn’t just served, it’s felt.
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am Judy Karkour, chef and founder of õdē by judy, a supper club rooted in seasonal eating, dedicating each menu to a single ingredient. My background is in art. I’ve worked in galleries, institutions, and events for the last 7 years. A few years ago, I made a move to Toronto, where I felt the supper club concept would be a great way to meet new people. However, COVID lockdowns were very intense and didn’t allow thius idea to grow. When I moved back to Dubai in 2022, I was working at a gallery and decided to pick the idea back up. I wanted to create a concept that wasn’t just about a cuisine but about the ingredients themselves. That’s where õdē came to life. From September through December 2022, I launched a series of testers to see how I can create full menus around one ingredient. I had lists and lists of diferent dishes but the challenge was to have a cohesive menu that highlighted a single ingredient in each dish. My first menu was õdē to mushrooms. I had so many mushroom dishes up my sleeve that the biggest challenge was the dessert. Then, as I was watching Masterchef Australia one evening (my main source of flavor inspo), one of the chefs had created a mushroom and caramel parfait. So I decided an ice cream with a crackle of almond praline was the way to go. And it was! I launched the mushroom menu in January 2023, and here we are now May 2025 on our 9th menu.
Q: What was the first dish you ever mastered, and does it still influence your cooking today?
This is a random answer but it was actually indomie during uni days. Indomie is my guilty pleasure. It’s so delicious and so easy to elevate by adding a few extra ingredients – sesame oil, scallions, chilli, garlic, fried egg. Those are sure fire ways to take it to the next level. The dish itself doesn’t influence my cooking in a specific way but it does in concept: elevating simple ingredients to create delicious, wholesome meals.
Q: How has your cultural background or family shaped your approach to food?
I’m from Damascus, Syria where I grew up until I was 17. Food in my culture and my family is a huge deal! The sufra is a sacred space where family and friends gather after my mom and grandmothers have spent the day preparing the most delicious food you’ll ever eat in your life. In my familly home, we honor traditional Syrian home cooking from all the provinces. Although I didn’t want to be specific in the cuisine I have for õdē, Syrian cooking taught me everything I know about flavors, the use of spices, diferent methods of cooking, and really embracing seasonal ingredients as that’s just what was available for the longest time. You will see in some menus, some dishes lean further into my cultural background, but mostly, it is just a celebration of being in the kitchen, the food being cooked, and the gathering of friends and family at the end.
Q: Describe the moment you knew you wanted to pursue food more seriously. Was it sudden or slowburn?
I’ve always wanted to pursue food! I actually wanted to go to culinary school since high school but opted for art instead. Food has always been a major player in my life far before the idea of having a supper club was even an option. So when I saw that it was, I knew I had to go for it. It’s been a long time coming to say the least.
Q: If you had to define your cooking style in three words, what would they be and why?
Spontaneous, innovative, heartful. Spontaneous because there always has to be an element of surprise (even for me) in the way the dishes come out. A lot of the dishes are based in the idea that certain flavor combinations should work, so when they do, it’s an amazing feeling. Innovative because I like to think that certain combos I’ve come up with, people haven’t considered before. I try to take the ingredient out of the context we would normally associate it with and create something with that in mid. Heartful Because all the food I make for my guests is food I would make for myself. There has to remain the idea that this is home cooking at its core. I’m not trying to create dishes that are “restauranted” (although that wouldn’t be so terrible) but rather food that is wholesome, filling, cozy, and just plain GOOD.
Q: Is there a particular memory or tradition from your childhood that you try to bring into your supper clubs today?
This relates back to the culture question. The best memories and traditions created have been around the table. So to have people – and now strangers – come to my home, sit around a table, laugh, talk, connect, over a plate of great food – that’s what it’s all about. I mean, other than being happy with the dishes coming out of the kitchen, the best feeling of being in the kitchen is hearing my guests laugh and have amazing conversations.
Q: What’s a flavor or ingredient you think is underrated, and how do you love to use it?
I think leeks. People often (wrongfully) associate it with onions, and while I get that, leeks are so much more versatile and delicious. I love making braised leaks (check miso menu), and we have a dish at home that my grandma makes which is just slow cooked leeks with meat served with rice. Wholesome.
Q: Outside of food, what’s something guests would be surprised to learn about you?
Well, aside from being obsessed with food, it’s my background in art and deep love for music. When I'm not in the kitchen I’m writing for exhibitions, hanging out with family and friends, or visiting my favorite galleries. You might catch me in Alserkal Avenue or enjoying a meal at some of my favorite restaurants. These hobbies bring a certain calmness to my life and inspire the creativity I bring to my cooking.
Q: What’s your idea of comfort food, and has that changed over the years?
Basically anything my mom or grandmothers prepare. The cliché of “it’s made with love” really is not just that. Home cooking is food for the soul in more ways than one.
Q: What’s your dream dinner table? (Who’s there, what are you eating, where are you?)
My dream dinner table, wow how many seats do I get? First and foremost, would be every member of my family sitting on a long table in a garden, eating yabra’a, fatteh, kafta, mashawi and soooo much more. ( Take me to Jannet Saydnaya #iykyk).
Q: What advice would you give to someone starting their own supper club or culinary journey?
Persist, come up with something that is true to you, don’t follow trends, take it slow, remember why you’re doing it: because you love food. That should be your guide post.
Q: And finally, what’s next for you? Anything exciting coming up that we should watch out for?
I’ve started at ICCA and keep an eye out for menu X is coming later this month!