Speaker Biographies
THRIVE
Three days of market insight, investment discussion, founder-led exchange and hospitality experiences across Dubai.
Stasha Toncev
Founder & Chief, Soulkitchen Officer, 21grams, piehaus & etar__catering studio
Originally from Serbia, Stasha Toncev moved to Dubai in 2010, bringing with her a background in economics and marketing and an instinctive love for hospitality rooted in Balkan culture, where feeding people, hosting generously and gathering around the table are simply a way of life.
Her early years in Dubai included roles with the opening team at Armani Hotel Dubai and later Hakkasan, before she stepped away from the corporate hospitality world to create something of her own.
In 2016, Stasha began developing what would become 21grams | Urban Balkan Bistro, inspired by the food she grew up with and a desire to introduce Dubai to a more personal, contemporary expression of Balkan cuisine and hospitality. What began with intimate gatherings evolved into a restaurant built around honest food, generous hosting and the belief that some of life’s best moments happen around a table.
Since opening in 2018, 21grams has grown from a 25 seat breakfast spot with a team of 10 into an 80 seat bistro and one of Dubai’s most recognised independent homegrown restaurants. Under Stasha’s leadership, the brand has continued to evolve while remaining fiercely independent and rooted in its original values of authenticity, simplicity, creativity and community.
Over the years, Stasha has expanded this philosophy into a wider ecosystem of concepts. In August 2025, she launched piehaus at Alserkal Avenue, a specialist phyllo bakery dedicated to the increasingly rare craft of hand stretched pastry, reinterpreted through a contemporary Dubai lens. Within its first year, piehaus was named Best Bakery at the Time Out Dubai Restaurant Awards 2026.
Alongside the restaurants, Stasha leads etar, the group’s conceptual catering and food design studio, creating bespoke culinary experiences for private clients, cultural institutions, luxury brands and large scale events. Moving beyond traditional catering, etar uses food as a medium for storytelling, translating each brief into a tailored culinary and visual experience.
Her commitment to building an independent restaurant with its own distinct identity has earned 21grams significant regional and international recognition. The restaurant received consecutive Gault&Millau UAE recognition from 2022 to 2025, joined 50 Best Discovery in 2022, and received the MICHELIN Bib Gourmand in 2023, 2024 and 2025. It was also ranked No. 32 in MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2024, rising to No. 26 in 2025.
At the heart of Stasha’s approach is a belief that meaningful hospitality does not need to be formal, expensive or conventional. Instead, she has built her businesses around strong identity, cultural memory, creative independence and a deep understanding of the city they belong to.
Today, through 21grams, piehaus and etar, Stasha continues to explore how food can create connection, preserve traditions and tell stories, while building distinctly homegrown concepts in one of the world’s most competitive hospitality markets.
Her journey demonstrates what can be achieved through independence, determination and a clear point of view, while her commitment to her team, community and the wider industry continues to encourage the next generation of hospitality professionals to build with creativity, integrity and heart.