Culture Gateway: How Lourds Adalia-Evertse’s Spice Grill is Elevating Filipino Cuisine in the UAE

Anyone who steps foot in the UAE needn’t spend more than a few hours to understand how far-reaching the Filipino expatriates’ influence is within the country. In fact, a 2025 report by Dubai-based agency Global Media Insight shows that nearly 7% of the UAE’s population —which is a little over 780,000 people— is made up of this specific demographic.

As such, their presence has been significantly felt within the business ecosystem, with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce reporting that in just the first three months of 2025, 216 new Filipino companies registered with the governmental organization. Among the plethora of success stories that have come out of this community, one such tale is that of Lourds Adalia-Evertse.

“I came to the UAE at 19 years old, fresh out of college, with nothing but a dream,” she recalls. “I worked my way up the corporate ladder, took risks, and eventually became a business owner.”Indeed, as is the case with many founders, Adalia-Evertse’s plunge into ownership working a traditional 9-5 job. “My journey into F&B was not something I originally planned,” she says. “Before co-founding Spice Grill, I was a founding member of Creative Zone [a UAE-based business setup consultancy], and later served as its COO. But after spending over a decade in the corporate world, I felt ready to take a risk and build something of my own. As a Filipina, food has always meant more than nourishment. Food in this context is more of a community and cultural thing. It’s how we connect, celebrate, and build community. That belief became the foundation of Spice Grill. I wanted to create a space that feels welcoming and familiar, while proudly sharing Filipino flavours with a wider audience.”

Adalia-Evertse thus put her plans into action in early 2020 along with Cristine Caringal Mela, a prominent food industry figure in the Philippines. While Mela was set to take charge of her co-founder duties from back home, Adalia-Evertse was to helm the business in its entirety within the UAE, right from operations and team leadership to partnerships, supplier relationships, and brand growth.

But then came an unprecedented turn of events that would go on to negatively affect the F&B industry across the globe for the next couple of years. “I had just left my corporate role, signed the lease, and started construction for Spice Grill when the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns hit,” Adalia-Evertse explains.

“It was an uncertain and challenging time, but there was no turning back. But we still moved forward with purpose, hiring people who had lost their jobs and using food as a way to bring comfort, rebuild livelihoods, and create a sense of community when it was needed most.”

Adalia-Evertse’s persistence paid off and the first Spice Grill branch was opened in Sharjah’s tranquil Majaz Waterfront area in October 2020. “It has a seating capacity of around 250 guests, with both indoor and outdoor dining and a waterfront view next to the park,” the co-founder shares. “The location performs especially well during the winter season, when al fresco dining is popular, and is quieter during the summer months. It has become a destination venue and is often described as ‘a hidden gem’ in Sharjah, attracting families and groups looking for a relaxed dining experience. Following the success of our Sharjah branch, we expanded into Dubai with Spice Grill Express at Flayva, Al Ghurair Centre, which opened in March 2024. This is a smaller, express-style format designed for mall dining. Unlike our waterfront location, this branch sees stronger footfall during the summer, when customers prefer indoor venues, and slightly slower traffic in winter. Our most recent opening is at the Food Pavilion in BurJuman Mall, launched in November 2024. This outlet has a 55-seat capacity and was created to bring the Sharjah-style dining experience to Dubai diners in a more curated food hall setting. Across locations, seasonality plays a key role in footfall and revenue, with waterfront and outdoor venues peaking in winter and mall-based concepts performing best during the hotter months.”

Having expanded the brand with a favorable mix of locations, Spice Grill unsurprisingly has a lot of Filipino customers. But with operating in a diverse nation, comes the added task of properly representing the Phillipines’ culture — a responsibility Adalia-Evertse is all too aware of.

“Our restaurants are designed to be cozy, modern spaces that guests feel proud to dine in, and we are deeply customer-service centric,” she says. “Together, the food, the space, and the service create an experience that introduces Filipino cuisine with confidence and pride, while inviting diners to explore it further. In the food industry, I believe we hold a great responsibility: we become ambassadors of our country’s cuisine. Whenever people from other nationalities try our food, it is like opening our culture to them. It is important that they have the best possible experience, because we represent our home country. We want to show them that the Philippines is an excellent country with an amazing food culture.”

In order to make her motherland’s food “more approachable while promoting unity and inclusivity,” Adalia-Evertse took the decision to incorporate cross-cultural dishes into the Spice Grill menu. “This stays true to our original mission of using food as a bridge and introducing Filipino cuisine in a welcoming way,” she says. “For example, we have Asian and Filipino fusion, including our seafood feasts, alongside approachable dishes such as adobo birria tacos and strawberry leche flan. Adobo is popular, but it is mostly known as a home-cooked comfort food. For the adobo birria tacos, we wanted to elevate the dish to appeal to a wider range of nationalities and to show that adobo is an important part of Philippine cuisine. Happily, the fusion with Mexican tacos is gaining traction at Spice Grill. Leche flan, meanwhile, is a popular Filipino dessert with similarities to crème brûlée. We changed it slightly by enhancing it with strawberries, a fruit that is popular in certain regions of the Philippines. We are happy that both Filipinos and other nationalities have received these new dishes well.”

But curating such amalgamations of dishes and cultures, for Adalia-Evertse, holds more significance than simply introducing Filipino cuisine to the masses. “Filipino cuisine has strong potential to become more mainstream,” she remarks. “This is especially possible since the Philippines is naturally rich in seafood, yet very few brands are actively showcasing this to a global audience. At Spice Grill, we see ourselves as a doorway for other cultures to experience Filipino food in a way that feels familiar, elevated, and welcoming.”

When asked which Filipino cultural traits best expressed through Spice Grills’ offerings, the co-founder picks three: hospitality, resilience, and community. “Filipinos are naturally warm, smiling, and welcoming, and that spirit is reflected in how our food is prepared, served, and shared,” she continues. “Whenever people dine at Spice Grill, we make it our mission to make them feel welcome, as if they are eating in their families’ homes. All our staff are friendly, which helps create a comfortable and welcoming dining experience. I also believe it is important for all staff to feel happy at work, because this is reflected in how they perform their duties and how they treat customers. Most of our staff have been with Spice Grill since the beginning, and we are very proud of that. Resilience is reflected in how our cuisine has evolved through challenges while remaining comforting and flavourful. Community is at the heart of Filipino dining, as meals are meant to bring people together. At Spice Grill, these values guide everything, from our customer service culture to our menus and dining spaces. It is our way of sharing a Filipino heart with the world, which is essentially the core of Spice Grill’s identity.”

Adalia-Evertse’s endeavors in growing Spice Grill with intention and purpose received a mammoth public validation when, last year, she received the ‘Global FWN100 Builder Architect of Change Award’ at the annual The Most Influential Filipina Woman in the World™ Award (an awards ceremony, by the US-based Foundation for Filipina Women’s Network, that honors Filipina women who are creating change and impact in their local communities).

“Winning that award was deeply meaningful to me, both as a Filipina and as an expat business leader in the UAE,” Adalia-Evertse says. “This recognition represents more than a personal milestone—it’s a reminder that in the UAE, anything is possible if you are willing to work hard and believe in your vision. Another milestone I’m most proud of is Spice Grill being awarded Highly Commendable Restaurant 2025 in the Northern Emirates, especially as the only Filipino-owned restaurant recognized during the awards. It was a powerful moment of representation and validation for Filipino cuisine on a wider stage. I hope my journey can inspire others, especially women and young expats, to pursue their dreams with confidence and courage.”

In ensuring her work creates a positive ripple effect throughout society, Adalia-Evertse has initiated collaborations with community groups and small business owners, by hosting events and workshops in our restaurants. “These partnerships have helped us support fellow entrepreneurs, expand our reach, and strengthen Spice Grill’s position as a community-driven brand—sharing a Filipino heart to the world,” she says. “We also always want to offer something new every year. Like now, in time for Ramadan, Spice Grill is currently giving back to its roots through a timely and meaningful initiative. Having opened its first branch in Sharjah, Spice Grill launches a Sharjah-to-Table concept, partnering with local fisherfolk to celebrate fresh, locally sourced fish caught in Sharjah. The initiative blends Emirati provenance with a Filipino culinary perspective, reinforcing the role of food as a connector of culture and community.”

With a steady business model and vision in place, Adalia-Evertse is now focused on simply amplifying the core values that underscore her job. “In 2026, I see the F&B space becoming more experience-driven, with guests seeking authenticity, comfort, and genuine service—not just good food,” she says. “People want places that feel meaningful and consistent. For Spice Grill, this means refining our guest experience, strengthening service standards, and continuing to present Filipino cuisine in a way that feels accessible and proud. Our focus is sustainable growth, community, and staying true to our purpose of sharing a Filipino heart to the world.”