The ‘girl’ in question is Gabriela, or Gigi, who traveled 14,000 kilometers from Nicaragua to live, work and cook in Dubai. And ‘goose’ is some kind of totem or spirit guide, who appeared to Gigi in a dream when she decided to host a supper club and struggled to think of a name for it.
“In Nicaragua we are super-superstitious,” she says.
“So, I investigated the meaning of the goose and I loved what I found. First, the goose is known for long migratory journeys, which I could very much relate to. And for discipline and perseverance, which is something I put into every dish, trying to perfect it. And in Ancient Egypt, they believed the goose was a form of deity, every morning it would lay a golden egg from which the sun would hatch. This represented hope. I just loved that.” Sometimes, admits Gigi, she will just explain the name away with a joke, and say that the goose is her husband Heimo.
“I grew up with my grandmother who was a cook herself. Pots and pans were in my day-to-day life when I was a kid and I always wanted to be a chef.” But then life happened, and Gigi picked another professional path, however, keeping her passion for food near through all those years, picking up cooking secrets all over the world during her travels.
Her childhood dream of becoming a chef has finally come true half a world away when she started Girl and the goose two years ago, “…thanks to my support system and people like Jill, Roberto, and Heimo, who gave me that kick and confidence I needed to put myself out there,” she says.
I want to show people that healthy food doesn’t have to be boring!
The food she offers visitors is a taste of her home: “Nicaraguan with a twist.” But it’s a pretty big twist, in that it’s all rigorously healthy to eat. “In Nicaragua, our food is condensed in carbs, and everything is extremely deep-fried.” Having become more health conscious, she wants to inspire her family and others to do the same. “I want to show people that healthy food doesn’t have to be boring!”
Certain items shared by Girl and the goose began with recipes from Gigi’s grandma, including the Nicaraguan fritters known as buñuelos, though the older woman soaked hers in sugar cane syrup while Gigi uses a combination of three less artery-clogging sauces. The challenge, “is to adopt a traditional recipe and make it healthy without losing the core, the essence” a creative process Gigi really enjoys.
Her menu now changes every three months, which gives her ever-widening social circle plenty of time to visit and try word-of-mouth hits like maduros en gloria (sweet plantains in glory), her ceviche, and desserts like tres leches, with goat milk and mango sorbet.
The ceviche with seabass, coconut milk, mango and red onion
Home-made gluten-free cheese breads
“Food is not just fuel for your body, but also your emotions,” says Gigi, and while she’s cooking for others, they are also fuelling her. “Everyone who comes to my place brings their background, their culture, their ideas, and their positive vibe, and that’s what feeds my soul.”
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Our Nicaraguan culinary journey started with moreish morsels made up of layers of sweet plantain, grilled halloumi, and dates that were wrapped in veal bacon followed by cheese soup with cornmeal doughnuts. Gigi’s take on a golden flauta – or crispy, rolled tortilla was interesting – stuffed with huitlacoche (the truffle of Mexico and Central America), oyster mushrooms, and roasted chestnuts, this baked ‘taco’ was served with red kidney bean hummus, salsa verde, and sour cream. An organic sea bass, coconut, and mango ceviche – inspired by the country’s Caribbean coastal ingredients – was the star of our evening’s show. And tying for second place has to be the scallop, caramelised pumpkin, goat cheese and crispy onion arroz aguado (think risotto), and Gigi’s perfectly textured and tasty cinnamon ice cream on a tapioca waffle.
