Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Dubai: These two pilots deliver tasty meals from the 'cloud'

Dubai: These two pilots deliver tasty meals from the 'cloud'

Peaford and Sen were among the pilots who were laid off when Covid-19 wreaked havoc on the aviation sector.

When Covid struck, pilots Tom Peaford and Bedant Sen had to shift gears — so from flying up in the sky, they’re now whipping up healthy meals in a cloud.

Peaford and Sen were among the pilots who were laid off when Covid-19 wreaked havoc on the aviation sector. But, instead of waiting for the next job opening, they launched Gourmate, a meal delivery service where dishes are prepped and packed from a cloud kitchen in Dubai.

The duo, who flew 2,600 hours each in their seven years with Air Arabia, left the Sharjah-based budget airline in search of better career prospects, only to get the worst news for any pilot amid the pandemic.

“We were offered jobs at a leading airline in the UAE. I joined them in March 2020, and Tom joined them in April. It was in the early stages of Covid-19 when we joined them. However, after being put on leave, we were eventually let go from the airline in May due to pandemic-triggered job cuts,” explained Sen.

For Peaford, losing the job couldn’t have happened at a worse time, he said. “My older son is just a year old, and my wife and I had just had our second son.” Fortunately, his wife, a teacher, went back to work to support the family.

Instead of waiting around to be re-hired into the aviation sector — which Peaford predicted could take anything between a week to another year — the duo decided to pool their savings and launch Gourmate. The service offers a range of comfort dishes that customers can place on social media and the company website gourmate.ae.

“In the years we spent at the (Alpha Aviation Academy in Sharjah), we’d also grown to become close friends. We’ve also been wanting to do something like this as a means for supplement income,” said Sen.

While a pilot’s job is very specific, it comes with a plethora of soft skills.

“We are trained to work well under pressure, we have excellent time management skills, and we just decided to use these skills to build something that is ours,” said Peaford.

Sen grew up and completed most of his education in the UAE, while Peaford, who owned several farm shops in the UK, moved to the Emirates to pursue a career in aviation.

“I have a background in the food and beverage industry, and this is a popular food delivery system in the UK, so we decided it would be good to bring it to the UAE,” said Peaford.

“Also, the airline kept us on their employee visas for a few months. That gave us the time to plan the business model, work on product development, perfect the recipes, and get ourselves licensed. We spent five months researching the market,” Sen added.

The pilot-entrepreneurs believed their service is perfect for the UAE market “where so many people get caught in the rut of ordering fast food and takeaways”, he said. “We want to give people a healthier option. The customer feedback so far has been incredible.”

How does Gourmate work?

The dishes are seasonal meals made by professional chefs, and there are five different vegetable servings in each dish.

“We believe in sustainability, so most of our ingredients are locally sourced. However, in case we cannot find them here, we purchase them from the UK,” said Peaford.

The business operates out of a cloud kitchen in Dubai, where dishes are prepped, packed, and blast frozen. “Each meal pack has a validity of six months. Since its blast froze, the nutrients from the food are not compromised,” Sen explained.

Presently, the Gourmate menu offers dishes such as beef bourguignon, butter chicken, chilli con Carne, classic fish pie, Thai chicken curry, lamb hot pot, lasagne, roasted vegetable and chickpea curry, to name a few.

“Once the order is placed, the food is delivered to residents’ homes in two to three hours,” he added.

The duo is constantly adding new dishes to the menu and experimenting with diet plans such as low-carb and keto. Sen and Peaford and working towards partnering with retail outlets. “In our hearts, we will always be pilots. But, even when we go back to flying, our job offers us the flexibility to pursue our business,” he added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
China Accuses US of Violating Trade Truce
Panama Port Owner Balances US-China Pressures
France Implements Nationwide Outdoor Smoking Ban to Protect Children
German Chancellor Merz Keeps Putin Guessing on Missile Strategy
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
×