What happens when you put the Arab world’s first celebrated pitmaster on a stage with an Emirati action star? You get the recipe for a mighty fine conversation about craft, patience, resilience and modern masculinity, good enough to share with the guests of Esquire Middle East‘s ever-popular ‘In Conversation With…’ series.
Last night, Esquire Middle East returned with the latest installment of its signature live event series—a dedicated platform bringing together accomplished, ambitious, intelligent, and relevant men across the region. Held in partnership with Swiss luxury watchmaker Breitling, the exclusive evening celebrated two local heavyweights who proved that while the road to the top looks drastically different for everyone, the vehicle getting you there is always fuelled by the same thing: relentless determination.
Hosted at the Royal Mansion, at Atlantis The Royal – (or ‘the Beyonce suite’ as it is casually referred to) the busy event was filled with an invite-only list of creatives, executives, and cultural tastemakers, before celebrated chef Hattem Mattar, and actor Mohammed F. (Hijack, The Ambush, Khattaaf) took to the stage for a conversation with Esquire Middle East‘s Editor-in-chief, Matthew Priest.
Despite the two stars’ contrasting daily arenas—one commanding 14-hour slow cooks over oak wood, the other having recently wrapped working on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three,—the chemistry between the two men was immediate. The wide-ranging the conversation bypassed the usual corporate polish to explore the unvarnished realities of the pivot.
Mattar unpacked the risk and reward of walking away from the safety of the corporate oil and gas sector to bet his livelihood on a backyard passion. Mostafa mirrored that vulnerability, opening up about the identity crisis that followed a promissing football career that was ended by injury, and how learning to rebuild his mental health ultimately gave him the foundation to set global first as an Emirati actor, including starting opposite Idris Elba in Apple TV’s Hijack.
Yet, the true emotional anchor of the night centered on what happens after you achieve individual success. Both men spoke candidly on the heavy responsibility of legacy—whether it is Mattar using food as a vessel for traditional Arab hospitality and storytelling, or Mostafa balancing the weight of a historic family name with the drive to elevate the UAE’s film ecosystem for the next generation.
“Success without community is just an empty room,” Mattar noted at one point, drawing nods from the audience. It was a sentiment that captured the exact ethos of the night. In an era obsessed with overnight viral fame, Esquire and Breitling successfully spotlighted two men who are playing the long game—proving that true relevance isn’t just about mastering your craft; it’s about using the heat of your own difficult lessons to lift up everyone standing around your fire.