Speaker profile

Stasha Toncev
21grams | Urban Balkan Bistro

Stasha comes from an economics and marketing background, but at heart, she’s truly a food aficionado. At the age of seven, Stasha discovered the magic of flavours and food creation, and began to gather friends to indulge in dishes, fondly prepared from her own ideas and recipes.

Stasha’s background brings a blend of expertise in hospitality, marketing and events and she draws upon these distinct lenses to act as the operating and creative partner of 21 GRAMS. Following her move to Dubai in 2010, she joined the pre-opening team at Armani Hotel, The Atmosphere and from there, was part of the Hakkasan Dubai team.

In 2016, Stasha decided to go back to what she loved doing at a younger age; namely cooking and hosting small gatherings, which led her to create and build 21 GRAMS. Her genuine desire for an edible piece of her heritage and her passion for soul food, bringing people together and enjoying the simple, good things in life is what 21 GRAMS is all about, and she’s thrilled to have brought this simple, honest yet daring concept to the people of the UAE.