In the heart of London’s bustling Borough Market, you’ll find a culinary love letter to Iraq: the JUMA Kitchen food stall. Behind it is a man named Philip Juma — a self-taught chef of English-Irish-Iraqi heritage who never quite felt “Iraqi enough” until food gave him a way to belong.
We had the chance to talk with him about his journey — how it started, what inspired it, and everything in between.
How Did It Start?
It started with a suitcase.
“When my aunties came from Baghdad, they’d open their suitcases on the kitchen floor,” Philip added. “Inside were spices, basterma, nuts, tourshi, frozen kubba — all unpacked like treasures.”
As a child, he didn’t yet understand the weight of those ingredients. Today, they’re sacred. “Now I’m fighting to preserve those recipes and traditions.”
Too English to Be Iraqi? Too Iraqi to Be English?
Born to English, Irish, and Iraqi heritage, Philip felt caught between identities. “I never truly felt ‘Iraqi enough.’ I didn’t speak Arabic. I had a name like ‘Philip.’ What on earth was I thinking!?”
But it was London’s grit — and his own — that gave him space to explore. “I was confident face-to-face. That got me into kitchens, opened doors, let me create something unapologetically Iraqi.”
Quitting Finance, Chasing Fire
Leaving finance wasn’t the instant career pivot you’d expect. “I moved into energy consulting, which ironically gave me more time to cook,” he says.
Then came November 2013 — and his first pop-up. “The portions were too big, the timings were off, but the energy? Electric. That night changed everything.”
The Supper Club That Shocked Everyone
JUMA Kitchen began as a supper club. And the audience? “90% weren’t Iraqi, and their minds were blown. They’d never tasted kubba hamuth or dolma like that. It was wild.”
Those early events taught him what mattered most: the food, the story, the spark.
The Leap to Borough Market
Pop-ups were rough. “I borrowed freezer space from friends just to store kubba,” he laughs. “At one pop-up, the head chef kept moving my dolma pot off the heat — on purpose.”
That all changed with a permanent stall at Borough Market. “Now I have control. A home. A hub where people can gather around Iraqi food.”
Putting Iraq on London’s Food Map
When Philip started, Iraqi food was invisible in the London scene. “No one was serving the dishes I grew up on — Baba’s biryani, dolma, kubba hamuth. But I knew they had a place.”
Now? They’re center stage.
The Rise of the Kubba (and Amba)
Unsurprisingly, kubba in all its forms has become JUMA’s star dish — particularly when paired with their legendary Amba sauce. “Every kubba dish I serve brings a wow,” Juma said. “The textures and flavours, combined with our amba, just knock people out. Game over.”
Honoring Tradition Without Getting Stuck in It
From kleicha to knafeh, Philip keeps tradition alive — but modern. “I want the food to feel clean, not heavy. There was a time I tried the fine dining route, but it didn’t feel real.”
His turning point came after a trip to Iraq. “That’s when I knew — I want to cook the food diaspora families actually eat. But elevated, with top ingredients.”
A UFO-Shaped Underdog
If there’s one dish he wishes more Brits would try, it’s Kubba Mosul. “It looks like a brown, unattractive frisbee UFO,” Philip said, “but I love it. It’s humble, hearty, and full of history — just like Iraqi cuisine.”
The Power of the Flip
One of JUMA Kitchen’s signature moments happens every Sunday: the dolma flip. A giant pot turned upside-down in one dramatic movement, revealing a mosaic of perfectly layered vegetables and rice. “It’s a snapshot of my upbringing,” he explains. “For many Iraqis, that flip is a familiar ritual. For tourists, it’s a glimpse into a culture they may never have seen.”
The Underdog Story Still Being Written
If JUMA Kitchen were a movie, Philip says, “It’d be an underdog film. Hospitality is tough — most people don’t know that. Iraqi food is still on the fringe here, but we’re pushing through. We have no investors, just soul. And that’s more powerful.”
Hey, Next Generation
With a firm grip on London’s food scene and a deep connection to his roots, Philip Juma is still cooking like he’s got something to prove — because he does. Not to critics, or to the market. To the kid opening suitcases full of spices on a kitchen floor, wondering what it all meant.
Now, he knows.
WE ALSO SAID: Don’t Miss…Street Chic Meets Soul: Ahmed Razeek Discusses “Walk in Cairo”
