Haier presents  Foodilicious’ blends Iftar traditions, chef-led dining and cross-cultural storytelling in a format designed for the region’s diverse family audiences

 Dubai, 26 February – A new food and lifestyle television series exploring the culinary traditions of Ramadan has hit screens across the GCC and Middle East, with a vision to celebrate the cultural diversity of the city through the universal language of food at a time  where the region’s all communities come together for the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Production crew on the sets of Haier presents Foodilicious ahead of the show’s debut episode in February 2026.

Haier presents Foodilicious, produced by Dubai-based Rigel Global Media, premiered in February 2026 and airs every Saturday at 7:30pm GST, on Zee TV with streaming also available on demand. The English-language series moves beyond conventional food programming by weaving Iftar traditions, chef-led dining experiences and hospitality features into a broader cultural narrative, one that its producers say reflects the diversity and shared humanity of Ramadan in the Middle East.

Abhishek K. Mishraa, Founder and CEO of Rigel Global Media, said the series is shaped by his years of experience in television production. The former editor said he approached the production the same way he would approach a news story by anchoring it firmly in real life.

The show was conceived with Puneet Verma, Creative Head at Rigel Global Media, and Aryaman Singh, a young storyteller whose contemporary approach to narrative was brought in specifically to connect Ramadan’s longstanding traditions with the preferences of a newer generation of viewers. While talking to Puneet Verma about the show, who mentioned that the production was driven by a deliberate effort to treat food as a storytelling medium rather than mere spectacle.

“Food during Ramadan is never just about sustenance. It is about memory, devotion and belonging,” Puneet said. “Our attempt was to create a format that feels inclusive, contemporary and authentic, something families across backgrounds can connect with.”

“The strongest stories are rooted in real life. Foodilicious is built on that editorial philosophy of combining immersive storytelling with the cultural richness of Ramadan to create content that resonates deeply with families across the region,” Abhishek said.

Fronting the series is Lokesh Dharmani, a radio jockey at City 101.6 FM, whose broadcasting experience lends the show a warm, accessible quality that producers say was central to the format’s appeal. Behind the scenes, Production Manager Mukesh Dubey and Line Producer Tanim Ayub oversee the operational delivery of each episode, while social media personality Altamash Iqbal manages the show’s digital engagement strategy.

The series has been produced with brand support from Haier Gulf Electronics LLC, with Sara Dehquanpur and Sumit Sharma among those credited for backing the initiative from its early stages. Their involvement points to a growing appetite among international brands to align with culturally significant programming during Ramadan, a period that consistently draws some of the highest television viewership figures of the year across the Middle East.