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Evgeny Kuzin and Izu Ani Are Taking Their Dubai-Born Greek Restaurant to Greece

The Fundamental Hospitality Group founders, who run 30 venues in eight countries, talk about serving Greek food to Greeks, what Miami asks for and the dish from Ani’s childhood that has never made a menu.

In April, Evgeny Kuzin and Izu Ani opened Gaia in Miami Beach, the Greek restaurant’s sixth city and the first U.S. venue for their Fundamental Hospitality Group. They launched Gaia in Dubai in 2018. Kuzin is the group’s chairman, and Ani, the chef, is now its chief research officer. They hosted more than five million guests in 2025 and expect more than 10 million this year, according to the company, across 30 venues in eight countries. Those range from the 100,000-square-foot Sirene by Gaia beach club to the 44-seat Kigo at the Four Seasons in Dubai’s financial district.

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According to the company, Kuzin and co-chairman Maxim Vlasov have grown the group’s capital commitment from the $140 million program announced in 2023 to $200 million this year. They are moving toward $400 million, with about 15 openings planned for 2026 and an IPO under discussion. In May, Kuzin and Ani signed a portfolio-wide partnership with Stoli Group. In June, they announced the UAE’s first Cipriani Lido, at Dubai’s J1 Beach, slated for the fourth quarter of 2027, and in July they took Scalini to Beirut. Gaia arrives in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain by year’s end and in Mykonos in 2027, the same year La Maison Ani opens in Monaco and Riyadh. Also due in 2027 is the group’s first real estate venture: with Egyptian developer Palm Hills, Kuzin and Ani are building a Sirene by Gaia, a luxury hotel and branded residences at Hacienda Heneish on Egypt’s north coast.

Kuzin and Ani, both 2026 Nightlife & Dining Power List honorees, talked to Observer about serving Greek food to Greeks, what the Cipriani family taught Kuzin and the Nigerian dish Ani grew up on.

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