That Papa: Kris Fade & His New Sassy Snacks For Kids

Super Sassy dad of two gorgeous girls, radio presenter Kris Fade wasn’t happy with the choice of kids snacks out there so he just went and created his own.

Chances are that superstar radio presenter Kris Fade is on the school run with you every morning. We chatted to him about being a dad in Dubai and about his fab new Fade Fit Kids healthy snacks.

Can you tell us a bit about your background? What brought you to Dubai?

I came to start Virgin Radio 104.4. I’m Lebanese (originally from Australia) and the opportunity came to start a brand new radio station in either Dubai or Kuala lumpur but I thought hey, let’s get closer to the Middle East, so I took it up and helped set it up with a few other guys. Ten years now I’ve been here in Dubai doing the Kris Fade Show on Virgin Radio I  (6am – 10am) and now we’re broadcast across the Middle East.

How many kids do you have – what are their names and ages?

I’ve got two girls, Noushie and Kikki aged eight and six – Noushie’s real name is Zahra and Kikki’s name is Ariani but for some reason the nicknames have come, they don’t mean anything and they’ve just stuck!

Tell us about your new Fade Fit Kids healthy kids food snacks

As a parent I shop for my kids snacks and I always felt there were only two options – the unhealthy option which is sugary and well priced or the more expensive version, the healthier options but I felt like they were too expensive, I was spending close to AED 250 on each child or over AED 400 each week just on snacks. Their snack bars were anywhere between AED 15 and 20 so Fade Fit Kids is a healthy alternative and affordable – AED 7.50 for a packet which is now the medium to low range price wise for healthy snacks – they taste great, absolutely no preservatives, no added sugar, no peanuts – it’s made locally here in the UAE with dates and a little bit of cocoa powder and some organic cornflakes. And you know, kids are loving it and adults are actually loving it as well, we’ve been sold out in a lot of the Carrefour stores that we’re stocked in (we’re currently stocked in five; Mirdif City Center, Deira, Ibn Battuta Mall, Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Festival City) soon to be in Abu Dhabi and in Sharjah and shortly on mumzworld.com

Are there plans for more snacks?

You know what I think there are but for the moment we’re just going to run with the first one which is Choco Loco (that’s the flavor) to see how we go. This is an investment that I’m putting in solely, I’ve teamed up with Munchbox, the company who are producing it, so I’ve got to make sure that, while I’m not doing it to make money, I’m not going to be losing too much money out of it! But initially sales are going really really well and the demand is there so more snacks in the future? Definitely.

All this talk of food – what’s your favourite family-friendly restaurant in Dubai?

There are so many but I love Cheesecake Factory, it’s got about a billion things to choose from – from the unhealthy to the healthy options.

How would you describe your parenting style?

I want to say pretty easy going but at the same time disciplined. My kids and I are best friends, we hang out together, we really respect each other but they know that when daddy says something, they need to do it. I don’t really need to raise my voice or be that domineering parent – I feel like we get along really well and that they’re really mature for their age. They’re such great kids and I know that a lot of parents say that their kids are the best but I just feel like they really understand and they want to be a part of what daddy does. Super cute.

What’s the best thing about being a dad in Dubai?

You know what I think being a dad in general is pretty good, it doesn’t matter where you are – in Dubai, America, Australia – no matter where you are it’s always cool! In Dubai there are so many things opening up on a weekly and monthly basis that you’ve always got something to try, from theme parks to water parks to cafes.

What’s the hardest part of being a dad in Dubai?

When it comes to the summer and it’s hot. I know we’ve got a lot of indoor activities like rock climbing which I take the kids to a lot of the time but really those hotter summer months are hard when you’re stuck indoors for a while.

What’s the funniest parenting story you can share?

Every day is a funny parenting story! Nowadays they’re getting why people come up and take photos with dad and that daddy talks on the radio – initially they thought that all dads spoke on the radio! When we go out on a daily basis and people want to take selfies and they’re getting asked for selfies, they’re understanding that – but me trying to explain that to them at the beginning was pretty funny.

How has having kids changed the way you define work?

I share a lot of my parenting stories on the radio and the kids are really involved so I think it’s really relatable to other parents who might be driving their kids to school or listening in on the way to work. So the way that it’s changed my work is that I really get to talk about them on the radio and share personal experiences.

Finally, doo you have any tips for soon-to-be dads in Dubai?

Be prepared. Just be prepared that’s all I’m going to say! One of the things I wish is that I’d been more prepared – they always say you can never be prepared for something like this but you can, especially living in Dubai if you don’t have family around you, make sure you’ve got assistance ready to go from day one.

To buy your Fade Fit Kids Choco Loco Snacks visit www.munchbox.ae and get them delivered right to your door (hooray!). Also available to buy at select Carrefour stores across Dubai.