diff --git a/connectors/riot-faker/riot-faker.gradle b/connectors/riot-faker/riot-faker.gradle
index 7f32d6b20..d63577bec 100644
--- a/connectors/riot-faker/riot-faker.gradle
+++ b/connectors/riot-faker/riot-faker.gradle
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 dependencies {
     implementation project(':riot-core')
     implementation 'org.springframework.batch:spring-batch-core'
-    implementation group: 'net.datafaker', name: 'datafaker', version: datafakerVersion
+    api group: 'net.datafaker', name: 'datafaker', version: datafakerVersion
 }
 
 compileJava {
diff --git a/connectors/riot-faker/src/main/java/com/redis/riot/faker/FakerItemReader.java b/connectors/riot-faker/src/main/java/com/redis/riot/faker/FakerItemReader.java
index 8fcf400a7..19855daad 100644
--- a/connectors/riot-faker/src/main/java/com/redis/riot/faker/FakerItemReader.java
+++ b/connectors/riot-faker/src/main/java/com/redis/riot/faker/FakerItemReader.java
@@ -1,20 +1,18 @@
 package com.redis.riot.faker;
 
+import java.util.AbstractMap;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
 import java.util.Locale;
 import java.util.Map;
-import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
+import java.util.Map.Entry;
+import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 
 import org.springframework.batch.item.ItemReader;
 import org.springframework.batch.item.support.AbstractItemCountingItemStreamItemReader;
-import org.springframework.expression.spel.support.DataBindingMethodResolver;
-import org.springframework.expression.spel.support.StandardEvaluationContext;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 import org.springframework.util.ClassUtils;
 
-import com.redis.riot.core.Expression;
-
 import net.datafaker.Faker;
 
 /**
@@ -26,9 +24,11 @@ public class FakerItemReader extends AbstractItemCountingItemStreamItemReader<Ma
 
 	public static final Locale DEFAULT_LOCALE = Locale.getDefault();
 
-	private Map<String, Expression> fields = new LinkedHashMap<>();
+	private Map<String, String> expressions = new LinkedHashMap<>();
 	private Locale locale = DEFAULT_LOCALE;
-	private StandardEvaluationContext evaluationContext;
+
+	private Faker faker;
+	private Map<String, String> fields;
 
 	public FakerItemReader() {
 		setName(ClassUtils.getShortName(getClass()));
@@ -38,66 +38,37 @@ public void setLocale(Locale locale) {
 		this.locale = locale;
 	}
 
-	public void setFields(Map<String, Expression> fields) {
-		this.fields = fields;
+	public void setExpressions(Map<String, String> fields) {
+		this.expressions = fields;
 	}
 
 	@Override
 	protected synchronized void doOpen() throws Exception {
-		if (evaluationContext == null) {
-			Assert.notEmpty(fields, "No field specified");
-			evaluationContext = new StandardEvaluationContext();
-			evaluationContext.addPropertyAccessor(new ReflectivePropertyAccessor());
-			evaluationContext.addMethodResolver(DataBindingMethodResolver.forInstanceMethodInvocation());
-			evaluationContext.setRootObject(new AugmentedFaker(locale));
+		Assert.notEmpty(expressions, "No field specified");
+		if (fields == null) {
+			fields = expressions.entrySet().stream().map(this::normalizeField)
+					.collect(Collectors.toMap(Entry::getKey, Entry::getValue));
+		}
+		faker = new Faker(locale);
+	}
+
+	private Entry<String, String> normalizeField(Entry<String, String> field) {
+		if (field.getValue().startsWith("#{")) {
+			return field;
 		}
+		return new AbstractMap.SimpleEntry<>(field.getKey(), "#{" + field.getValue() + "}");
 	}
 
 	@Override
 	protected Map<String, Object> doRead() throws Exception {
 		Map<String, Object> map = new HashMap<>();
-		fields.forEach((k, v) -> map.put(k, v.getValue(evaluationContext)));
+		fields.forEach((k, v) -> map.put(k, faker.expression(v)));
 		return map;
 	}
 
 	@Override
 	protected synchronized void doClose() {
-		evaluationContext = null;
-	}
-
-	public class AugmentedFaker extends Faker {
-
-		private final AtomicInteger threadCount = new AtomicInteger();
-		private final ThreadLocal<Integer> threadId = ThreadLocal.withInitial(threadCount::incrementAndGet);
-
-		public AugmentedFaker(Locale locale) {
-			super(locale);
-		}
-
-		public void setThread(int id) {
-			threadId.set(id);
-		}
-
-		public void removeThread() {
-			threadId.remove();
-		}
-
-		public int getIndex() {
-			return index();
-		}
-
-		public int index() {
-			return getCurrentItemCount();
-		}
-
-		public int getThread() {
-			return thread();
-		}
-
-		public int thread() {
-			return threadId.get();
-		}
-
+		faker = null;
 	}
 
 }
diff --git a/connectors/riot-faker/src/test/java/com/redis/riot/faker/FakerReaderTests.java b/connectors/riot-faker/src/test/java/com/redis/riot/faker/FakerReaderTests.java
index 4c016455f..9e1d14791 100644
--- a/connectors/riot-faker/src/test/java/com/redis/riot/faker/FakerReaderTests.java
+++ b/connectors/riot-faker/src/test/java/com/redis/riot/faker/FakerReaderTests.java
@@ -10,8 +10,6 @@
 import org.springframework.batch.item.ExecutionContext;
 import org.springframework.batch.item.ItemReader;
 
-import com.redis.riot.core.Expression;
-
 class FakerReaderTests {
 
 	public static <T> List<T> readAll(ItemReader<T> reader) throws Exception {
@@ -27,19 +25,17 @@ public static <T> List<T> readAll(ItemReader<T> reader) throws Exception {
 	void fakerReader() throws Exception {
 		int count = 100;
 		FakerItemReader reader = new FakerItemReader();
-		Map<String, Expression> fields = new LinkedHashMap<>();
-		fields.put("index", Expression.parse("index"));
-		fields.put("firstName", Expression.parse("name.firstName"));
-		fields.put("lastName", Expression.parse("name.lastName"));
-		fields.put("thread", Expression.parse("thread"));
-		reader.setFields(fields);
+		Map<String, String> fields = new LinkedHashMap<>();
+		fields.put("firstName", "Name.first_name");
+		fields.put("lastName", "Name.last_name");
+		reader.setExpressions(fields);
 		reader.setMaxItemCount(count);
 		reader.open(new ExecutionContext());
 		List<Map<String, Object>> items = readAll(reader);
 		reader.close();
 		Assertions.assertEquals(count, items.size());
-		Assertions.assertEquals(1, items.get(0).get("index"));
-		Assertions.assertEquals(1, (Integer) items.get(0).get("thread"));
+		Assertions.assertTrue(items.get(0).containsKey("firstName"));
+		Assertions.assertTrue(items.get(0).containsKey("lastName"));
 	}
 
 }