Catering News ME - April 2015

SPECIAL REPORT

ANALYSIS OF GLOBAL HALAL STANDARDISATION

THE FORUM

DEBATE ON STAFF RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

INTERVIEW

DINING WITH MICHELIN-STARED CHEF ATUL KOCHHAR

MARKET PLACE

THE LATEST MARKET TRENDS IN OUTDOOR FURNITURE

CONNECTING F&B PROFESSIONALS WITH INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE APRIL 2015

Easy Just Got Easier Introducing our new online ordering portal shop.horecatrade.com* Place and track your orders View and save your transaction history Connect with our team within seconds

*exclusive for HORECA Trade customers

CONTENTS

COVER THE FORUM

08 |

NEWS

CONSUMPTION VS WASTAGE

industry news in brief

FOCUS

16 |

THE FORUM

22 |

COVER STORY

28 |

CASE STUDY

34 |

INTERVIEW

CHOCOLATE

CONNECTING F&B PROFESSIONALS WITH INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE FEBRUARY 2015

14

22

a group of f&b directors discuss staff recruitment and retention

your must read guide to the new global halal standards

an interview with the ceo of best foods co. on the future of the nuts industry

a diner date with the uk's pioneering indian chef and restaurateur atul kochhar

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CONTENTS

42 Managing Director Walid Zok Walid@bncpublishing.net Director Rabih Najm Rabih@bncpublishing.net

46

Director Wissam Younane Wissam@bncpublishing.net

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Group Publishing Director Diarmuid O'Malley Dom@bncpublishing.net Sales Manager Charlotte Ringrose Charlotte@bncpublishing.net Editor Michael Gordon michael@bncpublishing.net Deputy Editor Sophia Soltani Sophia@bncpublishing.net

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Art Director Rana Husam Shiblaq Rana@bncpublishing.net Marketing Executive Mark Anthony Monzon

40 |

CONTRIBUTORS FOOD FOCUS

The Factory Photography www.thefactory.me

an in-depth analysis of today's superfood market

SUBSCRIBE subscriptions@bncpublishing.net

42 |

48 |

51 |

PO Box 502511 Dubai, United Arab Emirates P +971 4 4200 506 | F +971 4 4200 196

DECOR

a behind the curtains looks at inakaya, both front & back of house

SUPPLIER FOCUS

For all commercial enquiries related to Catering News ME contact dom@bncpublishing.net T +971 50 55 97339

horeca sets out to change the mindset of food supplies with its online portal

MARKETPLACE

the latest innovations in outdoor furniture design and functionality

48

All rights reserved Š 2014.

Opinions expressed are solely those of the contributors.

Catering News ME and all subsidiary publications in the MENA region are officially licensed exclusively to BNC Publishing in the MENA region by Catering News ME. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher.

Printed by Raidy Emirates Printing Group LLC www.raidy.com

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ONE WORLD, ONE MARK YOUR DEFINITIVE GUIDE THROUGH THE HALAL LEGISLATION The market value for trade in Halal food products is estimated at USD 547 billion a year and it is expected to reach USD 1.6 trillion by 2018, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 6.9%. Furthermore, GCC Halal food imports are set to increase to USD 53.1 billion by 2020, so the market is huge. Yet, despite attempts by international Islamic bodies, such as the World Halal Food Council, to achieve worldwide guidelines, no global standards for Halal certificates exist.

But that is set to change as the UAE is pioneering one Halal mark and establishing a universal system of accreditation and certification, through the Emirates Authority for Standardisation & Metrology (ESMA).

Infact, the UAE is leading the world in the standardisation of Halal accreditation and certification, creating one standard, one process and one mark for Halal products globally. Furthermore, Dubai has positioned itself as a primary global trading hub for the international Halal food industry – a strategic enabler in the emir-

TOO GREEN

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CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

TOO DARK

ate’s long-term vision to become the global Islamic Economy capital. However, very few producers, importers, exporters and distributors are aware of this far reaching change in legislation. For this reason Catering News ME met with government officials to bring you the official line on this monumental shift to ensure our catering industry pioneers the change.

Inside you will find our must-read guide, including an indepth interview with the body responsible for the change, the ESMA, along with reactions from some of the major producers in the region.

We also bring you the lastest trends in outside catering furniture, news on a new online food supply distributor, an analysis of the growing Superfood phenomenon, as well as all the views from our monthly round table forum, which this month examined the issue of staff recruitment and retention. We also bring you an exclusive interview with the pioneering Indian chef Atul Kochhar.

So you'll find plenty inside to digest and, as always, please do share your views with us online.

NOT ENOUGH IMPACT

WE HIT THE MARK

Follow us on our social media pages @cateringnewsme /cateringnewsme cateringnewsme

MICHAEL GORDON Editor

THEALLI NONEMI LK. I T’ SALLYOU NEED. Camel i ci ous-Nat ur e’ sal l i nonemi l k.I t ’ sl ow i nf at , hi ghi nVi t ami nC,nat ur al l ypr obi ot i candi mmuneboost i ng.

Theheal t hyal t er nat i vet ocow’ smi l k.

Cont actUs: Emi r at esI ndust r yf orCamelMi l k & Pr oduct s( EI CMP)

Tel : +97142281 034 Fax:+97142281 039 Emai l :i nf o@ camel i ci ous. ae

NEWS

Inaugural Halal Investment Conference sets the Standard Drawing a packed audience of local, regional and international policy-shapers, government officials and influential private sector players, the inaugural Halal Investment Conference – part of the three-day Gulfood Leaders Events programme held alongside the world’s largest annual food and hospitality trade show – marked another step closer to realising the UAE’s ambition to become a global Halal centre.

The Halal Investment Conference included sessions on Halal standardisation and certification for the GCC, successful Halal marketing, the meaningful transformation of the Halal brand in international Halal markets and non-Islamic countries, and the strengthening of the Halal supply chain.

Speaking at the event, H.E. Nabil Molla, secretary general, GCC Standardisation Oranisation (GSO), said:

“When addressing the topic of Halal, it is important to recognise that it does not necessary have to apply only to Muslims, but to all humankind.

“GSO’s vision is to become the pioneers of standardisation and excellence, both regionally and internationally. Through the facilitation of trade, we strive to eliminate barriers, all the while protecting our consumers, their health and our environment.”( see pg22 for more).

Centro launches Cancer Awareness CSR campaign Centro Al Manhal by Rotana, in collaboration with the Positive Cancer Foundation, organised an awareness session for its colleagues in order to spread information about cancer and the measures for its prevention.

The session was organised as a part of the hotel’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) ongoing efforts and commitment to improve their colleagues’ health and overall well-being.

One of the main objectives of the Positive Cancer Foundation is to spread knowledge about the disease and the way that people live with it in order to ensure better community support and sensitivity towards cancer patients.

Speaking on the occasion, Riaz Jeelani, 8

CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

general manager of Centro Al Manhal by Rotana said: “We are grateful to the Positive Cancer Foundation for coming and generating awareness about the disease. Their approach to its treatment and prevention is sure to influence the colleagues in striving to preserve their general health and wellbeing while also encouraging them to be more sensitive towards the needs of cancer patients in our community.”

The Positive Cancer Foundation is a nonprofit organisation established by the UAE Ministry of Social Affairs and is aimed towards changing the way people live with and fight cancer, by developing a positive environment and attitude towards the disease.

After the awareness session, all the at-

tendees participated in a Q&A session about cancer early detection and treatment.

NEWS

New Visitor Record for Qatar International Food Festival 2015 More than 170,000 visitors and tourists attended this year’s five-day Qatar International Food Festival 2015 (QIFF), organised by the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and Qatar Airways, held at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Park.

Visitors were able to sample delicious Qatari, Gulf, Arabic and international cuisine at the festival's variety of zones, and the International Zone showcased dishes from 31 of Doha's most high profile restaurants, with 69 participants at the Festival this year.

"QIFF is a great platform to showcase global cuisines and to show Qatar's culinary delights as well as the elegance

of its variety of hotels and restaurants," said QTA's chief marketing and promotions officer, Rashed Al Qurese. "There is no doubt that this will positively impact the tourism and hospitality sector and we look forward to even more innovation and creativity next year."

Qatar Airways' Live Cooking Theatre attracted a large number of visitors, giving them a chance to taste food cooked live by top chefs, including celebrity Chef Vineet Bhatia and Chef Massimo Capra. The Live Cooking Theatre also gave training to 50 participating professional hotel chefs on how to prepare tra-

ditional and fusion Qatari dishes. The training was delivered by two skillful chefs, Qatari cuisine expert Chef Aisha Al Tamimi and renowned Kuwaiti Chef Fawwaz Al Amim.

MAGGI Diaries Returns for Second Season MAGGI Diaries, the popular web-based series covering the culinary journeys of five Arab women, returns for its second season to take viewers on a global journey of culinary exploration across India, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Italy, experiencing new cultures and flavours from around the world.

Led by five women who are passionate about discovering new and exciting global cuisines, MAGGI Diaries celebrates the world’s cultural and culinary heritage

with an added twist to make each dish as unique and real as the woman making it.

The series of webisodes focuses on empowering women through real cooking, to make a difference in their lives and that of their families and loved ones.

Jessy Abdulnour, senior brand manager at MAGGI, said: “This year, MAGGI Diaries will continue to act as a platform to encourage women to connect – and reconnect – with the dishes, flavours and tastes of global and regional cuisines, but also to

empower and inspire them to cook healthier while making a difference in their lives and that of their families and loved ones.”

MAGGI Diaries stars five of the Middle East’s passionate food lovers, Lama Alnaeli, Mai Hakeem, Assia Othman, Hanouf Albalhan, and returning from the first season, Sumayya Makki. Viewers can watch MAGGI Diaries starting March 2015 on YouTube at Youtube.com/MaggiArabia, with new episodes uploaded every week and running until November.

ON MARCH

31ST COURTYARD

BY MARRIOTT, THE WORLD’S

8TH

LARGEST HOSPITALITY BRAND, REACHED ITS

1000 HOTEL MILESTONE WITH THE OPENING OF COURTYARD WALLA WALLA

APRIL 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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NEWS

A Taste of Istanbul with Jumeirah Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah, Istanbul’s most iconic hotel, has launched a new ‘Taste of Istanbul’ experience for 2015.

Curated to introduce guests to the best of local food, knowledge and culture, this two-night stay includes a traditional Turkish cooking class, the chance to experience a Turkish Hammam and a guided tour of the most vibrant markets in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Istanbul is famed for its markets which offer everything from spice bazaars to fresh foods and costume jewellery. Guests at Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah will now be able to navigate the labyrinth of bustling markets like a true local, with a guided culinary walking tour led by the hotel’s executive chef Arif Doğan.

With his expertise in local Turkish cuisine,

Arif Doğan’s tour will take in the famous Spice Bazaar and the traditional Fish Market.

The tour will also explore the evolution of Ottoman cuisine by stopping at the city’s historical specialty food stores; some of which have been in operation since the early 1900s.

Once back at the hotel, guests will be able to use their freshly sourced ingredients during a traditional Turkish cooking class with Chef Arif Doğan, followed by dinner at the hotel’s signature Agatha Restaurant. The next day, guests can complete their authentic Turkish experience by indulging in a relaxing Hammam in the hotel’s Pera Spa. Designed by renowned local architect Alexander Vallaury, the building has hosted an impressive list of guests including Ernest Hemingway, Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock.

Eggcitement at Fortnum & Mason

Fortnum & Mason has launched a new collection for Easter, featuring a range of handmade English chocolate eggs, traditional Easter sweets, spiced biscuits and an array of delightful gifts for the whole family.

Fortnum’s chocolate eggs are made exclusively in small batches using a slow melting process, which adds to the unique, rich flavour of the chocolate and gives them a luxuriously smooth texture. Master Chocolatiers flood antique moulds with Fortnum’s Tercentenary-blend chocolate to give each egg an ultra-thick chocolate shell, which is then finished by hand with individually crafted sugar decorations, making each egg one of a kind.

On offer this Easter are the ‘Little Duke’ and ‘Little Duchess’ eggs that are perfect for children, along with hand-decorated chick

and rabbit shaped biscuits, spiced Florentines, and a cornucopia of Easter-themed sweets, marzipan bites and lollipops.

For adults, there is the Colossal Egg made from five layers of decadently thick chocolate, Fortnum’s signature Rose and Violet Cream Egg that offers the taste of a traditional English garden, and much, much more.

All of Fortnum & Mason’s Easter chocolate is crafted in Brighton, UK, by a familyrun chocolatier, whose legacy can be traced back to when they were based in-house at the Fortnum’s shop in Piccadilly.

Rational a winner in the 2015 Kitchen Innovations Awards Rational will be receiving the coveted Kitchen Innovations Award for the sixth time in May, 2015.

The prize is awarded once a year by the USA's National Restaurant Association (NRA), one of the largest gastronomy associations.

Rational once again won over the international panel of judges for the 2015 10

CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

Kitchen Innovations Awards. With its SelfCookingCenter 5 Senses, the first intelligent cooking appliance in the world, the manufacturer impressed internationally recognised nutritionists, chefs and design experts. The NRA announced the winners last month.

"Each year our independent panel of judges scans the entire industry to find the products that advance the entire food service industry," says John Metz, convention chair for NRA Show 2015, the industry

fair held in Chicago, where the prizes will be awarded in mid-May. The decisive factors included energy efficiency, safety, multi-functionality, speed and intelligence. "We know from our customers how important these factors are in daily kitchen routines," says Alexander Wimmer, Area Vice President at Rational, and adds: "The award is a great incentive for us to continue to consistently orient ourselves to the needs of our customers."

NEWS

Salé Sucré spreads its crumbs to Dubai The Egyptian pâtisserie Salé Sucré opened its first branch outside Egypt, in Business Bay’s thriving Bay Avenue Mall, on 5th March 2015.

Since its conception in 1999, Salé Sucré Pâtisserie has become a household name in Egypt, with 17 stores peppered across Cairo and Alexandria, supplying a selection of delights using only the finest ingredients sourced from across the world.

Osama Heikal, managing partner at Salé Sucré Pâtisserie, explained: “After our success in Egypt, we expanded into the UAE with a vision to become one of the leading pâtisserie brands across the Middle East.

“We are confident that this new store will bring with it significant value whilst support-

ing our continued growth of customer loyalty.

The move conforms with our expansion plans to open our doors to new communities in prime commercial locations.”

The 60sqm store in Dubai offers over 30 mouthwatering cake temptations. The Mono Portion boasts an array of éclairs and tartlets ideal for those toothsome cravings. For a touch of panache, opt for all-the-rage Verrines, presented in charming glass pots, or the beautifully packaged Macarons that comes in 10 flavours.

Salé Sucré Pâtisserie has plans to launch additional products to the menu and introduce a delivery service in the near future for its recent Dubai store.

Tawasy launches Four New Concepts

Tawasy Group, a leading fine dining, catering and restaurant management group, has revealed the launch of four new exciting dining concept brands—Mashawi2Go, Manaqeesh2Go, Tawasy Express, and Tawasy Food Supply.

Mashawi2Go and Manaqeesh2Go are dedicated to phone and online orders anywhere in Dubai, with a wide range of oriental grilled cuisines and Manakish meals.

Tawasy Express offers the same high-quality food that the catering service has become known for, like its Jordanian Mansaf, chicken Mosakhanbut and its original Biryani, offered in a new individual packaging that can be ordered any time of the day for as low as AED 39.

Lastly, Tawasy Food Supply, the fourth new concept, is part of the company’s move to become the region’s top distributor in the readyand semi-ready food products segment. All of its products will be prepared from the company’s HACCP certified kitchen facilities, which includes a variety of frozen, chilled, dried and fresh food products, intended for the HORECA network in the UAE. “We are confident that the launch of these four new dining concepts will not only answer the demand for high-quality world-class take-out food options but will also help in consolidating our position as a leading catering & restaurant management company,” said Rami Wardeh, ceo & founder, Tawasy Group.

MANFRED LANG

DHS scores bulls-eye with new appointment Direct Hotel Supplies (DHS), one of the region’s leading providers of hospitality operating supplies has appointed Manfred Lang as their new director of sales.

Manfred is a veteran in the hospitality supplies business, having spent 25 years working with leading German brands such as Bauscher and Rosenthal before setting up his own hospitality consulting business.

A keen darts player, Manfred says his aim is to “build on DHS’ customer base and brand portfolio so DHS is at the forefront as a preferred partner and one-stop source for the HORECA business in the region”.

ROOM REVENUES INCREASED BY

12% DURING 2014, REVENUE FROM FOOD AND BEVERAGE (F&B) OUTLETS AND OTHER SERVICES ROSE BY ONLY

6.1%

APRIL 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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NEWS

Seville’s to host Flamenco Festival Seville’s, the Spanish tapas bar and restaurant located at Wafi, will host an authentic Flamenco Festival from the 21st – 25th April, 2015.

The evening will include a host of electrifying performances from traditional Spanish dancers – España Bravo Flamenco – flown in especially from Spain. Combined with a sumptuous 3-course Spanish menu, this event celebrates all that is authentically Spanish.

“We have been hosting the Flamenco Festival in Seville’s since the opening of the restaurant 14 years ago, and it has proven to be extremely popular amongst the local Spanish community, as well as our regular diners who are all very passionate about authentic Spanish food and music,” said Mariano Andres, General Manager, Wafi restaurants.

Performances start at 9pm every evening throughout the festival except Saturday at 8pm.

A Night in the Grand Budapest Hotel

Corinthia Hotel Budapest, originally built as the Grand Hotel Royal, has launched a new package to celebrate the Oscar success of Wes Anderson’s The Grand Bu-

dapest Hotel, and the cinematic past and present of Hungary’s capital.

Corinthia Hotel Budapest, originally opened in 1896 as the Grand Hotel Royal,

features not just a façade strikingly similar to the movie’s fictional Grand Budapest Hotel, but also a comparable history of Grand Dame Hotel glory days, and its very own Gustav H – Tibor Meskal, who has worked at the hotel since the 1960’s.

‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ package offers guests the unique chance to live the life of the 1930’s elite in a hotel originally opened in 1896 as the Grand Hotel Royal – one of the first European hotels to boast en-suite bathrooms and electrically-operated lifts. Living like the social elite, guests will be brought to the hotel in limousines.

They will also get a bespoke guided historical tour of this Grande Dame hotel, special room amenities – and of course the opportunity to watch this Wes Anderson’s award-winning movie within the walls of the hotel which inspired it.

The Next Taste of Waldorf Astoria On 26 February 2015 at the Waldorf Astoria New York, guests and a panel of culinary luminaries gathered to select the next Taste of Waldorf Astoria from five dishes created in the kitchens of Waldorf Astoria Berlin, Rome Cavalieri, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian, La Quinta Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, and Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund.

The winning dish, Celery Risotto Alla Waldorf, is the result of a week-long collaboration in Rome between Waldorf Astoria Master Chef Heinz Beck and JBF Rising Star Semi-Finalist Chef David Posey at Rome Cavalieri.

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Celery Risotto Alla Waldorf joins a line-up of iconic signature dishes that have been created at Waldorf Astoria, including Eggs Benedict, Red Velvet Cake, and The Waldorf Salad. Beginning April 1, guests will be able to book their own unforgettable Taste of Waldorf Astoria experience at any of the brand’s 26 properties worldwide, including the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah and Ras Al Khaimah.

The panel of four judges included Hilton Worldwide Corporate Chef Americas Master Chef of France Marc Ehrler, bon appétit Restaurant & Drinks Editor Andrew Knowlton, JBF Director of Sponsor-

ships Yvon Ros, and culinary and travel expert Nilou Motamed.

John Vanderslice, global head, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, commented: “We are thrilled to celebrate the achievements of Chef Heinz Beck and Chef David Posey along with all the talented chefs who participated in Taste of Waldorf Astoria.”

NEWS

Chef Greg Malouf turns Clé all Arty In synergy with not just the restaurant’s ethos but also with one of Chef Malouf’s fondest pastimes, Clé Dubai has announced their most recent collaboration with Lebanese artist, Katya Traboulsi.

Loosely translated to mean ‘seeing it all’, Katya’s visualisation on the concept of ‘saturation’, is explained through bold artwork and magnificent views on beauty and perfection.

Titled ‘Anatomical Beauty’, this exhibition, will display Katya’s interpretation of her environment and the region she lives in. Her work is about manipulating the surface to get underneath the

surface. Beauty doesn’t fascinate her unless it’s re-conducted to be more than what is anticipated. The realist in her claims that we are all ‘movingly similar.’

Katya assists in raising awareness for various charities and causes, and truly believes in making a change for the better. The positive energy Katya exudes will remind guests of the simple fact: “We’re all the same regardless of our exterior, because, on the inside, we’re all made up of the same cells.”

Taking its first step into the art world, starting from 12th March, Clé Dubai will host Katya Traboulsi for the next two months.

From the Iberian Peninsula to the Levant Marsa Malaz Kempinski, The Pearl, Doha, has opened three new restaurants, El Faro, Al Sufra and Sawa, offering cuisines from the Iberian Peninsula to the Levant.

Situated at the hooves of the 18m horse statue by Iraqi born artist Ahmed Al Bahrani, Sawa lives up to its meaning in Arabic – ‘together’. This family friendly restaurant is personally curated by the executive chef Mattias Roock, and serves a blend of European and Mediterranean flavours in a bright and spacious setting with outdoor terraces.

Guests can also now enjoy the only fivestar Friday brunch on The Pearl-Qatar, with signature sweet and savoury recipes from all around the world, live entertain-

ment and a children’s corner on the lawn.

El Faro, meaning ‘the lighthouse’ in Spanish, is the only authentic Spanish restaurant in Doha, and a stylish corner inside the hotel with an ambient central tapas counter and a peaceful outdoor terrace. Chef de cuisine Raùl Cob from Andalucía prepares traditional recipes from culinary hotspots across his home country, including authentic tapas, pintxos and original paella. In keeping with the total experience in the hotel, art plays a big role, with a Picasso-inspired graffiti brick wall as the central backdrop.

Al Sufra, meaning ‘the dining room’ in Arabic, is the latest addition to the culinary collection of Marsa Malaz Kem-

pinski. The captivating design of the restaurant, with the numerous patterns and water features, blends with the traditional Levantine flavours from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine.

Marsa Malaz Kempinski offers exciting dining and entertainment options for visitors and guests across 11 food and beverage outlets. In addition to El Faro, Sawa and Al Sufra, three further restaurants will open soon, including Toro Toro, Antica Pesa and Nozomi. Guests can also enjoy two cafés, an al fresco beach-side restaurant, and a sophisticated lounge with molecular creations. Illusion, the unparalleled rooftop lounge with large open-air terraces will also open later this year.

QATAR SAW

2.8 MILLION VISITORS ENTER THE COUNTRY IN

2014 AN

8.2% INCREASE IN NUMBERS OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR

APRIL 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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NEWS

The official launch party for Catering News ME at Don Alfonso last month

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www.monin.com APRIL 2015 CATERING NEWS ME 15

THE FORUM

STAFF RECRUITMENT The Catering News ME Forum met once again last month, with a team of recruitment specialists, including F&B Directors and HR Managers, to discuss the matter of finding suitable employees, recruiting them, and retaining them.

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IN ASSOCIATION WITH

THE FORUM

cost of flights –agencies, etc, are alleviated a lot with social media.

We also hit bigger crowds and with the right forums and hashtags you get suitable people. LinkedIn offers 600 applicants in minutes.

Max: Social networking is marvellous but sometimes you get bombarded with rubbish. As an independent we look at many channels and our best staff are from recommendations from other known performing staff. I’ve seen some great CVs but that doesn’t say they can perform or deliver. We then do Skype interviews before considering to fly anyone out here.

MAXWELL GRAYSON THE SCENE

How do you go about staff recruitment and what tools do you use in terms of technology or partners?

Maria: We have not actively focused on retention for the last couple of years but we have increased employees a lot. Today we are doing most recruitment online, and in newspapers. Online has helped tremendously, with many people applying through our websites. We also take staff through employee referrals, through cousins and villages, as well as going out to setup meetings. We also have agents working with us in various countries and they find the candidates and do the screening for us before we fly in to take the final decision.

Nicholas: With 21 restaurants we get out a lot more than some, to see other restaurants and what they are doing. We try to associate ourselves with those bringing in European workers, as opposed to Sri Lankan or Filipino, not to poach their staff but instead we have found that after 6-7 months they are often keen to move on and having made contact they approach us. We also use tools available to us to measure the ability of our staff, such as the predictive index – a questionnaire of working personality. This is time consuming but it helps us decide the right people for the job.

Bhavesh: Skype can be good but it can also be a bit challenging when recruiting chefs, as they need to be hands on. We have to see them physically doing the challenges, and take our recommendations from the tutors.

Nicholas: There are certain areas in the hotel where we need to employ certain nationalities. Such as people from Kenya, Sri Lanka or Pakistan can work outside in the heat, whereas people from Russia, Kazakhstan, the Philippines and Chinese don’t want the heat or the tan. We lose a lot of staff from being placed incorrectly.

Alban: Most of us have and use our in-house websites and I’m sure most of us use catererglobal.com, as our main source, but now LinkedIn is the trend and whenever we have an opening we post a link on Linked to our site and that network is working fast.

Bhavesh: We use LinkedIn, together with our online recruitment and our careers page on our website, and we also do succession planning internally in the Jumeirah group to give the opportunity to grow within the company. We also organise recruitment trips to various countries – like Spain, Kazakhstan, and the Philippines.

Alban: To get staff is not hard but getting the right staff is a challenge. As Marriott we are global so it’s easier. We believe in cross exposure – cross training from other countries, and we give them preference. LinkedIn is definitely a success for sure.

Justin: The smartphone has to be the biggest revolution – over the last 5 years we have rethought recruitment and social media is a big part of that. Traditional recruitment strategies, like – high

NICHOLAS PATMORE ATLANTIS

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THE FORUM

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Max: People have preconceived ideas that Dubai will earn them a lot of money, and we have to explain that it’s something you must earn through hard work – especially with English people. They assume they will work into a highly paid position straight away.

Nicholas: We are in the process of recruiting head barmen – so we have gone to many different restaurants and bars to find the salary norm, and we have found that many are throwing a whole package at staff. They offer an AED7000 package for accommodation and salary and we would normally pay AED1500-2000 inclusive of accommodation, so to attract really good barmen is very hard. Also, when you offer AED7000 other staff look around and ask why getting more and we need to be careful of how we look after staff.

Bhavish: People from EU countries don’t want to stay in shared accommodation or the hotel, which is traditionally part of the salary. We’ve had lot of declines because of hotel accommodation.

JUSTIN GALEA LE ROYAL MERIDIEN Alban: For some positions we must invite the candidate to the hotel, like with a chef for tasting, but for lower grades we can just do Skype. The main challenge we face is always looking for English speaking, which can be difficult from the Asian side. On Skype they can be good English speakers but in Dubai not the same.

Bhavesh: It’s no longer practical to fly in junior staff for interviews – we have to work off recommendations. Some hotels also do incentive programmes, whereby if they recommend someone who stays for six months or more they get a reward for bringing talent to the company – that works extremely well.

Max: As an independent we can give allowance for accommodation, our staff accommodation is a stepping stone until they find where they want to live.

Justin: I don’t talk money on Skype. My main problem is the process from CV to employment being at least three months. Turnaround is my biggest issue. Nobody can sit on a buffer of ten guys.

With Dubai a transit city do you suffer from staff retention and how do you counter it?

Bhavish: With more and more hotels opening the demand is increasing but the talent is not there. To get the talent you have to pay a premium.

Rikhsibay: With Dubai being such a tourism hub we no longer need to look outside the country, there are so many hotels and restaurants here with good staff – so today there is a lot of crossover of staff and staff targeting or head hunting.

What are the key challenges in staff recruitment?

Maria: The key challenge is finding the right person for the position.

Max: There are also often budget restraints as the financial packages can be restrictive.

Bhavesh: We find that the senior positions are a lot easier to fill because of the benefits of the package offered – our challenge is in recruiting the junior staff, where salaries are a lot more competitive. There is always someone willing to pay AED100 more.

Language is also a key challenge – getting the right language skills – especially here in an expat country.

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BHAVESH RAWAL JW MARRIOTT DUBAI

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

THE FORUM

Justin: You are hiring the wrong guys. No matter how old they are, the first question I ask is what do you want to do and how you want to grow – if they say I just want to cut chicken I don’t hire. I drill in my interviews that I am not hiring for skill, that’s not important as it can be taught, I hire for attitude…The skilled should teach. We pay good money for the right staff and it’s their responsibility to train and educate their team.

I get guys from countries that are hungry to grow and so, money becomes irrelevant. I have three guys working under me, and I know they each want my job and that’s right – each should gun for the next level Alban: Reality is for 50 dirhams staff will leave – there is no loyalty here. We do all the right things like cross training and development, but bottom line is the money.

RIKHSIBAY TURSUNOV JUMEIRAH BEACH HOTEL

Maria: Five years back we could give 60-90 day handover but now we only have 30 days so it’s really difficult in transition.

Rikhsibay: In a hotel you have regular guests and instead of looking after them you market for new guests. But staff are the same – you must look after them, give them career progress and vision of the company. Of course you need new blood but we need more focus on motivating and retaining staff.

Max: Our key challenge we face is staff poaching. It’s very difficult to keep staff when they are promised a pay rise. We had three European front of house staff members that stayed less than 2 weeks.

We have one particular HR manager, without naming names, who comes in here all the time promising my staff greener grass.

Justin: If you offered me double my salary I’d go, but if you offered me AED1000 more I’d tell you were to go. I say if they want to leave for AED200 stay another year and work under a Michelin-trained chef in an award winning hotel, and get the experience and accolades and when you leave you’ll get AED4000 more. Learn your trade and instead of going elsewhere we will send you to London to grow and then you’ll be worth AED10,000 more. We need to get in their heads that we are a training ground.

Alban: Yes, we need the right person for the right job but how long are we willing to wait for the right person. Do you just fill the gap with not the right person or wait out.

Justin: We have a football club mentality – great clubs have 3-4 years of glory then lose players and start again. They have junior academies and they accept that they won’t hit goals as they build a team feeding the bottom up. Ultimately, they know they will get 1-2 years out of star players at peak.

I’ve not been in the region a long time but when arrived I was told turnover is healthy and I don’t agree. I agree with taking a comi chef or waiter and developing them with a succession plan.

I also send potential bar tenderers to global hotels for training; I invest in people. I don’t talk money I talk life goals – I always ask ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’. If they want to be a GM then I’ll put together a progression plan.

Bhavish: The reality is that only 20% want to be GM and the rest are here just for money. I offer progression plan, performance appraisal, LPP, and they simply ask how much service they will get that month.

ALBAN DAUBENTON AMWAJ ROTANA

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THE FORUM

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

people may leave for a higher salary but they often come back when they realise that the grass wasn’t greener.

Nicholas: Coming from a single hotel our succession plans cannot be as wide as those from a global chain like Starwoods, we can’t offer the same opportunities to move staff around.

Alban: Sometimes it not about the salary or the package, but the work environment. I know others offer higher packages but what is their life and work balance? My staff are happy as they get time with their families also.

Justin: It’s not hotels poaching my staff, I have to accept that I am a training ground for Etihad and the hospitals, because they can offer double salary and all expenses and I can’t compete, but to rival hotels I don’t lose guys. If it’s a career progression I will push them because in two years’ time they will come back more skilled.

MARIA JOSEPH AL JADEED BAKERY

Bhavish: But you are talking only about 10% of your staff that you can offer this too.

Justin: I’m not, I’m talking about 100% of the right people I employ, who have the desire. Not hiring off pieces of paper or through agencies but talking to them and finding what’s important to them. Within Starwood my percentage of staff moving into Dubai is very high and that’s because Europe is on its knees and everyone thinks the streets are lined with gold here. London is beginning to pick up, but the difference is that nobody is moving in London, exec chefs from London are locked in – there is no movement or growth like here, so when I bring them here they see there is growth and development.

Alban: It depends on the nationality. I had one junior leave because of AED100 more to send money home to feed kids – they don’t care about succession plan. What can I do?

Justin: I can hire European students, from Italy and Spain, to earn the same salary as Nepalese, why, because there are no opportunities at home and they know there is career development here.

Rikhsibay: On a personal note, I recently went to Kazakhstan and found that the most important thing for us was to explain the vision of the hotel before we did any recruitment. I took one guy, he had a single page CV, nothing stood out on paper, but when I chatted to him I felt he was the right fit for our family orientated hotel.

He told me he played guitar for a hobby. He came with 40 new recruits and outshone them all. Later I learnt he was the number two guitar player in the whole of Kazakhstan. So, it’s not about a 5 page CV but seeing someone is a good fit for your hotel. Also, 20

CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

Are salaries and package requirements increasing and is this in-line?

Nicholas: We use buyout labour to help our staff increase their salaries, so if we run a big event staff are invited to fill the gaps with skills sets they don’t use daily, such as lifeguards becoming water staff. We have a lot of functions and so it’s up to them if they want higher salaries.

Rikhsibay: There are no stable salary packages – here there are too many competitors so packages can’t align. There are many other things to attach to a salary package to make it comfortable.

Justin: Who doesn’t want more money? I want more money and there is only one way to get that and it’s to grow and develop myself. Staff can jump around for a few bucks for years but it’s no serious improvement. You are best staying put and learning and the pay rise will be better. Money must be earned not given.

Alban: Nevertheless, we all run annual employee satisfaction surveys, and wherever I have worked there was always a low score on question of money. This is why it’s difficult to retain.

Rikhsibay: We must empower up and down level – give everyone a level of power to make decisions. Put a system in place, trust people, and empower them and that keeps them happy.

Bhavish: We must incentivise our workers – help them achieve what they need. Everyone befits from staff to guests. But the questions of what type of incentive is tricky – it should not be just regarding money.

Nicholas: One thing we did was that when we noticed we were selling around 14 bottle of Moet on the beach every day, we saw an opportunity to sell more, and to do this we offered AED50 to everyone that sold a bottle and our sales shot up to 200 bottles each day.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Bhavish: We incentivise our restaurant team with offers like foreign trips or complimentary steak dinners. This drives the whole team.

Nicholas: We run a premier league to incentive each restaurant in terms of wine or food sales, and at end of the year the winner gets a prize.

Rikhsibay: In recruitment, I say don’t talk about salary first, talk about benefits – ask what is in it for me in two years’ time. In interview I look at person as if they were my boss in two years’ time and how the interaction would be.

Max: Incentive not just about money – our employee of the month can win an iPad or have the weekend off and get a brunch – we mix it up and make it fun. I leave it to supervisors to decide how to incentivise, but last month they encouraged the floor staff to get the perfect order and one of them won a burger at end of the night.

This makes the evening more fun to work, sales increase and so does staff satisfaction.

Bhavish: We do the same, and during the Michael Bublé concert we said that if any cashier sold more than AED30,000 they would get a night stay in the hotel and we ended up rewarding 8 people throughout that concert, while creating a buzz in the team.

Is it important for you to have equality across your international employees in terms of pay and conditions?

Max: Everyone around this table is from a different country, so Nationality doesn’t matter so long as they can do the job.

Bhavish: Ten years back used to say different countries get different salary because of different cost at home. But that is now changing and that is the way forward. They are here now so salary home is not relevant.

THE FORUM

Rikhsibay: Different nationalities are very important here because of the pattern of tourism. I speak to a lot of guests, from around the world, and those from developed countries say the service level is much better here, because the nationality matches the client. One nationality doesn’t offer diversity.

How important is it for you to offer in house training and what programmes are in place?

Max: We have recruitment training and ongoing tests. We also clump the tips and service charge together and they must do test every month on the menu and restaurant, and if we see staff need extra training we can shadow with more experienced staff. We look at training case by case.

Rikhsibay: We are now shifting from in-room to on job training, with lots of role play, which is not as time consuming and less boring. We also run Lobster Ink online training courses, whereby our colleagues can go home and log in to do training at their leisure.

This has been fantastic.

Nicholas: We base our training on Trip Advisor – where we are lacking we focus our attention of weaknesses in our business. We also do Lobster Ink, with employee incentives of big prizes like dolphin swimming, steak dinners, etc. and then we do awards linked to Lobster Ink at the end of the year. We can’t get everyone to participate, but of those that do the stars tend to shine.

Bhavish: We run a ‘Passport to Success’ programme based on each department, which includes classroom training and an online process classroom over a 2 year programme. This helps a lot, especially in JDR power ratings and mystery shopper programmes, and each hotel sets training targets and requirements. We also set aside specific days for the regular training of each department to ensure we get the maximum attendance.

Justin: First and foremost it is about brand emersion training, who we are, our brands, the ethos of hotel. Second is mandatory classroom work and third is your passport to your career. When we move people around we can see exactly what training is needed and when from the passport.

Alban: We have more than 50 internal programmes in training in all aspects – what is important is the appraisal time to assess development needs and create training plans. For each colleague we need to identify needs and we send a training calendar on a monthly basis to all managers so they can plan training ahead of time so there no bottlenecks or no shows. For us role play is more important than online training as you can monitor it individually.

Rikhsibay: Now we are going down the line to discuss with floor staff to see what training they want. They come up with some amazing topics, such as marketing, sales, regulations, etc. We also invite department heads to ensure we are on the same page. Everyone helps to build the product knowledge.

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COVER STORY

KNOW YOUR MARK

The UAE is leading the world in the standardisation of Halal accreditation and certification, creating one standard, one process and one mark for Halal products globally

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CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

COVER STORY

D

ubai has positioned itself as a primary global trading hub for the international Halal food industry – a strategic enabler in the emirate’s long-term vision to become the global Islamic Economy capital.

A quarter of the world’s populations are Muslim so it is only fitting that there are segments of global markets that adhere to their religious requirements. The Islamic world is creating rapidly expanding markets and consumer segments; Halal products are found worldwide, in energy drinks, vegan and vegetarian foods, meat and poultry, canned goods, gourmet and fine foods, but the most rapid expansion is being seen in mainland Europe and the US. From a Muslim consumer standpoint; products deemed Halal must be produced without forbidden ingredients, be proven to be in the interest of the consumer’s wellbeing, must be clean, hygienic and have supply chain integrity. They must also benefit the community from which they came and all ingredients must be traceable at each stage of production.

The current global Halal market value for trade in food products is estimated at USD 547 billion a year and expected to reach USD 1.6 trillion by 2018, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 6.9%.

The increasing awareness of Muslim consumers on their religious obligations is creating greater demand for Halal food and other consumer goods.

With the Halal food market currently accounting for as much as 12% of global trade in agri-food products, major growth will generate growth opportunities throughout the agri-food industry.

Although the Halal market is primarily produced for Muslim consumption, quality Halal products are consumed by all sectors of society due to the strict guidelines and requirements that follow each procedure in the manufacturing process. 80% of all Halal producers are non-Muslim but value the quality of the end product. Also, it is not only Muslim countries that are mainly responsible for Halal accredited food production; the Brazilian food market has been producing

Halal accredited products for many years and has been proven to be a very successful player within the global market due to their proven track record of producing quality goods. It is however still predominantly Muslim countries that are responsible for the most consumption. In 2012, the largest Halal food consuming countries included Indonesia (USD 197 billion), Turkey (USD 100 billion), Pakistan (USD 93 billion) and Egypt (USD 88 billion).

GCC Halal food imports are set to increase to USD 53.1 billion by 2020, and the UAE’s annual Halal food imports is expected to reach USD 8.4 billion by the end of the decade (Economist Intelligence Unit).

The UAE is preparing to cater for the growing demand as the UAE government has recently announced setting up of ‘Halal Cluster,’ a 6.7 million square feet land in Dubai Industrial City, for firms dealing in Halal food, cosmetics, and personal care items, according to Abdullah Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Industrial City.

An emerging industry of Halal certification has been created to attempt to verify any issues that may arise when considering the true definition of ‘Halal’ products.

Methods of discovering ‘Haram impurities’ in products are rapidly improving. Now, the type of animals that the raw materials are derived from can be identified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) which improves the potential for Halal integrity, allowing the creation of Halal supply chains and product tracking.

And most importantly, the UAE is leading the world in standardisation. Despite attempts by international Islamic bodies, such as the World Halal Food Council, to achieve worldwide guidelines, no global standards for Halal certificates exist. The UAE is pioneering one Halal mark and establishing a universal system of accreditation and certification, through the Emirates Authority for Standardisation & Metrology (ESMA).

Abdulla Abdulqader Al Maeeni, acting director general of the ESMA, said: “As one of the most important markets globally, we needed an infrastructure to assist UAE

80% OF

ALL HALAL PRODUCERS ARE NON-MUSLIM

HALAL FOOD CONSUMPTION INCLUDED INDONESIA (USD 197 BILLION), TURKEY (USD 100 BILLION), PAKISTAN (USD 93 BILLION) AND EGYPT (USD 88 BILLION) trade internationally. By adopting international standards and conformity we could ease trade globally.”

Al Maenni explained the promised standardisation programme: “Halal as a requirement has existed long before ESMA, both internally in the UAE and internationally, but we are improving upon those standards to be more globalised.

“We have adapted a more systematic and transparent process and we have separated the tasks between the bodies of Halal certification. Most importantly, we consulted with the countries involved into the system together because we believe it’s their industry, like their oil, and they need to improve and save it.

“We deal with more than 450 countries in terms of imports, and for countries like Australia, which depends a lot on exporting to our region, it was important business for them to work with us.”

The ESMA issued the new regulations early in 2014 and started implementing them gradually, so as not to shock the market or interrupt business.

With Halal regulations differing around the world there was a clear need for a unification of standards and regulations to create one standard globally, which would ultimately reduce the cost and time involved in applying for many different geographical marks, while ensuring the highest standards and ultimately easing international trade.

As a primary global trading hub for the APRIL 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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COVER STORY

international Halal food industry – a strategic enabler in the emirate’s long-term vision to become the global Islamic Economy capital. Dubai has taken the bold step towards unifying certification Halal standards globally. “The industry needs to be organised in terms of standardisation as there are many different schemes internationally. We want to give something to the world. A system we can all work with to the benefit of everybody. One standard, one process and one mark, said Al Maenni.

The Halal standard adopted, and rolled out globally by ESMA is The Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) standard, as used in all Islamic countries, which was issued in 2013.

Al Maenni explained: “We work with the accreditation bodies, which belong to governments, and in turn they provide their services to the certification bodies, including inspection bodies, laboratories, and certification issuers, and accredit on international standards like ISO 17065 for certification and ISO 17021 for inspection, and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) requirements for factories and slaughter houses.

“Accreditation bodies accredit certification bodies and then they in turn certify the products in factories and slaughterhouses.

Before, people from the governments would have to travel to slaughterhouses to certify or worse still, travel internationally to ap-

scheme it was too costly – paying for tickets and accommodation of inspectors and the time taken to inspect factories – now they can go to any approved accreditation body in Italy and instead of one certificate for every export country they need only one.”

The new standards were first rolled out to Australia, New Zealand and Argentina, to create a model for others to follow. By June all the products from Australia will adhere to the new standards.

Al Maenni added: “Once established the ESMA will roll out its programme to more countries in stages. We will work with Europe and Asia next and expect global integration within 2-3 years. We can’t change forty years of disorganisation in one night, but once fully implemented, in three years’ time, non-standardised products will not be allowed in the UAE.” Al Maenni stressed that international government bodies were supporting and appreciating this initiative, as are big factories, as it’s a clear, transparent and systematic scheme.

“Globally it’s accepted that if this hadn’t come from the UAE it would have come from somewhere else – the change was needed,” he added.

HE Dr. Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, chairman of the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology, said: “The launch of the national brand for Halal comes within the UAE system requirements for the control of Halal products. The national brand of Halal adopted by the Commission is awarded to products conforming to the requirements of ‘Emirati control system’ of Halal products.”

Global Food Industries (GFI), established in 1992, is a world-class value-added frozen food manufacturing company based in Sharjah, UAE. The company’s products under Al Areesh and Arctic Gold brands encompasses frozen foods, mainly portfolio of poultry, meat, seafood and range of vegetables.

Albatha Group’s managing director, Ishaque Noor said, “We are delighted to be the first company in the UAE for meeting all the necessary requirements that was needed to be HALAL certified by ESMA. We are an organisation that is purely driven by values. We adopt best industry practices and standards that are ahead of the industry. We source the finest HALAL raw materials from across the world, process them at our state-

GCC HALAL FOOD IMPORTS ARE SET TO INCREASE TO USD 53.1 BILLION BY

2020

“HALAL AS A REQUIREMENT HAS EXISTED LONG BEFORE ESMA, BOTH INTERNALLY IN THE UAE AND INTERNATIONALLY, BUT WE ARE IMPROVING UPON THOSE STANDARDS TO BE MORE GLOBALISED” prove Islamic certification bodies on behalf of the government.

“Now, for instance if you are in Germany you can go to the local accreditation body and get approval for certification bodies locally. To get approval all they must do is hire one German Muslim person and follow the agreed standards.

“Factories and slaughterhouses can then use these approved certification bodies locally – there is no longer a need for people to travel between the UAE and Germany.

“This will be more time efficient, less costly and there are no language barriers.

For instance for a small factory in Italy to obtain a Halal certificate in the previous 24

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Today the UAE is hub for the Halal industry and a major importer and re-exporter.

With this global standardisation model a product can come from any country and be exported and accepted in any future market without any technical barrier, when it carries the UAE Halal Mark. “Any product carrying a Halal Mark can cross any border in the world and enter without any resistance.

The ESMA launched its international Halal mark in February 2015, during the Gulfood exhibition, with two certified factories – the Al Ain based bottled water company Agthia Group and the processed meat producer Global Food Industries in Sharjah.

After awarding the HALAL trophy to GFI,

of-the-art facilities and ship the finished goods across the Middle East and African region. GFI caters to the needs of discerning consumers by providing them with delicious value added food products. Today, our brands enjoy a significant presence across all trade channels throughout GCC”.

The UAE currently has four auditors and a long waiting list of applications from certification bodies to register for accreditation.

“We currently have 10 audits pending. A big factory takes 2-3 days to inspect with 3-4 inspectors, then the auditor creates a report and submits it to decision board. But if a factory is ready for the audit process it takes less than a week.”

COVER STORY

In preparing to cater for the growing demand, with a AED4 trillion Halal market expected in the Middle East market by 2020, the UAE government recently set up the ‘Halal Cluster,’ a 6.7 million square feet development in Dubai Industrial City, for firms dealing in Halal food, cosmetics, and personal care items, according to the CEO of Dubai Industrial City, Abdullah Belhoul. In anticipation of the business it will generate the ESMA signed a MoU with the industrial city last month to support all their initiatives and the manufactures within the centre.

“Having the right tools at the logistics hub will help in terms of laboratories, storage, warehouses, certification centre, and access to port and access to market, flights,” said Al Maenni.

HALAL MARKET VALUE FOR TRADE IN FOOD PRODUCTS IS ESTIMATED AT

US$547

BILLION A YEAR AND EXPECTED TO REACH

$1.6 TN

BY 2018, GROWING AT A COMPOUND ANNUAL GROWTH RATE OF

6.9%

Midamar As US producer of over 100 premium quality convenient food products, Midamar supplies premium quality American style breakfast meats, organic meats, deli items and turkeys to retail outlets in the UAE, and for its foodservice customers it provides beef, chicken, turkey, deli items and prepared items like gyro cones, chicken wings and tenders.

Sara Sayed, director of Marketing and Communications, Midamar Corporation, said: “Regulatory transparency is very important in any industry, and we look forward to receiving communication as to what is permissible. All companies need clarity, guidance and information in order to comply with the rules of each country. The opinions and interpretations of what is Halal and what is not differ from country to country and culture to culture. For example, countries like Malaysia have a much stricter interpretation of what is considered Halal than most of the Middle Eastern countries.

The rules and regulations are numerous and very specific. For example, in the UAE, products can have 0.07% alcohol, and in other countries 0%. Often the country’s standards are quite liberal and general but the customer has higher standards and as a company, Midamar will provide the required service.”

When questioned, Sayed was unaware of the UAE’s standardisation programme. She added: “There is no global standard because each country follows one of many schools of thoughts or ‘Medhabs’. Each body believes that their interpretation of Halal is the one that is true and correct. Another reason is that slaughter facilities, processes, and practices vary the world over.

“In the United States alone there are at least five differing methods of beef slaughter that are marketed and sold simply as Halal.

One global standard in theory is a great goal but in practice cannot immediately take place, due to the variations across the industries.

In addition, the varying schools of thought that are applied to the beef plants practices must also be vetted and who is the final authority on the level of acceptance?

By positioning Dubai as a ‘worldwide Halal centre’ at the forefront of global Halal food industry growth, the Halal World Food exhibition, which forms part of Gulfood, generates significant inward investment opportunities for major international businesses eyeing regional buyers, suppliers, logistics providers and storage and transport solutions.

Catering News ME caught up with four Halal producers, Midamar, the Emirates Industry for Camel Milk & Products, Banvit and Al Rawdah Poultry, while at Gulfood.

What follows is their take on the UAE’s stance on standardisation and a reflection of the impact it will have on the catering industry.

“For Muslim countries there are Islamic institutions defining these standards but in Western nations where there is separation of the legal law and religious law there is a void as to who is granted or recognised as the body defining the standards. In secular societies, clarity and transparency in the company’s Halal practice coupled with an engaged and informed Halal consumer is essential.”

Sayed believes that globally we must take a general approach and create general guidelines and importantly be comfortable with any specific differences that do not violate these guidelines. She added: “Each official body needs to determine what is acceptable or not, clearly state the conditions, and then back it up by enforcing these conditions through annual visits to the countries that export to the region. The industry has evolved greatly in the last twenty years, look at the UAE alone in the last twenty years. The same is true in the slaughter industries the world over.

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COVER STORY

Banvit Banvit’s poultry sales cover all parts of Turkey, through a range of distribution channels, in addition to many export countries including Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Kosovo, Hong Kong, Georgia, Jordan, Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Erdem Sayit, general manager, Banvit ME, said: “Halal is a must for us in our local market production and we are exporting the same product which we produced for our local market.

All our goods for local and international markets produced are 100% Halal.

“As a result, we do not need any additional investment or operational change to alter our production according to any other market's Halal requirements. In

addition, Dubai Municipality is very transparent in sharing all the necessary information.

“While Halal requirements are the same for each country there are different institutions providing certificates which is one of the critical points for Halal requirements.

“There can be some documentation requirement changes in some cases, and there can be some differences in institutes issuing the Halal certificates.

“Most importantly, ESMA is taking more responsibility to harmonise GCC standards for HALAL food”

Al Rawdah Poultry

Up until 2013, Halal requirements and standards were different in each GCC country. But since that time there have been efforts to unify the strategy and to create a certification body within the UAE that deals with matters like Halal and the Emirates Quality Mark,” according to Paul Farhat, head of Foodservice for Emirates Modern Poultry.

Nevertheless, Farhat found himself on the back foot when he learnt of the legislation changes. “We were taken by surprise to know that it is a requirement for local producers to have Halal certification. We actually got to know from our customers who were in turn getting municipality inspectors requesting to see Halal certification for locally produced goods. Since we

got these complaints from our customers our quality control department is regularly meeting with the ESMA to process our application and submit the required documentation.

“While the requirements are transparent and clear they were only being shared with us after we approached the certification body. Thankfully, this will not affect our normal operating process since we already adopt Halal practices.

“The only additional costs we are acquiring at the moment are the fees required to mark our brand by the certification body as Halal and give it the Emirates Quality Mark.”

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COVER STORY

Emirates Industry for Camel Milk & Products

According to Mutasher Al Badry, Deputy GM & Business Development, EICMP, Halal certifications increasingly seem to also imply being a ‘seal of product quality and pureness’.

He said: “With certainty we can say that there is an increasing demand for Halal products on the international markets, which EICMP commenced catering to. However, different international markets have different standards, which makes it very difficult to compare the various certifications.”

EICMP applied for the Malaysian Jakim Halal certification in late 2013. After audit visits and a subsequent chain of formalities its Camelicious camel milk products were granted the certification in August 2014, almost one year later. This achievement came after receiving the EU export permit and the permit to enter the Malaysian market with its camel milk products in summer 2013. Mutasher Al Badry, Deputy GM & Business Development, EICMP, said: “Being the first camel milk producer internationally to receive those certifications shows the remarkable potential of the camel milk industry in an international arena.

“The global Halal economy opens a lot of doors for us, not only reaching out to Muslim population around the globe. The Halal seal seems to have developed into a ‘seal of quality and purity’ in a lot of Western societies. Therefore applying for the Halal certification is an

important step for us to reach out to different audiences globally.”

As a UAE company EICMP is already compliant with the current UAE and GCC Halal standards and is confident that it is fulfilling all requirements for existing Halal certifications around the globe and of course, for the upcoming UAE standards.

“The UAE has become a global hub for Halal products over the recent years and as such are currently working on a Halal seal that is expected to be quite comprehensive. These new standards will for sure become standards for companies on a global scale due to their accuracy to Muslim standards.”

He added: “Actually, Halal certifications are more of a support to our export business than a burden. Our local authorities here in UAE are very supportive to our efforts. Already our application for the EU export permit was strongly supported by the Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) as well as by the Dubai Municipality and we are very grateful that this support continues for every market we intend to enter.”

APRIL 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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CASE STUDY

HASAN KNOWS BEST As a 28-year veteran with Best Foods Co., Bahjat Hasan is driven by a passion for quality and diversification, and a pledge to produce only health foods going forward

A

s the market leader in the region, and believing it is his duty to drive innovation, the ceo of Best Food Company, Bahjat Hasan, has announced that “from now on the company will not launch anything that isn’t healthy”.

Nuts are notoriously high calorific foods, but Hasan believes he can drive the

“At the moment it’s just a concept… after all, nuts are nuts, so it’s about how you mix it. Nuts are high calorie products but they are healthy in some ways, like they are free of cholesterol. I won’t serve nuts deep fried in palm oil or with salt. I need a chef to develop the recipes. We can’t bring new nuts from the sky but instead

in the UAE. With a product line that extends to a variety of finest nuts and chocolates, with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities that spread over 128,600 sq. ft. and manpower resources comprising of over 600 skilled people.

Best Nuts is one of the flagship brands of Best Food and is a market leader in

“THE HEALTHY TREND IS GROWING DAY BY DAY AMONGST THE WESTERN MINDED CONSUMERS, AND WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO THEM AS THE CATEGORY LEADER”

growing trend for healthier snacks with innovative recipes and diligent sourcing.

Hasan said: “The healthy trend is growing day by day amongst the western minded consumers, and we have a responsibility to them as the category leader. You have to consider the research and development, ingredient sourcing, recipe design, develop packaging and brand recognition strategy. So it is very costly to innovate in this field but if we don’t do it nobody else will.”

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CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

of transforming them with additives and developing them healthily we can offer something different.

“We will brand them for specific health benefits, like skin beauty, brain refreshment, energy, etc. As an industry leader I have to bridge the gap between non healthy and healthy food that is my commitment to our consumers.”

Incepted in 1979 as a single nuts processing plant, Best Food has grown to become the market leader for branded nuts

the nuts category in the UAE, providing the world with a wide range of nuts that include peanuts, cashews, mix nuts, almonds, pistachios, special mixes, super nuts, imperial mix, macadamia and seeds.

Best Food caters to different consumer tastes and preferences through its two full-fledged divisions: Nuts Factory & Chocolate Factory. While these divisions contribute to the food industry in different ways, they are propelled by the same unflinching commitment to quality.

CASE STUDY

THIS STATE-OF-ART FACTORY, SITUATED ON A 250,000 SQ. FT. AREA IN DUBAI INVESTMENT PARK, HAS THE CAPACITY TO PRODUCE 2,000 TONNES PER MONTH

Best Food caters to different consumer tastes and preferences through its two manufacturing divisions; Nuts and Chocolate, with its traditional factory in Rashidiya for chocolate, and a state of the art factory in Dubai Investment Park, for nuts. The company operates eight sales divisions; FMCG Emirates, HoReCa, Target Markets, GCC, MENA, International, Saudi Arabia and Retail (Roastery’s).

While these divisions contribute to the food industry in different ways, they are propelled by the same drive to add value to consumers’ lives through innovations.

Best Food’s relentless pursuit of perfection is best reflected in the recognitions it

won and the acceptance it gained across the world. While its stringent quality control measures have earned Best Food prestigious quality certifications like ISO 9001: 2008 and HACCP, its secret recipes are increasingly being sought-after by more and more countries across the world. Today, Best Food’s product ranges are exported to countries across the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia and South Asia. The company will soon be entering new markets across Asia, Africa and Europe.

Quality of ingredients is of paramount importance to Best Food and the company handpicks each and every ingredient from reliable centres in Asia and North & South America. And diligently procured ingredients are carefully processed in state-of-the -art factories to ensure a high level of hygiene and natural goodness.

Traditionally nuts have been sourced from four key markets in China, India, USA and Argentina. Hasan added: “Today, China has little to export due to its population and India has trade restrictions.

America has become a net importer, so Ar-

gentina remains our biggest supplier. They produce vast amounts, but don’t know how to use the nuts.”

In terms of the global availability of nuts, Hasan said: “Cashew nuts are largely exported from India, although they are imported from Africa, cracked and sold on to the world. The pistachio comes 50% from Iran and 50% from California. Almonds are around 98% from California, with the rest of the world making up the remaining 2%. The hazelnut is 95% from Turkey, the Macadamia is from Australia, and the Brazilian nuts….well they have their name for a reason.”

He added: “I’m proud to say that I was APRIL 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

29

CASE STUDY

the first to bring the macadamia and Brazilian nuts to the UAE. You see, our industry has three lines – deep fried nuts, dry roasted, and coated with flavourings.

Deep fried nuts are good with beer and dry roasted with tea but nobody had an accompaniment for liquor.

“For spirits you need a high fat content, no less than 65% fat. So I developed the Super Mix, with macadamia and Brazil nuts, for the consumer that is willing to pay price for a quality product.”

Today, the company signs agreements with farmers for one to two years to watch the market changes as well as the seasonal changes, with specific quality concerns linked to the wet season, such as the levels of aflatoxin bacteria, which can cause cancer if it reaches a certain limit.

“We test extensively, taking 5kg for each sample, up to five times from a batch, to ensure a thorough test. According to

the prestigious Gulf Food Award in 2013.

Best Foods Co. has exhibited at Gulfood for the past eight years, but as a 28 year veteran with the company, Hasan has been visiting the exhibition for much longer, since the early 90s. “I remember when it started as a small fair and now it is the largest exhibition in the world.

“For us, Gulfood offers a great opportunity to meet with all of our suppliers at once, to discuss and exchange views, future predictions, trends, concepts, and ideas. We also meet existing and potentially new customers, and it’s a platform to market our products.”

Hasan already has plans for Gulfood 2016, and is looking forward excitedly to launching its expanded range with healthy nut products. The company is also developing a new brand of chocolate coated nuts, which are currently available only to the catering industry in kilo bags, to of-

“PRODUCT, SERVICE AND STRATEGY CAN EVOLVE OVERTIME, BUT THE ESSENCE OF BEST FOOD COMES FROM WHAT NEVER CHANGES: OUR BELIEFS” American standards the level of aflatoxin has to be below 5 particles per billion, but today Dubai is asking for zero particles per billion at the port of landing.

“We have found that if we import from China, Iran or elsewhere in Asia there can be problems, but not usually from America or Argentina,” added Hasan.

For the past three years Hasan and his team have been actively promoting their latest product, Tamrah, which is made from handpicked premium dates, stuffed with golden roasted almonds and wrapped in premium chocolate. “Tamrah blends the taste of tradition with the scope of innovation with amazing ease,” said Hasan. For this product innovation Tamrah received

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CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

fer a retail product with a possible launch at Gulfood in 2016. Best Foods currently sells 20% of its production into hospitality against 80% in retail, and Hasan predicts no change in those percentages going forward.

Owned 50% by Al Hathboor and 50% by Ul Masjid, the family firm is also developing a nut bar and has spoken with machine suppliers in Europe. “We are currently developing the knowhow with German, Dutch and Italian partners. But for sure this will be a healthy snack.”

He added: “Personally, a passion for quality is a major issue for my driven commitment, as is development and diversification.

Being the industry leader also spurs me along to develop and grow.

“Product, service and strategy can evolve overtime, but the essence of Best Food comes from what never changes: our beliefs.

They shape the culture and define our character. They express the expectations we have of each other and ourselves. Our philosophy is to make our customer feel it is pleasure to deal with us. After all, we’re Best and being just better isn’t good enough.” said Hasan.

Proud distributors of Julius Meinl APRIL 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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VIEWPOINT

D

ubai is in a very different place than it was five years ago,

not just in the number of people that call the city their home and the many buildings and businesses that have sprung up

in recent years, but also very notably in the culinary scene. In the last few years we have witnessed a phenomenal transformation of the res-

taurant business in town and I believe this is the perfect time for local entrepreneurs to contribute to the success of home-grown restaurant concepts in the region.

Dubai has been incredibly successful in attracting visitors from

around the globe to the Emirates for many reasons. We have firmly made our mark on the international shopping scene with the city not just being the shopping hub of the Middle East, but having become one of the world’s most coveted shopping destinations. The UAE’s un-

rivalled calendar of international events has, and continues to, attract the world’s greatest stars in music, business, sports, film and entertain-

ment with the country now being widely recognised as an international events hub, which will culminate in Dubai hosting its biggest event yet, Expo2020. In addition, Dubai has overtaken New York as the city with

the largest number of five-star hotels in the world and our airport is now the busiest globally.

So what’s next? My wish is for Dubai to build a reputation for

being one of the world’s “culinary cities”, known for its unique, innovative, quality and home-grown restaurants and not just its abil-

ity to attract the world’s largest number of international, franchised restaurant concepts.

I believe that as a city, we are now in a similar situation as for ex-

ample London and Los Angeles. We have access to tremendous local talent and are able to get virtually anything we need from anywhere in

the world. This is why we see a general increase in food and service quality everywhere you go in Dubai and I believe this makes for the

perfect time to start a home-grown restaurant business and to show the world what we can offer even the most discerning diners.

The multiculturalism of the UAE naturally lends itself to making the

Emirates a melting pot of nationalities and cultures. Combined with the rich heritage and culture of the region, known globally for its warm

hospitality, we have the opportunity to offer residents, and visitors alike, a truly unique and highly diverse selection of dining options that promotes Dubai as a multicultural and culinary hub.

But how do we get there? There are plenty of great examples of suc-

cessful, locally created restaurant concepts that have already proven that this can be done, but I believe we need a surge in local entrepre-

neurship in the food and beverage sector. We need more companies like us at Silver Spoon, to invest in the development of local food & beverage concepts as well as local entrepreneurs that can support the food industry across its supply and value chain. This includes fostering

CULINARY ASPIRATIONS

local vegetable growers, encouraging local F&B design, equipment and

furniture suppliers to enter the market, and nurturing local talent to take up jobs and start businesses in the restaurant sector in the UAE, making the industry a desirable career choice for Emiratis.

We have most of what’s needed to make this happen, right here on

our doorstep, and yet we still have an 80/20 (80% franchise and 20%

home grown) split of restaurants in the major malls in Dubai. I would

like to see local concepts reverse this trend, close this gap and become rivals for international restaurant franchises. Many of Dubai’s homegrown hospitality and tourism businesses have become powerful global brands over the last decade, including Emirates Airline, Emaar and Ju-

meirah, and my biggest wish would be for one of our local restaurant companies to be next. There’s no better time than now!

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CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

Salem bin Dasmal, founder Silver Spoon Investments, tells Catering News ME that the UAE must shift its dependence away from franchised restaurants to encourage home-grown enterprises to flourish

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INTERVIEW

A TALE OF DEDICATION AND INNOVATION

As the first Indian chef to receive a Michelin star for his native cuisine Atul Kochhar was in Dubai last month, promoting his upmarket contemporary Indian food and talking to Catering News ME about his inspiration, innovation and aspirations for the future

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CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

INTERVIEW

Today Indian food is earning its rightful place in gastronomical circles, alongside the traditional upmarket French, Italian and Asian restaurants, with internationally recognised celebrity chefs coming to the Middle East to share their dishes.

Joining the likes of Rajesh Bharadwaj’s Michelin-starred Junoon restaurant concept in the Shangri-La Hotel, and Michelinstarred Chef Vineet Bhatia’s restaurant at Grosvenor House, the UK’s twice Michelin starred celebrity Chef Atul Kochhar first brought his culinary talents to Zafran in Dubai’s Mirdiff City Centre in 2010, and most recently to Rang Mahal in the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel.

Furthermore, the talent of Atul Kochhar is so unique that it has changed the way people perceive and experience Indian cui-

Can you tell me a little about yourself in terms of where you were born, your family, you upbringing and your first experiences in cuisine?

My family is from Punjab, Northern India, and I was born in Jamshedpur, East India where I grew up with three siblings – two sisters and a brother. I grew up in a foodie family.

My grandad was a baker and my dad had a catering business.

My parents were both great cooks and then my sisters took over after them – who are amazing cooks as well. So, when it was my turn to show them my skills my father’s teachings came handy.

I was always clinging to my dad when he was shopping for his business and also the times he was cooking. So, some of the flavours and spices he used to create with, I always craved,

“ACHIEVING A MICHELIN STAR FOR INDIAN CUISINE HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY CARRIER. I HAVE NEVER FELT SO FULFILLED AS I DID THEN”

sine. Taking inspiration from his native India, while continuously researching regional dishes, Atul has managed to combine his heritage with his love of British ingredients to create a unique and innovative modern Indian cuisine.

Kochhar was in Dubai last month, visiting his latest venture, which he describes as fun-dining rather fine-dining, as one of the first Indian restaurants in Dubai with a lounge area.

In fact the Rang Mahal, which translates to Palace of Colour, is a feast for all your senses.

It serves up, not only delicious cuisine, but also an array of tempting Indian-inspired cocktails and mocktails at its stylish lounge area.

Catering News ME dropped in to Rang Mahal for a chat with Chef Kochhar.

and I have tried to re-create them. He was a great hand when it came to making Indian breads and that’s what I also inherited.

Different types of Indian breads.

Where you interested in cooking from a very early age? Who nurtured or inspired your passion?

I was into cooking from the age of 12, inspired by my father.

I loved his cooking style and his understanding of spices and ingredients.

Was your style of cooking in response to your upbringing?

Yes it is. The flavours and food you are introduced to as a child – you remember them in your adulthood. I had an abundance of flavours thrown my way – and I guess, I absorbed them well.

APRIL 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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INTERVIEW

“THE FLAVOURS AND FOOD YOU ARE INTRODUCED AS A CHILD – YOU REMEMBER THEM IN YOUR ADULTHOOD. I HAD AN ABUNDANCE OF FLAVOURS THROWN MY WAY – AND I GUESS, I ABSORBED THEM WELL” What would you say makes your cooking unique?

I wouldn’t know if I have a unique cooking style but one thing I surely know is that I love my ingredients. I like to bridge the cultures through my food and have done that for many years in India and in the UK and now here in Dubai.

How did your career begin?

I went to IHM Chennai – one of the elite collages for Hotel Management in India. I had a great time in South India. Adjusting to the Tamil accent was often fun. They have a peculiar way of speaking English and I pretty much got the mastery of that.

Tell us about that first Michelin star…

Achieving a Michelin star for Indian cuisine has been the highlight of my career.

I have never felt so much fulfilled as I did then. It was an amazing feeling.

What skills are needed to receive the Michelin Star?

Dedication and innovation is what you need to get stars.

How did you achieve your second star and what did that mean to you?

I achieved another star for my second restaurant Benares. It felt so good because it was my own restaurant. I cherish this star as the most precious thing.

With several international restaurants, does your food change by location?

The food needs to be adjusted for every location as the ingredients change and so does the eating habits.

What are the current trends in catering, in each of the markets you work in?

Vegetarianism is on the rise and it’s consistent in each market and that’s where I am heading to as well.

Do you have any industry bug-bears?

People with bad time keeping – suppliers, staff and peers – I hate it.

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CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

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INTERVIEW

Are there any unique challenges of cooking here in the UAE? The UAE is unique in every sense. Ingredients can be challenging sometimes but the quality you get here is second to none. I love working in the UAE. Do you incorporate any Emirati cooking styles or ingredients?

My cooking has always been close to Emirati cooking as this region has shared food and culture with India for centuries. We are quite comfortable with each other’s food and ethos.

So, yes – Emirati cuisine has been an influence on my food in the UAE. What is your proudest moment to date?

Getting a Michelin Star and being father of two lovely children.

What is your next career/life challenge and how are you working towards it?

The work/life balance is something I am always trying to juggle. I want to spend more time with my family, but the opportunities and expansion is putting a lot of pressure on any personal life.

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CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

ATUL WAS BORN IN JAMSHEDPUR IN INDIA AND BEGAN HIS COOKING CAREER AT THE OBEROI GROUP OF HOTELS IN INDIA (1989-1994) WHERE HE GAINED A DIPLOMA IN HOTEL MANAGEMENT. IN 1993 ATUL GRADUATED TO THE FIVE STAR DELUXE OBEROI HOTEL IN NEW DELHI, WHERE HE WORKED AS A SOUS CHEF IN ONE OF THE FIVE RESTAURANTS IN THE HOTEL SUPERVISING A STAFF OF 18 AND IMMEDIATELY RAISING THE STANDARDS IN THE KITCHEN. IN 1994 ATUL MOVED TO THE FINE DINING RESTAURANT OF RENOWNED CHEF BERNARD KUNIG, AND IN JANUARY 2001 AT THE AGE OF 31, ATUL WAS THE FIRST INDIAN CHEF TO BE AWARDED A MICHELIN STAR. THE FOLLOWING YEAR ATUL EXTENDED HIS PROFILE AND EXPERIENCE, JOINING MARKS AND SPENCER’S AS A CONSULTANT CHEF ADVISING ON THEIR INDIAN FOOD RANGE. FOR HIS INNOVATION ATUL RECEIVIED AN HONORARY DOCTORATE DEGREE FROM UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON, RECOGNISING THE WORK THAT HE HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE CULINARY INDUSTRY. HE HAS ALSO RECEIVED THE OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE CURRY INDUSTRY AWARD AT THE 2005 BRITISH CURRY AWARDS AND THE TMG CORDON BLEU AWARD IN 2010.

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FOOD FOCUS

THE SUPERFOOD SENSATION

Good food is great, but Superfood is best. Jay Williams, executive sous chef, Westin Dubai explains why we should ditch food fads and fast food in favour of the mean green Superfoods

S

uperfoods are a special category of natural foods that are calorie sparse and nutrient dense meaning they pack a lot of punch for their weight as far as goodness goes. They are superior sources of anti-oxidants and essential nutrients – nutrients we need but cannot make ourselves.

We should be all adding more salads and vegetables to our diets, but with concern over the quality of foods grown on mineral depleted soils, or even sands here in the Middle East, superfoods make an intelligent choice.

Green superfoods like broccoli, spinach and kale, have the highest concentrations of easily digestible nutrients, fat burning compounds, vitamins and minerals to protect and heal the body. They contain a wide array of beneficial substances including proteins, protective photo-chemicals and healthy bacteria helping you to build cleaner muscles and tissues, aid your digestive system function and more effectively protect you against disease and illness.

Fruit and nut superfoods are high in antioxidants that fight free radicals in the body, which build up as a result of pollution, cigarette smoke, radiation, burnt foods, deep fried fats and cooked foods.

Top of the food chain are seaweeds, which are the most nutritionally dense plants on the planet as they have access 40

CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

to all the nutrients in the ocean. They can contain up to 10 times more calcium than milk and eight times as much as beef, and with a chemical composition close to human blood plasma, they are great at regulating and purifying our blood system.

Herbs, on the other hand, are essentially body balancers that work with the body to heal and regulate itself. Herbs have been used for centuries as part of the wisdoms of natural healing methods as they offer the body a whole host of nutrients not received, either because of poor diet or environmental deficiencies in the soil or air.

Then there are organic superfoods like wild salmon and turkey, and animal-derivatives like bee honey, which was first recorded as a superfood by the Egyptians in 5500 B.C., and even the Babylonians have been noted to use it in their medicinal practices.

There is a lot of information out there that can make eating well seem complicated, hard, and unappealing but eating well is at the core of the Westin Well-being Movement.

The Westin hotel takes great pride in providing healthy food and beverage options to guests and by providing the tools to make it easy and delicious, wherever you are in the world.

To help lead the way, Westin teamed up with Ashley Koff R.D., a self-described Qualitarian – someone who recognises that better quality choices are a key to better health. Ashley helped the hotel chain learn how to eat well by navigating the choices it offers in its hotels and by teaching what better nutrition is and isn't.

Key to the Westin’s SuperFoodsRx philosophy is “food synergy”, which means that foods paired together are even more nutritious than when they are eaten separately. Examples include spinach & tomatoes, cinnamon & whole grains like oats, or honey & yogurt, etc.

Created together with doctors and nutritionists, the SuperFoodsRx menu cultivates “food synergy”, to give you the focused energy you need to meet the challenges of your day.

The superfood revolution began at Westin in 2006, with the introduction of superfoods on the menu at 20 hotels. Then, with tests beginning in 2007, the SuperFoods Breakfast was launched as a global brand in 2008. A year later SuperFoods dishes for meeting were introduced.

Jay Williams, executive sous chef, Westin Dubai, said: “Superfoods are not restrictive and or a diet and they fit strategically with the Westin brand’s wellness positioning and our commitment to creating healthful habits that will stay long after a guest’s stay with us.”

“This offering also differentiates Westin from its competition, offering a more unique and memorable experience,” added Williams.

Superfoods are part of the brand initiative put through from the US, along with a core list of 20 basic superfoods that must be used daily – with additional products added in seasonality.

Williams said: “In the beginning it was a real headache to get it done, but now it is second nature. When we design menus superfoods become the first thing we put in and the guest feedback has been amazing.

FOOD FOCUS

“Our guest satisfaction index shows that people are now looking for superfoods in the market and we get a lot of repeat guests because of our programmes.”

The Westin Dubai now offers a live juice station for breakfast, where guests can design their own juices from 35 different fruits and vegetables, as well as a healthy corner for lunch and dinner. The concept of the healthy lunch corner is to offer business and meeting groups a healthier alternative to the traditional buffet fare.

Williams explained: “In a meeting the last thing you want is a burger and chips and to fall asleep in the afternoon. So we offer light lunch options were it steamed or low in fat, and those high in antioxidants actually aid concentration in the afternoon.

“It is undoubtedly expensive, because you need good products to start or you end up with substandard juice so we source either organic or imported items as there is a world of difference between an organic carrot from Australia and one grown in the sand in Oman,” said Williams.

He added: “We don’t necessarily charge our customers the true cost – we try to incorporate the extra cost rather than passing it on. If I’m smart with my food costs then I can balance it out. After all, from a breakfast offering of 100+ dishes only 5-8% will be superfoods – so it’s not a massive impact on cost.

“The main problem is the lack of any real consistency – you just have to buy what’s available at the time. I was buying from Abu Dhabi Organics six months ago, and they were very good quality, but you can’t plan because you don’t know what you will get from week to week – aside from the basics like spinach, cucumbers and carrots.”

In the Middle East there are only around a dozen superfoods grown, including dates, so suppliers rely mostly on Europe and

Australia. “Superfoods are still a niche market here with a limited understanding. But some guests do seek out healthier options, and we probably have a higher percentage of informed guests coming here because we have a history of offering superfoods.

“What’s more, our chefs are exposed daily and well trained and we see a lot more talk and interest on industry related blogs today.”

Modern cooking techniques have helped drive the take up of superfoods as they have opened up the preparation and presentation possibilities. For instance, said Williams: “If you want chicken but not fried or boiled you can sous-vide it – this slow cooking in bags allows us to incorporate great flavour without adding fat, which gives us a great end product.”

Goji berries, chia seeds, quinoa and flax seeds are the most popular superfoods at the moment as they can be used in various dishes and add flavour and texture. "However, this is an ever changing market and in a few weeks if could be a different set of Superfood,” according to Williams.

Having mastered superfoods in its breakfast offering and its meetings and conference catering, the Westin in Dubai is now exploring a roll out to its in-room dining menus, as well as its pool and beach food. “It is kind of tricky for us to roll out superfoods in our signature restaurants because you don’t want to mess with the concept too much,” said Williams.

In close cooperation with its local farm suppliers and the Ripe market, the Westin Dubai hopes to launch an organic market shortly. Williams added: “The current Ripe market at the weekend is almost too popular, which puts a lot of people off. So we thought that if we could offer a market, on a Wednesday evening, with valet parking and dinner at the same time then it would fit the Dubai life style.”

APPLES: a powerful source of antioxidants, and vitamin C. AVOCADO: a great source of fibre and folate, potassium, vitamin E, and magnesium content.

BEANS: a great source of protein, fibre, B vitamins, iron, folate, potassium, and magnesium.

BLUEBERRIES: incredibly high levels of antioxidant phytonutrients BROCCOLI: one of the most nutrientdense foods known.

CINNAMON: one of the oldest known spices, long used in traditional medicine.

DARK CHOCOLATE: loaded with polyphenols and low in caffeine.

DRIED SUPER FRUITS: a terrific source of health-promoting nutrients.

GARLIC: of the nearly one hundred nutrients in garlic, it is packed with allicin.

HONEY: a powerful source of natural antioxidants.

KIWI: a potent mix of nutrients.

LOW-FAT YOGURT: a great source of calcium and protein.

OATS: low in calories, a good source of fibre and protein.

ONIONS: a major source of two phytonutrients.

ORANGES: loaded with vitamin C. POMEGRANATES: a great source of potassium, vitamin C, polyphenols and vitamin B6.

PUMPKIN: one of the most nutritionally valuable foods known that’s a good source of fibre and low in calories.

SOY: filled with vitamins and minerals, a great source of plant protein and lots of soluble fibre.

SPINACH: packed with nutrients.

TEA: tastes good, has no calories, and is associated with relaxation and pleasure.

TOMATOES: carries huge nutritional punch.

TURKEY: one of the leanest meat protein sources.

WALNUTS: a great source of antioxidants.

WILD SALMON: one of the best sources of omega-3.

APRIL 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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DÉCOR

A Taste of the Orient Diners at Inakaya absorb the traditional while being entertained by the theatrical

I

nkaya is a robata grill restaurant offering epicureans traditional Japanese Robata-yaki cuisine, fresh ingredients and live theatre courtesy of the grill masters. These traditionally skilled masters are trained in ancient techniques as they engulf their creations in flames, before serving diners remotely with long wooden

food from the grill passed to them on long wooden paddles, or they can sit at a table in the restaurant, the glass outdoor patio area or the outdoor seating. Using very high quality products and delivering excellent service, Julide describes the restaurant as high end casual and “very approachable for every-one”.

who know Inakaya from Japan recognise the brand as soon as they walk in.”

In Abu Dhabi, Inakaya is designed with a lot of natural wood which gives it a traditional feel with a modern twist. Japanese architecture makes use of sliding doors (fusuma) in place of walls, to separate off private dining rooms. Julide said: “Inakaya

“THE JOB WAS FOH DRIVEN AND IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT THAT EVERY ASPECT OF THE KITCHEN WAS THOROUGHLY ADDRESSED, NOT ONLY OPERATIONALLY BUT ALSO AESTHETICALLY” paddles. The restaurant first opened in Roppongi, Tokyo in 1970 and has since expanded into Manhattan, New York City, Hong Kong, and now Abu Dhabi.

Situated in the Venetian Village as part of the Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal development, this free standing, independent restaurant opened its doors to food aficionados in November last year.

Catering News ME sat down with the F&B manager of Abu Dhabi National Hotels, Julide Ozbilge Nuss, and the kitchen supplier, Taher Chataiwala, projects manager at Chefs First Equipment Trading, to discuss the restaurants concept and décor.

Inakaya is a larger than life restaurant which uses robata grilling techniques – a grilling art that is as much a performance as it is a way of cooking. Guests can choose to sit at the counter grill and be entertained by the grill masters, with 42

CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

Inakaya’s USP is most definitely the interactive experience, but there is also a sanbonjime ceremony once every evening, which is a clapping ceremony to wish the guests good health and good luck. In addition there is a mocha pounding ceremony, which is a sweet rice cake preparation, started by the chef, but finished by the guests!

Julide said: “Guests love the concept and find it unique. Even though the UAE is not new to Japanese restaurants, most concepts are modern Japanese and not traditional like ours. We stay true to the traditional cooking techniques and the robatayaki grill is not widely known in this region yet.

“Guests love the interaction and most chose to sit at the counter and participate in the theatrical dining. Also the Japanese community has shown appreciation towards Inakaya and we have a loyal following who appreciate the design and guests

is a traditional Japanese Robatayaki restaurant and we wanted to stay true to the traditional Japanese architecture, which has been identified by wooden structures.”

Since Inakaya is an existing brand, with restaurants in Japan, Hong Kong and New York, the concept came alive through close cooperation between the brand ambassadors, the WDI company, and the designer, Stickman Tribe in Dubai. With offices in Honk Kong the designer, which has won several awards for restaurant design, was familiar with the Inakaya concept.

Julide added: “It was important to have a design that truly felt traditional Japanese, and of course the important DNA pieces had to be transferred, such as a large Robata Grill Counter with a display counter, wooden paddles, and hand-written paper menus on the back walls.

“Stickman came highly recommended

DÉCOR

to us and was pre-qualified by our company, ADNH. We had a great relationship, as there was a clear understanding from all parties involved, and Stickman was well aware of the restaurant and the brand and understood the need from us from an operational perspective. They were excellent in translating all of this into the creative interior design,” said Julide.

She added: “Creating a restaurant like this requires all the professionals and experienced people coming together. We had Stickman as a designer, Chefs First as the kitchen contractor and Walktru as the contractor.”

To create the perfect Japanese experience the team had to import several key items, including the special Japanese Taiko Grills from New York, and some op-

erational equipment like the rice cookers.

“We needed to purchase a very specific Japanese rice cooker, in order to ensure we had the best sushi and maki. We were able to source this rice cooker, but then needed to find the transformer to make it work here in Abu Dhabi. It sounds simple, but it was more complicated that I had imagined,” said Julide.

Taher Chataiwala, projects manager at Chefs First Equipment Trading, added: “It all seemed to be pretty simple at the offset, like it always does, especially when we considered the small size of the outlet, yet it kept getting tougher as we moved along.

But every obstacle encountered only made the team more passionate about getting over the line and delivering a restaurant, beyond imagination. From conceptualisation to delivery, the entire process took almost two years to complete.

“There were several key challenges involved in the job, from both the construction and operations point of view. Since the space was not architecturally designed to be a restaurant, there were several challenges related to MEP, the ventilation being the biggest of the lot. The restaurant has hotel rooms above and around it so it was vital to make sure that no odours escaped the restaurant.

“Also, the back of house of the restaurant is extremely small and simple because most of the preparation is being done at a remote central kitchen located

within the Venetian Village. Space planning within the back of house as always was of prime importance. It was important to strike the right balance between being equipped enough within the BOH to support the FOH cooking, to provide for certain items to be finished and served out from the BOH kitchen, including sushi, to maintain a clear route for dirties and cleans to be in line with the HACCP regulations, and to not make it too claustrophobic for the chefs.”

Chef Kim from Inakaya Abu Dhabi and various other team members of Inakaya New York were heavily involved in getting the flow and design right, to help them perform and deliver to the standards set

by Inakaya across the world.

Most of the refrigeration was custom built to suit size limitations, including the wall mounted fridges and sushi display case within the BOH kitchen, and the specially designed cooled worktop for the preparation of sushi, which Taher said was “a revelation”.

To add to the existing space challenges, was the request of the client to integrate a Meiko Wastestar garbage disposal infeed station to the dish-wash dump table. With the assistance of Meiko and an outstanding custom fabrication job by RHINE Kitchen Equipment, once completed, the dump station ended up being a benchmark for all Meiko Wastestar installations to follow.

Taher added: “The FOH designer, StickAPRIL 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

43

DÉCOR

man, were of great help throughout the “In usual scenarios, the water wash Stickman, while the stainless steel ceiling process. The job was FOH driven and it hoods are quite high and hence using a tiles and the drop down supply air plenum was very important that every aspect of the standard solution would take away the at the back looked in place together with kitchen was thoroughly addressed, not only charm of the FOH experience, especially the black bevel tiles on the back elevation.” operationally but also aesthetically. We had with the guest sitting up so close to the The design of the counter was also to make sure as a team that the end product counter. Together with Halton we decritical to the success of the restaurant, works for the chef, but also looks extremely signed a combination of an extract hood and there were several design workshops pretty, fits within the overall concept and and a ventilated ceiling, which not only and site mock-ups done to ensure it was most importantly is within the guidelines catered to the purpose of having a cold done right. “We ended up with a counter as stipulated incorporating evby ADFCA and “THE JOB WAS FOH DRIVEN AND IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT THAT EVerything the chef HACCP for ERY ASPECT OF THE KITCHEN WAS THOROUGHLY ADDRESSED, NOT needed, including FOH kitchen ONLY OPERATIONALLY BUT ALSO AESTHETICALLY” his cutting boards, spaces.” hand wash basins, The most important feature within the water mist feature, but also provided a preparation sinks, paddle storage, skewer FOH space was the ventilation system bevery high ceiling void above the chef. fixations, etc.,” said Taher. cause of all the grilling, which is the signature “To make sure that the smoke from the He added: “The counter also features feature of the restaurant. Due to the nature grills does not escape into the restaurant, refrigerated display wells towards the cusof the cooking, the ventilation system had to Halton designed dedicated air curtains that tomer to enable him to sit at the counter have a Cold Water Mist System, which has were installed within the FOH counter, beand point out at his selections from giant ice continuous water being sprayed within the hind each grill, backed by capture jet perfodisplays piled high with whole fish, lobster, extract plenum to capture the smoke and rations, within the extract plenum, to guarcrab, veggies and more. Then, sit back and grease being extracted and drain this through antee the most efficient extraction solution. watch the chef slice, dice, flip and screech a pipe, which was installed in a way that the “The extract plenum was brilliantly clad out orders from behind the open grill. It’s guest would never know it existed. on the front, as was co-ordinated with a hectic experience, but always engaging.”

Luxury Gourmet Olives from around the world

Telephone: +971 56 4806518 Email: ross@tgom.me Website: www.tgom.me thegourmetolivemarket.me

#thegourmetolivemarket

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CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

APRIL 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

45

F&B INTERVIEW

FOLLOW MY LEAD Chef Marco Torasso, Complex Culinary Director, Grosvenor House Dubai and Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa believes he is a trendsetter rather than just a follower, as he told Catering News ME the UK and the Middle East, my cooking style

scene, along with the Dubai one that is currently

their seasonality. At the moment I’m really en-

I ensure that I keep close to my colleagues and

with a lot of attention on the ingredients and joying using white truffles from Alba to cook risotto with porcini mushrooms and Gragnano spaghetti in a light carbonara sauce, with a generous shaving of truffle.

What would you describe as your riskiest menu decision?

Y

CHEF MARCO TORASSO

ou have 20+ years’ experience in top-class hotels; how does the Gros-

venor House Dubai and Le Royal

Meridien compare?

What differentiates Grosvenor House and Le

Royal Meridien from other hotels is that the

operations are very customer focused. We take pride in listening to customer feedback and also in quickly turn-

ing around new food concepts, ac-

cording to market

needs. The team

There are a few examples that I can use that

moving much faster than the rest of the world. costumers that are well travelled to understand

their specific needs, and I am always on the look out to see what can be improved or rejuvenated.

At the moment, as a team, we are working

closely to implement a new line of sustainable and healthy ingredients to be an integral part of all our menus.

fortunately have paid back, such as creating the

How do you ensure that the quality of food

more orientated to lounge diners rather than res-

28 bars and restaurants?

Siddhartha menu with a very streamlined focus, taurant diners. The structure and the Mediterra-

nean/ Asian dishes proposed had a huge impact on our F&B operation and have been used by other competitor restaurants as benchmarks.

In addition to this, changing the food concept

from classic to Provençale over at Kitchen 45

has also been a very successful move. It’s helped

whilst managing 400 members of staff across

As a hands-on chef, I’m very much into the day-to-day operations and I like to be involved

in every aspect of the kitchen, from choosing the suppliers and receiving produce as well as actual service. I’m also lucky enough to have

a very strong and skilled executive culinary

team that supervises on my behalf all the

"AT THE MOMENT, AS A TEAM, WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY TO IMPLEMENT A NEW LINE OF SUSTAINABLE AND HEALTHY INGREDIENTS TO BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF ALL OUR MENUS"

never rests on their laurels and constantly continues to evolve, while staying humble.

How have you made your mark on the hotel’s

W1 alongside celebrity chef Gary Rhodes OBE.

In my role I’m directly involved in creating the

proach, catering for young trendy groups of peo-

this has been very well received by the costumers

and has completely changed the demographic mix and average check of the outlet.

restaurants’ concepts, kitchen layout, supplier

How do you keep the menus fresh and in line

input, along with that of the management team,

I believe healthy competition is a key factor that

implementation, menu engineering, etc., so my is reflected in every aspect of the culinary offer-

ing. Looking at the customer loyalty, comments and restaurant awards, I can say that as a team, we are doing a good job.

What is your signature dish and why?

Being Italian and having worked in France, Spain, CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

on what matters.

I believe our unique offering stems from a syn-

We recently opened the pool bar Le Deck with

ple, with a free-flow sharing food concept. So far

Grosvenor House we’ve recently opened Rhodes

taking

the right decisions

and revenue.

new restaurants in Le Royal Meridien Beach Re-

sort and Spa: Geales, Zengo and Le Deck and at

production,

What is unique about the F&B experience at

ticeable increase of the diners, repeating guests

the different concept, using a livelier and fun ap-

This year we’ve focused on opening three brand-

aspects of the food

to give the restaurant its own identity with a no-

F&B offering?

46

I’m very focused on the worldwide culinary

is very much influenced by the Mediterranean,

with new trends?

really inspires me every day. I grew up with a

strong competitive mentality and I believe that

Grosvenor & Le Meridien?

ergy between the restaurants and our partners, such as our fantastic team of celebrity chefs including Gary Rhodes OBE, Richard Sando-

val, Vineet Bathia, Akmal Anuar and different brands, such as Geales, Buddha-Bar and Em-

bassy Dubai. These partnerships have enabled us to roll out world-class international branded

concepts that have set the benchmark within

the industry that we operate. We all work hard

to achieve the common goals of keeping a very strong identity in terms of food offering, restaurant design and guest experience.

second place is the first of the losers – that’s why

Can you tell us about any new projects in the

Here at Grosvenor House and Le Royal Meriden,

We have a whole host of exciting projects in the

my target is to always stay on top of the market.

this mentality is a way of life that helps us to be a trendsetter rather than a follower.

pipeline for 2015?

pipeline for 2015. To start with, our all day dining

offering in Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort and

F&B INTERVIEW

Spa will undergo a major refurbishment. The key

points will be the implementation of ethnic live stations, to create more theatre and interaction between chefs and customers, giving them the

freedom to create their own dining experience with a number of a last minute preparations.

Grosvenor offers traditional British food, In-

dian cuisine, Mediterranean and Turkish, so what’s next and why?

I strongly believe that modern Arabic, along with

GEALES RESTAURANT

Italian cuisine, could be a very good addition to

our already extensive culinary portfolio, to be

able to meet our guests’ expectations and create a concept that is trendy and sustainable, and one

that will stand the test of time, in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

What are the latest trends in F&B?

Lately we have been through a wide variety of different trends and cooking style that go out of fashion as quickly as they arrive. From what I can see, especially in the UAE, is that custom-

ers are much more food educated and far more

HOTELS

savvy these days. There is an increasing focus on health, and the food that is good and bad for you.

Customers are also much more conscious of

environmental issues and also value for mon-

why this is the case - good food and attentive ser-

vice in a lively setting will be always the winning formula for me.

ey; a dining experience on its own is no longer

What is on your agenda for 2015?

trend at the moment is the casual dining experi-

our new contemporary Asian restaurant and

enough. Saying that, I believe that the strongest ence; the focus is on food to share, along with a

trendy lounge environment, bar, and DJ on hand

to create the right atmosphere. I can understand

RESTAURANTS

CAFES

Contract Furniture Manufacturer

FOOD COURTS

2015 will be the year to consolidate Zengo. As lounge at Le Royal Meridien it continues to grow and becomes a culinary hub in the heart of the bustling Dubai Marina.

FAST FOOD OUTLETS

INSIDE AND OUTSIDE WE HAVE YOU COVERED

Intermetal Ltd. Dubai, UAE +971 4 884 1650 sales@intermetal.com www.intermetal.com

APRIL 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

47

SUPPLIER FOCUS

HORECA CASTS OUT ITS WEB Having served the UAE hotel, restaurant and café trade for over a decade HORECA Trade has embarked on the digital path with the launch of its online ordering and delivery platform, shop.horecatrade.com, as Catering News ME discovered

SALMAN SAEED HORECA TRADE ICT MANAGER

H

ORECA Trade has a mission to change the mind-set of its customers, in a bid to draw them into the digital world through its newly launched food and beverage online ordering portal.

Established in 2003, HORECA Trade, a Bidvest Group company dedicated

The company began exploring the idea of online ordering in May 2012, and spent two years concentrating on the feasibility studies, before signing an agreement with solution providers in July 2014. From July last year until February the designers have been busy working on the front end portal, so the website could go live during Gulfood.

Hot on the heels of its internet portal an iPhone app is scheduled to launch first with an Android app following shortly after, each designed to draw its 1,500 active customers away from the tradition system of placing orders over the phone, by email or by fax.

Salman Saeed, HORECA Trade ICT manager, said: “We want our customers to reach us 24/7 without any obstacles or hindrance in the way. Online there is no waiting for engaged phone calls or faxes as there is no human intervention.

When customers place an order online it goes directly to our ERP system, where our back office support receives the email and processes the order.”

He added: “Before embarking on this change we needed to assess whether our customers were ready to accept

to switch to our system, because most have their own online ordering systems, which automatically generate LPOs [local purchase order].

“So it would be difficult for them to switch. But we hope to convert all of our customers in standalone outlets – restaurants, cafes, three star hotels, and the rest of the food service market.

“To this end, we are putting an aggressive plan in action to ensure all our potential customers are visited and have the system explained to them, and we also have an incentive programme in place. We believe that all of our customers would be happier online if they could be convinced to change.

Once used to it it’s easier, faster and more efficient.”

To gauge the reception of its online ordering system the company initially ran a small pilot programme, with five existing customers, assessing their recommendations, and were feasible, implementing changes. They also did a survey with the sales and telesales team, who interact with the customers daily and so know their needs, to help build the necessary functionality.

“WE BELIEVE THAT ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS WOULD BE HAPPIER ONLINE IF THEY COULD BE CONVINCED TO CHANGE. ONCE USED TO IT IT’S EASIER, FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENT” to the professionals of the foodservice channel, offers front and back of house food, beverage and non-food products.

By focusing on foodservice, HORECA Trade plays a prominent role in the continuous development of the market and is setting the trend with its unique HORECA Trade Smart Store, which was launched at Gulfood, after over two years of intensive development.

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CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

this online ordering concept. Then we looked at the competition and found only one or two with online ordering, but none worked as per expectations.

“We believed we could become market leaders if we delivered it right, and it is also a great USP for us as a company.”

Soula Baroudi, HORECA marketing and supplier relations manager, added: “We don’t expect the five star hotels

Saeed said: “In order to catch more customers going forward we intend to run first order promotions for gift vouchers or associated products. We realise that we must put some kind of benefit in place to persuade customers away from their manual mind-set. They are too used to the existing process and resist change. Cultural change is by far the biggest challenge.

SUPPLIER FOCUS

“We have also incentivised the telesales team, so that if they convert five customers to online in a month they too get a reward.”

The website, http://shop.horecatrade. com, is hosted on Amazon Cloud in the US, so even if the server here in the UAE goes down the site will remain live. Being hosted in the US, with its T1 bandwidth broadband, also improves the speed of connection, performance and reliability even if you are accessing the site from a low bandwidth area.

HORECA Trade chose to partner with XM Developments, and to deploy its XM Symphony software, which is integrated out of the box with the SAGE ERP accounting system. This cloud-based software, popular with many international online retailers, gives the user the option to change the price of an item, or have customer special prices, reflected instantly on the frontend site.

Running seamlessly the software automatically updates stock levels, availability, shipping costs and availability, does credit checks and authorisations and inserts the order into a company’s ERP system. It will then send warehouse dispatch orders and traffic notifications to the customer.

The website is also Google optimised and the software is linked to Google Analytics – so HORECA can monitor who is visiting its site and their activity.

“XM Developments modified the software to our website needs in terms of our functionality requirements, and integrated it in terms of parametrising it,” said Saeed.

He added: “There are many functions we have not activated yet. So far we have implemented order placing, tracking, product lists and prices and promotions. We also have the facility to see all past orders through any means – either calls, fax or online, just like an online banking transaction report.

“But, we were conscious to not make the site too complicated for our customers. We will take them step-by-step, slowly adding features over time.

“In the future we will add more features like cross promotion and cross selling, related purchasing, credit card processing for online payments, instant chat messenger, and even premium delivery is a consideration for the future.

“We also want to add our customer loyalty programme to make points vis-

ible online and instantly redeemable, instead of being done through our marketing team. Ultimately, in the longer term the plan is that our telesales team will be able to focus more on outbound calls, doing up sales, rather than punching orders.”

Over the next two months HORECA Trade expects to go from 10 to 50 customers converted to its online system, and looking forward it hopes to role the programme out across the whole of the GCC, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman, with support from its parent company Bidvest, and ultimately it hopes to add B2C functionality, selling and delivering produce directly to consumers.

Certified to HACCP, OHSAS 1800, ISO 9001 and CSR label, the company employs 150 foodservice professionals and offers 24 hour delivery, with 98% service rate, using its fleet of 21 multitemp trucks and two distribution centres, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, reaching all the Emirates.

Any order taken online before 5pm is delivered the next day, and orders placed after 5pm are delivered within 48 hours.

APRIL 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

49

MEET THE SUPPLIER

EMIRATES MODERN POULTRY CO. Paul Farhat, head of Foodservice for Emirates Modern Poultry Co., discusses his fight to shift the mind set of an entire market that is currently running at 90% consumption of frozen chicken Can you provide a description of your company?

Emirates Modern Poultry co., better known as Al Rawdah, was established in 1994 and has now grown to become one of the largest fresh and processed poultry producers in the UAE with a 30% market share. Al Rawdah farms are located 40km from Downtown Dubai along the Al Ain Road, covering a sprawling 538 hectares, with a processing capacity of 45,000 birds daily. With ultra-modern production facilities, Al Rawdah prides itself on its range of products made from fresh chicken, and its mission to become a preferred supplier for chefs - who are particular about using quality chicken ingredients.

What does your company offer that others in your field do not?

Our team of professionals in the fields of veterinary, chicken processing, retail, and hospitality are our corner stones in providing the biggest retailers and food service institutes with creative solutions that come hand-in-hand with the premium quality chicken grown at our farms here in Dubai.

We seek partnerships and offer a wide range of tailor made products to fit our customers’ operational needs. In short, our focus on quality, in both products and services, makes us different. Our mission to be a sustainable business model encourages environmental initiatives and focuses on best practices in the field of chicken farming, from making our own 100% natural feed to slaughtering as per halal requirements.

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CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

RESTAURANT CUSTOMERS:

NANDOS, WAFI GOURMET, MEZZA HOUSE, SAFADI, ZAHR EL LAYMOUN, DIWAN AL MUHANNA, AND JUNOON

What are the key challenges faced by your industry and how do you address them? How do you ensure that you stay ahead of the competition?

Local farms are still in their nascent stage.

There is great room for improvement yet and the market is nowhere near saturated, that is our approach when we think of any challenge. On a few occasions, however, we are finding it a bit challenging to keep our customers’ food costs in check, but this is not deterring us from looking into alternatives that will give us the chance to be competitive, and at the same time encourage our customers to support local producers. This is where our new plant in Liwa will come into play. Furthermore, we are battling to shift the mind set of an entire market currently running at 90% consumption of frozen chicken and that is a major undertaking that I’m sure we will be able to pull off.

What are the most recent developments within your company?

In addition to launching the second plant coming up soon in Liwa, we have recently started the food service division with a team of professionals dedicated to servicing this channel and a new product range introduced throughout the recently successful gulf food show.

HOTEL CUSTOMERS: JUMEIRAH INTERNATIONAL, KEMPINSKI, ROTANA TOWERS, MILLENIUM PLAZA, AND TIME HOTELS

What are the current trends and requirements in your industry?

More and more people are becoming aware of their diet and the ingredients that go into making their meal, which is driving an industry-wide change in mind set. It is now about freshness, organic, and healthy, with questions like what goes into feeding our chicken and how a chicken is cared for emerging. We are of course proud to be transparent in answering any of these queries and we even feel responsible to educate the market on the difference between Al Rawdah poultry and others because this will in turn contribute to promoting healthy diet practices and the ability to define quality.

Who are your hospitality clients and what do you do for them?

It gives us great pride and privilege to service some of the renowned hotels in the UAE such as Jumeirah International, Kempinski, Rotana Towers, Millenium Plaza, Time Hotels, and many more hotels where the gourmet experience and use of fresh high quality ingredients is the minimum standard. We also pride ourselves on supplying customised and standard range products to some of the restaurants which are now considered a house hold name in Dubai such as Nandos, Wafi Gourmet, Mezza House, Safadi, Zahr El Laymoun, Diwan Al Muhanna, and the Michelin-starred Junoon at the Shangri-la, as well as Turkish village, and a lot more.

MARKETPLACE

INDOOR COMFORT FOR THE OUTDOORS

As the weather warms up across the region outlets are looking to use their outdoor terraces, but first they need to furnish them. Catering News ME met with leading outdoor furniture suppliers to discover the latest trends

KETTAL GROUP “THE OUTDOOR FURNITURE MARKET IS CHANGING TOWARDS A MORE INDOOR LOOK”

According to the Kettal Group synthetic fibre is no longer trendy, with tastes coming back to metal frames with new materials, such as rope and mesh.

In the UAE the biggest challenge with outdoor furniture is the combination of high humidity and dust. “To help fight those factors its very important that the client does continuous maintenance, which unfortunately does not often happen in some cases,” said Joan Ramon Pesarrodona, Export Asia, Oceania, Middle East with Kettal.

Ramon believes lower-end furniture is particularly at risk from the regions high temperatures. She added: “We are trying new materials all the time and one of our novelties now is the aluminium tops that are light, with zero maintenance and almost un-scratch able. Moreover, they support the high temperatures really well.”

Ramon has found that, in placing new orders, catering clients specify furniture

that is stackable, as much as possible, light and easy to clean.

“Our greatest specialty is tailor making furniture to our catering client’s needs, but because clients are often in a rush in this region, that is not possible. But in Europe or North America our tailor made goods are what are most appreciate today by hotels. They look for custom finishes to differentiate themselves from other hotels and to have their own style.

“We are real manufacturers. We do not have an outsource supplier in Asia producing for us. We produce ourselves in Barcelona in our own factory. That's why we can customise the existing products and adapt them to the real needs and budget of the client. If an interior designer specifies our product in a project and the hotel does not have enough budget, we can modify the product with small changes to look the same but matching their budget.”

According to Ramon, Kettal has a market share of around 3-5% in the total market of the GCC. She added: “Unfortunately, our market niché is small. If we consider our market niché (high end) our share is probably around 20-25%.

“But we need to fight that perception in the market. Although we are positioned very high end and expensive we can also be very competitive.”

The company’s biggest markets are in Europe and North America and specifically France, USA and Spain. “In Europe and North America the client is more open to our tailor made product.”

Although Kettal used to operate three factories, in France, Spain and China, in 2013 the company decided to centralise all its production to Barcelona in Spain.

The company keeps no stock in the Gulf, and so from Barcelona it takes three weeks for supplies to reach Dubai and four weeks to the rest of the GCC. Kettal has a history of working with some of the leading furniture designers around the world. Ramon said: “We have furniture designed by Patricia Urquiola, Jasper Morrison, Rodolfo Dordoni, Hella Jungerius and in Milan this year we present also from the Bouroullec Brothers.

"Then locally in the GCC we keep visiting as much as we can all the interior design firms – our real partners in projects.

Without the interior design firms our share in the GCC would be much, much, much smaller. They are crucial for us.

Looking forward, Ramon said: “In Milan we are presenting this year more novelties with lots of innovation in fabrics and a complete outdoor collection with a total indoor look. The outdoor furniture market is changing towards a more indoor look.

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MARKETPLACE

DESERT RIVER “CUSTOMERS ARE INCREASINGLY LOOKING FOR OUTDOOR FURNITURE AND DECORATIVE ITEMS THAT ARE LONG-LASTING AND LOW IN MAINTENANCE”

In outdoor furniture design there is a strong growth in the demand for sustainable materials like metal, instead of woods and rattan, according Desert River’s director Claudia van der Werf.

She added: “Customers are increasingly looking for outdoor furniture and decorative items that are long-lasting and low in maintenance. We have responded to the rising demand for sustainable materials through the introduction of a number of new brands, including Fermob.

“The second trend we have noticed is a move away from the more traditional outdoor furniture arrangements such as formal dining tables and chairs. Instead, customers are looking for outdoor furniture that allows guests to lounge and relax in a more casual setting, for example on high-quality beanbags.

“Thirdly, customers are becoming more adventurous when it comes to choosing colours; we see more and

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CATERING NEWS ME APRIL 2015

more demand for bright and colourful outdoor furniture as opposed to stainless steel, white and black items.

“And finally, we see more interest in recycled and recyclable materials, offered by our Fermob contract range, for example, which includes a special coating to make the furniture resistant to the harsh weather conditions here in the region,” she added.

When hospitality owners and operators are looking for outdoor furniture, it is important that they choose products that are purposely made for outdoor use and are easy to clean and store. In the harsh Arabian summers, even the best of material can lose part of their finish.

Van der Werf said: “We believe that furniture should be removed from direct sunlight or protected using shading or covers. Likewise, they should always opt for hardwearing seating and loungers from respected, high-quality brands.

“All of our staff are fully trained on how to use and clean our products and we share this knowledge with our clients, meaning the products they buy from us will last longer and will be better maintained by those using them.

“With sunny weather year-round, we also see a growing demand for our special outdoor bean bags from Fatboy, of which the Sunbrella fabric is UV resistant and water and dirt repellent. In addition, it has washable covers, which means the fabric is easy to clean and hence lasts longer.

“Storage is another important factor that sometimes causes furniture and equipment to get broken or damaged by the weather. As we rent out the different ranges of products that we sell for events, as a company we know how they need to be packaged and stored in order for them to arrive at and leave an event in top condition. We advise it is best to keep the goods in their original packaging, store them away from

sunlight and heat when they are not in use, cover them to keep off the dust and make sure you use protective sheets in between items that are stacked to prevent them from getting scratched. We even sell some packaging and storing, such as the covers for our Fatboy hammock and customised fabric covers for items that get transported frequently,” added van der Werf.

The most important specifications in placing new orders for catering clients of Desert River are the look, storage and maintenance of outdoor furniture.

“Restaurant owners and operators are looking for unique, modern, high quality, innovative and durable products, and one of the most important considerations is how well the outdoor furniture and/or decorative items match their concept and complement the interior design of the outlet.

“Another important specification is the ease of storage when items are not in use. Clients look for outdoor furniture that can be easily folded, stacked and stored away.

“Coming back to maintenance, this is another key condition for restaurateurs and catering professionals; outdoor furniture has to be easy to clean and maintain. For example, wood required a lot of care and regular maintenance whilst metal furniture can simply be wiped clean.

“Lastly, decorative items or add-ons that offer a unique look and feel to the outdoor furniture are also important.

We offer an extensive range of accessories for outdoor use, including cushions for extra comfort, which also add that special stylish touch to the client’s outdoor space or venue,” said van der Werf.

With a standard range of 24 colours in the Fermob outdoor furniture range there is plenty of choice with unlimited combinations. The assortment features contemporary, classic and romantic mod-

MARKETPLACE

els and can be customised with a venue or brand’s logo, either printed or cut-out in the metal. In addition the range can be offered in a customer’s own colours, while the Fatboy beanbags can be embroidered with logos, which helps to further tailor the furniture to a clients’ needs.

Van der Wert added: “Teamwork, integrity and fun are the essential elements of our company culture and the team constantly challenges itself to raise the bar in innovation, creativity and customer service.

“At Desert River we are the official distributor of well-known European lifestyle brands such as Fatboy, Fermob, ImagiLights and Slide, and we supply our wide range of high quality products to the region’s leading luxury hotels, restaurants, offices and retailers across the Middle East.

“In addition, we offer a full-fledged furniture and decoration rental service for high profile events such as the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix F1, The Dubai World Cup and a wide range of corporate and private functions.”

Desert River’s furniture is manufactured in France, Italy and The Netherlands, and the company keeps a good stock in Dubai so it is able to quickly supply clients.

Some of the renowned designers it works with are Andree Putman and Terence Conran for Fermob and Karim Rashid and Marcel Wanders for SLIDE.

“We continue to focus on the GCC market; there are so many new hotels and restaurants opening everywhere in the region and we continue to see a growing demand for our brands and products. Especially our more colour, individuality and statement pieces, and less and less with the synthetic rattan and standard plastic furniture.

POINT “WE BELIEVE THAT THE FUTURE IS TO GIVE THE OUTDOOR FURNITURE THE SAME COMFORT AS INDOOR RANGES”

Outdoor furniture must be as stylish and comfortable as interior furnishings, with trends towards a mix of natural woods and technological or synthetic materials, according to Esther Campos from Point.

Point offers innovation in its design and materials, and its USP is its service and

product quality. The company has been in the furniture business since 1920, and Campos said: “This is because we are serious in the relationship with our customers.”

The company works with a number of renowned Spanish designers, such as Gabriel Teixido, Francesc Rife, Chimo Roca, and Esther Campos. Its latest product innovations are a combination of teak woods and synthetic fibre weaving. There are two collections in this line: the ROUND, by Francesc Rife, and the ARC, by Garbriel Teixido.

“We believe that the trend is to give the outdoor furniture the same comfort as indoor ranges. The outdoor areas need to be comfortable and the cushions and seat shapes must be similar to indoor ones,” added Campos.

When placing new orders, the most important specifications for catering clients of Point are design and durability, with the summer heat being a major problem in the

region. To meet the exacting needs of its clients, Point is able to customise and tailor build furniture solutions for its clients.

The company has two manufacturing factories in Spain and in Vietnam, and its biggest sales market is its domestic domain in Europe, although the Middle East and the United States are drawing quickly of late, according to Campos.

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MARKETPLACE

INTERMETAL “THE ENVIRONMENT IS A PRIORITY AND OPERATORS WILL BE LOOKING TO PURCHASE MORE ECO-FRIENDLY FURNITURE”

With outdoor spaces being an extension of the indoor, Intermetal sees the trend steering towards flexible furniture designs that are easy to maintain, adaptable in terms of dimensions and that have the ability to achieve various layouts.

Cathy Di Savino, HR/administration manager, Intermetal, said: “We are witnessing the mixing of furniture pieces, textiles and materials. For example, furniture manufactured in aluminium, teak wood and rattan that can be blended together with tables, chairs, beanbags or cushions and finished off in weather resistant fabrics to create aesthetically pleasing and unique outdoor spaces.”

At Intermetal, customers can select from a comprehensive range of furniture that includes tables, chairs, loungers, lounge seating and umbrellas that can withstand the elements of the outdoors.

Di Savino added: “Environmental issues are a growing concern for hotel owners and operators and we are seeing more looking to procure from eco-friendly outdoor furniture manufacturers.

“The environment is a priority and operators will be looking to purchase more eco-friendly furniture that uses sustainable materials and reducing the carbon footprint will be paramount.

“Furniture has a socio-economic and environmental impact associated with the manufacture, use and disposal and these factors are taken into consideration during the supplier selection process. At Intermetal our goal is to purchase materials from sustainable sources and to ensure that our manufacturing processes protect the people and the environment.”

According to Di Savino, clients today are looking for reputed companies who can guarantee resilient and quality items, timely deliveries and who can supply products within their budgets. “Our in-house design team continues to create furniture solutions to meet the market requirements and 54

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they are readily available to assist customers to meet their exact needs and specifications.

“At Intermetal, we offer our clients a a one-stop-shop for all their Hospitality Contract Furniture requirements. Our collection includes furniture for both indoor and outdoor contract use, all of which have been tested for strength and durability and so they meet stringent quality standards.

“Our manufacturing facility is located in Dubai, UAE and is fully equipped with CNC Bending & Routing Machines, Robotised Welding, Powder Coating and Chrome Plating Finishing Lines. We also have state of-the-art joinery for woodworking and upholstery. With the ability to monitor all areas of production, we can guarantee timely deliveries especially when short lead times are given.”

Intermetal is a preferred choice supplier to 4 and 5 star hotels and restaurants within the GCC. “As a UAE based company, the GCC is a key market for us, however, Intermetal has established itself as a global manufacturer of Hospitality Contract Furniture and through our wide distribution network, Intermetal products can be found worldwide and we are proud to be the specified

supplier to a large number of prestigious hotel chains,” said Di Savino.

The Intermetal products are made in the UAE and being located in Dubai makes it easy for the company to export products globally, according to Di Savino. “Intermetal has established itself a leader in its field and we have built a strong reputation as a manufacturer of quality contract furniture and we are specified by many renowned designers in the GCC and Europe,” she added.

With the luxury of an in-house design team and full scale manufacturing capabilities Intermetal’s product line is constantly expanding. Di Savino added: “We have recently launched the M&M Collection, a range of furniture that is meant to be mixed and matched to the clients own liking, for example, mixing rattan with natural teak and combining it with aluminium that can be powder coated to their colour of choice. Furthermore, with our state-ofthe-art joinery, we are able to manufacture the furniture for the bedrooms and with our outdoor furniture, we are able to furnish the rooms and the attached balconies.

The possibilities are endless and each look is unique.”

MEET THE SUPPLIER

BRIDOR DE FRANCE Ricardo Morais, BRIDOR Middle East Area Manager, on why the baking industry requires constant innovation and investment, and how those two words have been very important to Bridor Can you provide a description of your company?

Bridor De France is a leading French manufacturer of quality frozen part-baked goods including breads, viennoiseries and pastries.

We provide high quality products to all market segments, such as bakeries, hotels and restaurants in more than 90 countries around the world. As a company, Bridor is based in Brittany, the western part of France.

INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS:

MARKET SEGMENTS:

BAKERIES, HOTELS, RESTAURANTS What does your company offer that others in your field do not?

We provide peace of mind to all of our customers and are dedicated to offering consistency, quality and authenticity, all of our products are manufactured in France and our ingredients, in-particular our fresh butters are carefully selected and all additives are prohibited. Additionally, our recipes are developed in partnership with well-known, reputable pastry chefs, such as Maison Lenôtre in Paris and the French craftsman Frederic Lalos, an award winning baker.

Our Frederic Lalos range provides a unique bread experience, combining both tradition and modernity.

Who are your hospitality clients and what do you do for them?

Our hospitality clients include most of the global hotel chains and we make a guarantee to our clients to provide them with the best baked breakfast goods to be served in their hotels around the world. A guest is able to have the same croissant in Dubai, New-York and Rio de Janeiro all served by us. Breakfast is very important for a hotel as it is probably the last experience the guests will have before they leave, so the hospital­ity sector is very competitive and all the hotels need to adapt and customize their offerings .We are able to respond to every ‘special’ request from a client.

What are the current trends and requirements in your industry?

Our industry requires innovation and investment. Since the beginning these two words have been very important to Bridor and we are constantly innovating our products. During the Sirah show held in Lyon last January, we introduced a 100% gluten free range, which was awarded the Grand Prix Sirah Innovation 2015 prize. The emergence of the ‘gluten-free’ trend and the call for healthy, true and genuine products has become synonymous with healthy eating, and also led to an increase in the number of people that are intolerant to eating gluten who must therefore carefully monitor their food intake at each meal, starting with breakfast. It is consequently important for professionals in the food industry to offer suitable products.

ZAATAR CROISSANTS, ARTISAN BREAD LOAVES, FINE PETIT FOURS How do you ensure that you stay ahead of the competition?

We stay ahead of the competition by investing in our machinery and in our people.

As said, we export today to more than 90 countries around the world providing the same consistent quality and service. In every region we have salesmen but also technical advisors. This makes the difference compared to our competitors.

What are the most recent developments within your company?

During Gulfood 2015, we introduced a great zaatar croissant. It is the perfect example of French quality made products adapted to the specificities of a popular Middle Eastern taste. Further innovations have been brought with artisan bread loaves and fine petit fours designed by Lenôtre pastry chefs in France.

What plans do you have for the future?

Our future plans are to satisfy our customers wherever they are located, through efficient logistic and distribution networks, and to sustain our growth by investing in new capacities and innovation.

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COFFEE CORNER

ICTF TO OFFER BARISTA TRAINING The International Coffee & Tea Festival (ICTF) will engage with the coffee fraternity in the UAE through advanced workshops and training programs leading up to and during the course of its 7th edition, which will be held from November 11 to 13, 2015 at The Meydan Gallery and Convention Center in Dubai.

As UAE customers become more discerning and demanding about the freshness, quality, and flavour of their coffee, cafes and coffee houses in the region are recognising the need to recruit trained staff and improve skills of existing baristas to enhance their overall service and produce a better product.

Training programmes at the International Coffee & Tea Festival (ICTF) are certified by the world’s largest trade association for specialty coffee – the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA).

SCAA Certified Instructors, who have completed all components of the SCAA’s Instructor Development Program, will administer the workshops and certifications that are designed for beginners, intermediate and advanced professionals.

Through the right blend of coffee science and hands-on training, the courses offer a widely accepted formal qualification that will help the participants to progress within the international coffee industry.

Ryan Godinho, UAE’s National Liaison for World Coffee Events and Special Events Coordinator (Training & Championships) with ICTF, said: “As the demand for high-quality coffee made from well-roasted coffee beans rises in the UAE, the time has come to differentiate between a barista from a coffee maker.

Intensive training and hands-on experience in roasting, grinding, extracting, and

frothing transforms a coffeemaker into a professional barista.”

The International Coffee & Tea Festival is supported by the SCAA and World Coffee Events (WCE). It is the UAE’s only dedicated exhibition that showcases specialty coffee and tea products from around the world and attracts industry professionals from across the GCC, the MENA region, and the Indian sub-continent.

In the last two years the UAE has registered nearly 2,200 new café licenses, while more than 90 in-shop and largescale coffee roasters are planning to open for business in the next 24 months. The country’s traditional coffee culture and an expanding tea market complement increasing investment in the café, coffee and tea businesses estimated to be worth between USD 350 million and USD 400 million.

MIDDLE EAST SET TO EXPERIENCE A TASTE OF NEW ORLEANS The PJ’s Coffee and WOW Café & Wingery brands will be expanded to India, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Middle East.

There will be four new locations of each brand in the three countries and in the Middle East, according to Jeff Giavotella, 56

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chief financial officer at Ballard Brands.

Both the Wow Café brand and PJ’s Coffee have experienced significant growth over the last few years. There are currently 66 WOW Café locations in the United States and 65 PJ’s locations nationally.

COFFEE CORNER

KFC'S EDIBLE COFFEE CUP KFC has unveiled an edible coffee cup, called the Scoff-ee cup, made from biscuit, wrapped in sugar paper and lined with a layer of white chocolate, which keeps the coffee hot and the cup crispy. As the white chocolate layer melts, the biscuit slowly softens, melting in the mouth, but not the hand.

The cups were created in partnership with food scientists The Robin Collective and are infused with different scents, known to improve your mood. A spokesperson for The Robin Collective said: “We’ve infused different cups with a variety of ambient aromas including Coconut Sun Cream, Freshly Cut Grass and Wild Flowers.

“These scents were used in our recipes as they have a natural ability to evoke the positive memories we associate with warm weather, sunshine and summer holidays. Things that make everyone smile.” The cups are still under development with no news as to when they may arrive the Middle East.

CRAFT COFFEE LINE BRINGS COFFEESHOP EXPERIENCE HOME KitchenAid continues to bring the coffee house experience into the home with three new additions to its Craft Coffee portfolio: the Siphon Coffee Brewer, Precision Press Coffee Maker and Burr Grinder. "Our product designers spent the past few years extracting lessons from some of the most time-tested and barista-approved brewing methods for craft coffee," says Brandon Mock, a product designer on the KitchenAid Craft Coffee team.

The Siphon Coffee Brewer reimagines the theater of classic vacuum pot brewers, combining the richness of total-immersion brewing methods with the clean flavour profile of filterbrewed coffee, all without the need for an actual filter.

The Precision Press enhances the classic French press method of brewing with an integrated timer and weight scale making it easy to measure coffee within the carafe. Also coming this summer is the KitchenAid Burr Grinder, which will create a consistent coffee with precision grinding.

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FINAL THOUGHT

CONCEPT 5 MINUTES WITH…

WHO: ROBERT JONES, MANAGING DIRECTOR

With the summer fast approaching, Chez Sushi has introduced health conscious 'chilled' desserts, including Mochi ice cream – a small, round dessert ball prepared using soft, pounded sweet rice cakes (mochi) on the outside and an ice cream filling. The dessert is healthy, with one mochi ice cream ball containing around 56 calories, and it’s available in various flavours including green tea, chocolate, mango, strawberry and vanilla. The fast casual restaurant has also introduced the one-of-a-kind wasabi mochi ice cream on the menu. “For those with a sweet tooth, it is difficult to stay off desserts, however mochi is a great alternative as it is light, healthy and refreshing,” said Hiba Kosta, co-founder of Chez Sushi.

READER'S CORNER Julie Montague is The Flexi Foodie and her book of 90 delicious recipes and friendly facts will show you how to introduce superfoods, green leafy vegetables, whole grains and seeds into your daily diet. Through meat-free, dairy-free and sugarfree recipes made with unrefined, wholesome ingredients, you can raise your energy levels, lose weight, lower your cholesterol, keep blood sugar levels under control, and look and feel more youthful than you have in years.

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QUIRKY QUOTE

ABDULLA ABDULQADER AL MEENI, ACTING DIRECTOR GENERAL, EMIRATES AUTHORITY FOR STANDARDISATION & METROLOGY

“Halal as a requirement has existed long before ESMA, both internally in the UAE and internationally, but we are improving upon those standards to be more globalised.

“We want to give something to the world. A system we can all work with to benefit of everybody.

One standard, one process and one mark”

FROM: COFFEE PLANET

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH COFFEE PLANET? I joined Coffee Planet in 2007 and never looked back! I wanted to bring with me that fresh and funky feel that people now associate our brand with.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT COFFEE PLANET We are a roaster and source coffee from around the world, from 24 different countries, and so we bring it here to our roasting facility in Jebel Ali and we then distribute it to various different sources in the market, including selfservice machines, cafes and kiosks, we also extensively supply coffee to the HORECA market so we also do beans, machines services and training.

WHAT NEW PRODUCTS HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED TO THE MARKET? We recently launched our single serve 100% Arabica coffee capsules at Gulfood 2015 they are

available through our online store, we have eight different SKU’s for our retail range and four different SKU’s for our HORECA range.

CAN YOU NAME A FEW OF YOUR CLIENTS? If you go to Pronto Café in Fairmont the Palm, you will see Coffee Planet on the cups there, we work very closely with Fairmont, we also serve coffee to The Scene on Pier 7 to name a few.

WHAT ARE YOUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVES FOR THE COMPANY? My main objective is to return value to the shareholders and meet the company growth targets it is also so important that our retailers and clients are happy with our products so I like to get out and about. I lead the management team across all aspects of the business for both the Coffee Planet (c-store) brand and the Coffee Planet roastery brand.

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