Catering News ME - June 2015

CASE STUDY

FARM VISIT TO EMIRATES MODERN POULTRY

THE FORUM

ROUNDTABLE MEETS TO DISCUSS RAMADAN

INTERVIEW

WHISSLE GROUP LAUNCHES MILE HIGH GOURMET

CONNECTING F&B PROFESSIONALS WITH INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE JUNE 2015

BILATERAL RELATIONSHIPS BECOME INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT IN INTERNATIONAL TRADING

CONTENTS

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CONNECTING F&B PROFESSIONALS WITH INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE FEBRUARY 2015

a special report on the growing importance of bilateral trade

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industry news in brief

COVER 5TORY

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NEWS

THE FORUM

a group of f&b experts discuss issues relating to ramadan celebrations

CASE STUDY

a day on the farm with emirates modern poultry co.

INTERVIEW

getting retro on the beach with luke thomas - one of the uk's youngest restaurateurs

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CONTENTS

38 Managing Director Walid Zok Walid@bncpublishing.net Director Rabih Najm Rabih@bncpublishing.net Director Wissam Younane Wissam@bncpublishing.net 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

28 38 |

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

CONTRIBUTORS DINING @40,000FT

Audrey Hastings Photography

the whissle group launches gourmet dining for private planes

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INTERVIEW

the celebrity chef greg malouf returns to his roots with clé dubai

DECOR

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getting dizzy down at rogo, the rollercoaster restaurant in yas mall

MARKETPLACE

the latest innovations in coffee machine design and functionality

CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

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Biskélia 34% - One nibble and the fresh, smooth milk chocolate soon gives way to warm notes of toasted biscuit and caramel, enhanced by a touch of salt.

The chocolatey finish is long and refined. It provides all the complexity of a true and simple pleasure. www.valrhona.com JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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© Ginko

When Biskélia takes you back to childhood.

UNITING THROUGH TRADE THE INCREASING IMPORTANCE OF FOREIGN AMBASSADORS

Last month the Federal Customs Authority (FCA) declared that UAE direct non-oil trade has witnessed an increased growth in recent years, in light of the great economic growth achieved by the country, as well as its flexible trade policy, and its success in removing the obstacles of trade with the outside world, in addition to the simplification and standardisation of the customs procedures in all the UAE entry ports.

As Dubai gears itself in becoming an international trading hub for food, bilateral relationships are increasingly important.

Foreign Ambassadors play an important role in helping the MENA region grow as both an importer and exporter of food stuff by promoting existing bilateral trade, investment and cultural ties.

With Dubai, and the GCC as a whole, being a tremendous collission of culture a diverse food supply is imperative.

This month Catering News ME met with four international Ambassadors to establish exactly what was on the agenda in terms

of promoting bilateral trade and in developing our catering industry.

In the spirit of international trade, this month we also follow celebrity chef Gary Rhodes and Michael Kitts, from The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, on a 10-day tour of Tokyo as part of a ‘Visit Britain’ campaign.

And returning to issues at home we take a look at the planning and management of Ramadan and Eid celebrations with a group of F&B experts in our monthly roundtable. We also visit a local farm to see how Emirates Modern Poultry Co. creates the meat for your chicken shawarma.

Staying with Dubai, we interview celebrity chef and restaurateur of Cle Dubai, Greg Malouf, we meet the remarkably young entreprenuer and restaurateur behind Retro Feasts on The Beach, and we dine at 40,000 feet with the Whissle Group as they gear for take off with their bespoke gourmet dining business for the private aviation world.

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

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

MICHAEL GORDON Editor

CASE STUDY

FARM VISIT TO EMIRATES MODERN POULTRY

THE FORUM

ROUNDTABLE MEETS TO DISCUSS RAMADAN

INTERVIEW

WHISSLE GROUP LAUNCHES MILE HIGH GOURMET

CONNECTING F&B PROFESSIONALS WITH INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE JUNE 2015

BILATERAL RELATIONSHIPS BECOME INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT IN INTERNATIONAL TRADING

WAY TOO BUSY

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CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

MIXED MESSAGES

A LITTLE WASHED OUT

THE FIRM FAVOURITE

NEWS

FARMING FOR HOSPITALITY The Alila Jabal Akhdar resort in Oman hosted the unveiling of ‘Farming for Hospitality’, a community initiative spearheaded by the Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran) aimed to support the growth of micro-businesses by assisting local producers in the Jabal Al Akhdar region to grow and supply fresh produce.

Held under the auspices of His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Khalifa bin Hamad Al Saadi, Governor of Dakhiliyah, the ceremony was attended by representatives of Omran, Alila Jabal Akhdar, Government officials and members of the local community. The event witnessed a signing ceremony between Ahmed Al Shariqi, a representative of the farmers participating in the project, Omran officials and Alila Jabal Akhdar. In support of the program, Alila Jabal Akhdar will purchase a percentage of the produce grown as part of the hotel’s regular food procurement.

‘Farming for Hospitality’ first launched as a pilot campaign in May 2014 under the umbrella of Omran’s leading corporate responsibility initiative ‘Intajee’, literally ‘my product’. The CSR programme equips farmers in Jabal Al Akhdar with modern

MAWASIM ORGANIC MARKET LAUNCHES

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greenhouses to grow fresh vegetables enabling them to sustain their local communities as well as supplying neighbouring hotels such as Alila Jabal Akhdar. The project creates a bridge between small-scale farming enterprises and major hospitality providers as well as upgrading the existing skills of local farmers and transforming the capabilities of traditional farming practices in the region.

His Excellency Sheikh Dr.Khalifa Al Saadi, Governor of Dakhiliyah, commented: “It is inspiring to witness the corporation between large scale hospitality providers, local communities and SMEs in the Jabal Al Akhdar region. I truly hope that ‘Farming for Hospitality’ will serve as an example to motivate further collaborations and synergies, both in the region and across the nation.”

Julian Ayers, general manager at Alila Jabal Akhdar, added: “We are deeply

honoured to be involved in the groundbreaking ‘Farming for Hospitality’ project which will enable Alila Jabal Akhdar to source superlative fresh local produce, and in doing so, improve the calibre of cuisine served to guests at the resort.”

Farmer Ahmed Al Shariqi said: “I am very grateful for the opportunity to participate in ‘Farming for Hospitality’.

Before starting this programme, I grew only pomegranates in the small garden of my house, but since the start of the project I have been able to grow a variety of vegetables including tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers in the greenhouse provided to me by Omran.”

The Mall at World Trade Centre Abu Dhabi recently launched the ‘Mawasim Organic Market’. Taking place every Friday from 2pm – 8pm on the Ground Floor of the Mall, shoppers can expect an array of nutritious, seasonal fruits and vegetables that have been sourced from the EU organically certified, local farm ‘Mawasim’.

Talal Al Dhiyebi, chief development officer at Aldar Properties, said: “The Mall at World

Trade Centre Abu Dhabi is honoured to be working with Mawasim to promote the importance of healthy eating and sourcing local, seasonal produce from the region.”

Michiel ten Dui, Director Marketing of Mawasim added: “Our goal with this market is to raise awareness of the importance of eating locally by playing a leading role in supplying first-rate, sustainable fresh produce which enables people to eat and feel good”.

NEWS

Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten joins Four Seasons Critically acclaimed Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten announces his arrival into the UAE with the opening of JG Dining Room and JG Kitchen, located at the Four Seasons Resort Dubai, at Jumeirah Beach.

With an opening date set for Spring 2015, Jean-Georges’ vision will be reflected in two distinct spaces housed under one roof; JG Dining Room, a fine dining venue and JG Kitchen, a relaxed all day restaurant. An outdoor terrace and elegant lounge will connect both elements, filling the rooms with natural light and creating a sense of relaxed sophistication.

Three Michelin starred Chef, JeanGeorges has made culinary history and developed a reputation as remarkable as his food by tapping into his deep understanding of the restaurant world and

pairing it with a forward-thinking vision.

Dubai represents an exciting new step for his talent, following multiple successful restaurants around the world, including Jean-Georges, ABC Kitchen, The Mark and The Mercer Kitchen in New York, JG Tokyo in Japan and On the Rocks in St Barths.

Jean-Georges’ UAE debut is the result of a strategic alliance with GFD Group, a hospitality company that has clear ambitions to bring a number of Michelin starred culinary talents to the UAE. Tariq Khan, Chairman, GFD Group said: “In recent years Dubai has cemented its reputation as a global culinary hub, a position which is set to grow as we move towards Expo 2020. In this context, it seems fitting that we assist one of the world’s

greats to enhance the market, allowing him to set a new benchmark for quality dining experiences. We are excited about the impact Jean-Georges will have and look forward to further announcements from the group in the months ahead.”

ROYAL CHINA LAUNCHES DELIVERY SERVICE Royal China, one the city’s award-winning Chinese restaurants, located in the heart of the DIFC, has launched its new delivery concept; Royal China Kitchen.

Royal China Kitchen was born out of a frustration with the existing Chinese delivery options, offering lower

quality dishes, often served late and cold. Launched in time for the summer months, Royal China Kitchen is committed to redefining the market.

Whether guests decide to order a selection of the restaurant’s famous DimSum or enjoy one of the signature dishes such as the Crispy Shredded Beef or the Peking Duck, accompanied with appetizing side plates, there’s an array of recipes to suit all tastes.

GREEN GLOBE CERTIFICATION FOR EAHM The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management (EAHM) has become the first hospitality school in the world to receive the Green Globe Certification.

Ron Hilvert, managing director of EAHM said: “We are proud to receive this certification and we strongly believe in creating an environment that allows students and colleagues to adapt to a sustainable future by practicing Green Globe values in everyday life.”

EAHM was recognised for its contribution in encouraging students and colleagues to embrace a sustainable future. Steps taken at EAHM include the use of electronic publications in the library and the newly installed

LED lights and motion-sensors which were seen as essential measures in achieving the certification. Green Globe also commended EAHM’s Student Council’s efforts to engage students and colleagues in its Corporate Social Responsibility activities.

EAHM was also recently honoured as a strategic partner of Dubai SME at the Graduation Ceremony of the Dubai Entrepreneurship Academy on 20 May 2015.

EAHM was instrumental in supporting the graduates to achieve their “Professional Hospitality and Restaurant Management Certificate” and also facilitating the graduates’ business plan reviews and on-the-job placements in hotels such as the Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

Royal China Kitchen uses the same fresh and high quality natural ingredients as the fine dining restaurant, which crucially, is free from chemicals such as MSG, which are often associated with many ‘fast’ or take-away options.

Royal China Kitchen is currently available to a wide range of locations across Dubai, from Downtown to Bur Dubai, with an ever widening scope planned for the weeks ahead.

Commenting on EAHM’s involvement, Ron Hilvert, managing director, said: “It is indeed encouraging to see more Emiratis taking a keen interest and starting their own businesses within the hospitality and tourism industry.”

Dubai SME is an integrated division of the Department of Economic Development (DED). It was developed as a resource for support, information and outreach for the growing small and medium enterprise sector. As one of the main pillars of Dubai’s economic success, they aim to support entrepreneurs in all phases of their development. One of the major goals of Dubai SME is to promote innovation and leadership across all segments of the small and medium enterprise sector.

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NEWS

ZOMATO REACHES ACROSS THE UAE Zomato has expanded its presence in the UAE to cover all seven emirates, and now provides in-depth information for over 14,000 restaurants across Dubai, Sharjah, Ras al-Khaimah, Umm al-Quwain, Ajman, Fujairah, and Abu Dhabi.

Users in Ras Al-Khaimah can now browse through restaurant information, read and write restaurant reviews, share pictures, as well as build a personal network of trusted foodies. It also offers an exciting prospect for business owners to reach out to and engage with a highly targeted audience.

“The recent addition of Ras AlKhaimah was a result of feedback and demand from our users in UAE, who were missing Zomato in their emirate. This year, we have been focusing

on creating a seamless in-app experience for our users, and have been working on moving beyond just restaurant discovery, into in-app cashless payments, online ordering, and table reservations. We have been seeing great traction on the in-app payment segment, and already have over 375 merchants on board. It's been a welcome addition for our users as well, and we've been seeing an average transaction size of about 150 AED,” said Pankaj Chaddah, co-founder and coo of Zomato.

This news closely follows Zomato's announcement of their alliance with Uber, enabling users to book cabs to the restaurant they are planning to eat at, from within the Zomato app.

QUICK FACTS

ABOUT ZOMATO IN THE UAE:

2012 LAUNCHED IN DUBAI 150 ADDITIONAL STAFF WILL BE HIRED OVER NEXT QUARTER 14,000 RESTAURANTS COVERED ACROSS 7 EMIRATES IN- APP PAYMENTS 375 RESTAURANT LAUNCHED PARTNERD ON BOARD FEB 2015 WITH 'CASHLESS' 10

CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

Jumeirah Restaurant Group appoints General Manager Jumeirah Restaurant Group Dubai (JRG Dubai), Jumeirah Group’s global restaurant management company, has appointed Julian Biddulph as the new general manager of The Ivy Dubai – the group’s award-winning, iconic London brasserie franchise in Jumeirah Emirates Towers.

Biddulph holds a Bachelor’s degree in Catering and Hotel Management and brings twenty years of hospitality experience to his new role. He has an impressive career history that includes management roles at prestigious London restaurant groups including Marco Pierre White Group, Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck Group, D&D London and Gordon Ramsay Holdings.

Commenting on the role, Biddulph said: “Working with such an iconic, British concept feels like a home away from home. I’m looking forward to hosting patrons – old and new – and providing them with that warm, personable yet impeccable service that defines The Ivy experience.”

Biddulph joins JRG Dubai following previous roles in Qatar, notably as general manager of Gordon Ramsay, Doha with a concurrent appointment as head sommelier of the St. Regis Hotel, Doha.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WARWICK HOTEL

Warwick Hotel Dubai, the newest 4-star hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road, celebrated its 1st Anniversary on 14 April, 2015 with an exclusive party at its Zephyr Rooftop Lounge on Level 47.

The party welcomed in-house guests and clientele alike to enjoy Zephyr’s live cooking stations of Japanese, Asian and European menu items, with additional festive dishes and complimentary birthday cakes for each guest in the hotel.

In just one year the hotel has offered 87,749 room nights to its 180,970 guests. Warwick Hotel Dubai has also ranked a score of 141 out of 500 hotels in Dubai on Tripadvisor; a score of 8/10 on Booking.com and 4.1 out of 5 on Expedia.com with a 91% customer recommendation rate.

NEWS

SAVARIN LAUNCHES QUALITY DESSERTS

Established by the former senior vice president at Emirates Flight Catering, with the sole focus of designing and producing high-quality desserts for large-volume segments, Savarin will launch in June.

Savarin co-founder Jan Bijsterbosch says: “We produce desserts that are of a gourmet quality, are made from high quality and natural ingredients, that combine hand-made care with large volume and consistent production, that are contemporary compared to the “typical” products offered in our region, and that are hygienically packaged and chilled / frozen for a long shelf life.

“Our culinary chaos is fronted by a young and contemporary British Executive Pastry Chef who brings the “everything made from

scratch” quality to larger scale production.

“The way we do things is designed to make sure each of your customers gets the same quality in the same amount with a bit of best on top.

“We love working with our clients in developing products that enhance their customer experience. Our products are packaged for shelf life and easy transportation either, chilled or frozen, but without the ugly “manufactured” sealed lid.”

Jan has an extensive background in catering, having spent 12 years as senior vice president at Emirates Flight Catering, and having started 6 food companies worldwide.

His partner Rehan Samee has 18 years banking experience in Dubai, including four

years with Mubadala GE Capital as Head of Structured and Leveraged Finance. He was also director of Capital Markets and Structured Finance at EmiratesNBD, and regional head of Asset Distribution Standard Chartered Bank.

With a food production unit in the Dubai Investments Park, Savarin can produced 40,000 single portion desserts per day, with everything prepared from scratch, with no pre-mixes, using the best chocolate, the best cream, and the best fruit purees. There are no e-numbers added and significantly less refined sugar is used. “We let the natural flavours do the talking!” says Jan. He adds: “On the morning of your delivery, we stock up our frozen Bat Mobile and arrive at the delivery dock. You wheel the rack with the desserts into your freezer. Four hours before service you defrost the required amount in your fridge and they are ready place on your buffets.

“Defrosted too many? Don’t worry, they last for three days in the fridge. Once your event is over, you collect the empty glasses and place them back in the glass racks. We rock up, replace the dirty ones with freshly filled, ready to go products, and we will take care of the washing up.”

TIME HOTELS LAUNCHES SPORTS-THEMED RESTAURANT

UAE-headquartered TIME Hotels Management has revealed a new addition to its rapidly growing hospitality portfolio with the launch of its first non-hotel product, a sportsthemed restaurant located in Fujairah Mall.

O’Learys was founded by Jonas Reinholdsson, a Swedish restaurateur, inspired by the Bostonian restaurants where people came to watch games and to share the passion of sports after working on the island of Nantucket south of Boston, Massachusetts in the mid 1980’s.

The food, the service, the interior design and the sports-theme created an atmosphere Reinholdsson brought with him

to Sweden, where he founded the first O’Learys in 1988 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Named after his wife, Anne O’Leary, it was an immediate success, becoming a preferred casual dining venue for the community, visiting tourists and both local and international sports and entertainment celebrities.

The current tally of O’Learys’ restaurants now numbers 100 outlets in ten countries spread across Asia, Europe and now the Middle East, with a 2014 global turnover of €163 million.

O’Learys is primarily located on the public market; high street locations and shopping malls. Since 2004 O’Learys has been a wellknown concept in travel locations, and has an outlet situated in Abu Dhabi Airport.

“The Middle East is a prime target

market for O’Learys, and with a proven concept and multi-segment consumer appeal we have selected Fujairah Mall for our first outlet,” said Mohammad Awadalla, CEO, TIME Hotels Management.

“We see further opportunities to place O’Learys in key high traffic, high value locations across the UAE,” he added.

Scheduled to open in Q4 2015, the 275-square metre, 163-cover restaurant will also be linked to an indoor karting area and laser shooting gallery covering some 2,240-square metres, making it a suitable venue for dining families as well as sports fans.

A broadly appealing menu of classic burgers, signature buffalo wings, cheesy quesadillas, ribs, nachos and desserts will complemented by an extensive collection of non-alcoholic cocktails and soft beverages.

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NEWS

PANTRY CAFÉ OPENS IN BUSINESS BAY Pantry Café, the local gourmet café and delicatessen, opened its second venue in Bay Square, Business Bay last month.

Providing customers with the familiar Pantry Café mix of local and international cuisine, the new venue occupies a space of over 5,500 square feet, and will be open from 8am to 4pm serving guests breakfast, and lunch, 7 days a week.

The Pantry Café’s neighbourhood cafe style is reflected in the open kitchen and onsite bakery where fresh bread is baked on a daily basis. The delicatessen sells exceptional deli products including oils, jams, sauces and speciality breads. The Pantry Café also stocks RAW Coffee and offers a range of

The professional catering industry has been going through major changes in recent years.

In particular, the boundary between Horeca and Retail is becoming ever more blurred, while the revamping of outlets and multichannel points of sale, forcing professionals to transform a constant stream of new concepts into structured formats that are capable of generating new business. Concrete and striking examples of cross-fertilisation are occurring in, for example, the area of street food, and within the so-called “big box” containers designed specifically to deliver a more immersive experience.

Host 2015 exhibition will encompass 12 pavilions divided into three main macro-areas that bring together Professional Catering and Bread-Pizza-Pasta; Ice Cream-Pastry, CoffeeTea and Bars-Vending Machines; Furnishings and Tableware.

Here 1,500 high-profile buyers and tens of thousands of visitors from around the world will meet the leading Italian and international 12

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players in Horeca and Retail. To date, more than 1,000 companies have already signed up as exhibitors.

"We are making the most of the highly international environment of Host to present our company as a multinational that is at the same time also attentive to local conditions," declared Nicola Michelon sales & marketing director of Unox, a global company 92% of whose turnover derives from exports thanks to its wide range of gastronomy and bakery products and snack foods.

Similarly, Nereo Marzaro, president of Sirman said: “We participate in over 50 trade shows but for us this is the fair, the one from which we expect to get the best business returns.”

Among other features, this year sees the return of Extraordinariamente Hosts, in collaboration the Association of Professional Italian Chefs (APCI). This year, the event, which consists in sessions with expert professionals from different fields, will focus on pizzerias, an area that offers a particularly generous range of original ideas and innovative products for the catering industry.

The quality of our ingredients is what makes our food taste so good, and we are dedicated to providing all Pantry Café guests with the gourmet café experience,” said co-founder Yana Kalwani.

GUYLIAN BELGIAN CHOCOLATE CAFÉ

HOST 2015

beverages including smoothies, milkshakes, cordials and wellness drinks.

“Most of our vegetables are locally sourced and organic which is a big priority for us. We also use free range, organic eggs.

The launch of the Guylian Belgian Chocolate Café took place in the Luxury Court at Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi last month.

As the first outlet to open in the Middle East, guests were invited to experience the unique Guylian taste of fine Belgian chocolate in the elegant yet casual surroundings.

Founded in the 1960s, Guylian started as a small home production unit for truffles and pralines. In 1988, Guylian opened its first factory and now distributes its wide range of chocolates around the world.

Renowned for its exquisite Belgian Chocolate Sea Shells, filled with roasted hazelnut praline, Guylian also offers a range of gift boxes with truffles, Belgian assortment pralines, Neapolitans and more.

NEWS

SAY ‘CIAO’ TO LA MAMMA’S NEW CULINARY LEAD Celebrating authentic Mediterranean flavours and traditions, La Mamma at Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort has just welcomed a new Italian chef, Juri Pelusi.

A native of the beautiful region of Abruzzo in Italy, Chef Juri has worked extensively in some of the finest kitchens around the world from Rome through London to Dubai.

“I started to work at the age of 15, learning my culinary skills from the seasoned chefs of my hometown. I am immensely grateful for the classical training that I received during my apprenticeship. While I am always looking for new ideas, it is very

important for me to look after my gastronomic roots. At La Mamma, you can expect genuine Italian flavours cooked with carefully selected ingredients,” said Pelusi.

Evoking the atmosphere of a traditional Italian trattoria, La Mamma offers both classic favourites and Chef Juri’s signature dishes – amongst them is his trademark Nutella and gelato pizza. Originally from Naples, this indulgent dish is the perfect combination of Nutella, vanilla ice cream and crunchy pizza dough sprinkled with brown sugar.

“Once you have tasted this dish, you will never want your Nutella any other way,” promises Pelusi.

FIVE GUYS ARRIVE IN DUBAI

The Five Guys burger chain from the US arrived in the Middle East last month, with a flagship outlet in The Dubai Mall.

Five Guys is a family business started

by Jerry and Janie Murrell and, as the name suggests, includes five sons Tyler, Ben, Chad, Matt and Jim. With its first opening nearly 30 years ago near Wash-

ington DC, Five Guys has since grown to be one of the most popular burger restaurants in the US and Canada and is expanding into a host of new markets. The first opening outside of North America was in 2013 in London, England and now customers have a chance to dine at over 20 UK locations.

Every burger can be customised with the customer’s chosen toppings. Choose from a wide selection of free accompaniments, from lettuce and tomato to fresh jalapenos and barbeque sauce. At Five Guys, all food is freshly prepared and made to order, such as the award-winning fries that are hand-cut and expertly cooked in 100% pure peanut oil.

Jerry Murrell of Five Guys comments:

“The arrival of Five Guys in the Middle East is a dream come true. We’re delighted to have the support of a regional partner whose interests, namely letting the food do the talking, are so closely aligned with ours.”

Rise is a major new force in the regional franchise food and beverage industry. Of the Dubai opening, Tyrone Reid of Rise, said: “Rise strives to deliver an unrivalled and unique guest experience through lasting partnerships with brands who have equal passion. Our first store opening in The Dubai Mall represents the first step in our planned UAE rollout, and we’re looking forward to bringing the Five Guys experience to subsequent locations in Dubai and the UAE over the months ahead.”

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NEWS

SHERATON BRINGS ‘ADOPT A SCHOOL’ INITIATIVE TO ABU DHABI The culinary team at Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort and students of the International School of Choueifat in the Mushrif area of Abu Dhabi have introduced children to healthy eating habits, through the ‘Adopt a School’ initiative.

Chefs of the landmark Abu Dhabi hotel visited the school on the 25th of April and the 2nd of May to conduct a one-hour session with the pupils.

The ‘Adopt a School’ initiative was announced earlier this year as Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Abu Dhabi formed a partnership with the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts of the United Kingdom. Bringing the programme to the UAE, all seven Starwood hotels in Abu Dhabi are part of the activities including Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi, Aloft Abu Dhabi, Le Meridien Abu Dhabi, The St. Regis Abu Dhabi, The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Westin Abu Dhabi and Sheraton Abu Dhabi.

With almost 18% of children aged

between 2 and 15 years old having grown clinically obese in the last decade, the programme aims to tackle childhood obesity by giving children a hands-on approach to food education. The ‘Adopt a School’ programme has been designed as a tool to give children knowledge on healthy eating and practical skills at an early stage. The programme can be rolled out to all ages, starting at primary school age when future eating habits are first formed.

Balveer Balkissoon, Executive Chef of Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel said: “We are very proud to be involved in this initiative. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience to teach children about the benefits of healthy eating. As children are so receptive to new ideas, it is the perfect opportunity to start their education.

Their enthusiasm is infectious and we very much look forward to our third, final session at the end of May.”

THE OBEROI GOES SLOW

Snail

Approval

In accordance with Ramadan’s spirit of purity and endowing back to society, the culinary team of the Oberoi has embraced the ‘SLOW- Sustainable, Local, Organic and Wholesome’ food philosophy.

The aim of this initiative is to support local agrarians, use organic produce and reduce carbon footprint by sourcing ingredients from indigenous farms.

The Oberoi, Dubai has partnered with Al Dahra Agriculture in Al Ain and a team of Chefs will be visiting the farm frequently to pick the freshest produce.

The culinary team has put together a selection of gourmet Arabic and International delicacies for the extensive Iftar buffet, including a slow cooked tajene and an organic Arabic cheese and vegetable counter. Interactive cooking and molecular gastronomy stations for desserts will add an element of culinary theatre.

The Oberoi has been recognised for two consecutive years as the Middle East’s Leading Luxury City Hotel by World Travel Awards and amongst Trip Advisor Reader’s Choice Top 25 hotels in the Middle East.

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SUPPORTING CHEFS THROUGH TOUGH TIMES DURING RAMADAN To celebrate Ramadan, and in the spirit of giving, Unilever Food Solutions (UFS), the dedicated foodservice business of Unilever, will offer every customer who makes a purchase to earn AED 5 cash on each case back by returning coupons to UFS for redemption or a chance to donate AED 5 to charity.

Lucas Dollfuss, head of marketing – Middle East, Pakistan & Sri Lanka, explained: “Chefs tell us they face quite a challenge during Ramadan because they’re open for fewer hours and depend heavily on Iftar and Sahoor.

“Chefs and their staff work long hours, they are under constant pressure and they need to manage food cost during this month. And so we found a way to support them during this time. Together with well-known local chefs we created solutions that help chefs to manage their costs in their top Ramadan dishes” Unilever’s executive chef, Wassef Malaeb, added: “During Ramadan I need ingredients that I can rely on and help me control my costs, as well as deliver consistent taste in all dishes”.

NEWS

cluding the new comers, India, Kuwait, Kenya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malawi, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Switzerland and Thailand.

The Expo attracted 2,000 trade visitors from over 20 countries. Key features of TCE included TCE Business Connect, a dedicated programme to connect buyers and suppliers.

TCE’s hosted buyers programme attracted over 36 participants and 19 authorities from 14 countries, including Bahrain, India, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malawi, Mauritius, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand and the UAE. About 859 meetings for the Travel Catering Expo (TCE) were held between the hosted buyers and TCE exhibitors, said Daniyal Qureshi.

TRAVEL CATERING EXPO ATTRACTS 2,000 The second edition of Travel Catering Expo (TCE), held at DICEC in Dubai from 10-12 May, attracted a total of 50 exhibitors from various countries, in-

EMIRATES CATERING SERVICES EXPANDS UP NORTH

Emirates Catering Services, one of the UAE's leading and premiere catering providers, has announced plans to invest more than AED 1 million in the construction and set-up of new central kitchen facilities to help address the increased demand for its services from the Northern Emirates.

The company, a member of the Union Holding, one of Ras Al Khaimah's largest holding companies, is currently embarking on a massive expansion initiative.

Once completed, the new central kitchen, strategically located in the heart of Fujairah, will measure 600 square metres and will dish out more than 2,000 packaged meals, particularly targeting customers coming from Fujairah and Dibba.

COST NOT AN ISSUE FOR UAE DINERS

The eating out market continues to be one of the strongest performing sectors in the UAE with many residents now eating out more frequently and spending more than they were a year ago according to KPMG’s 2015 F&B survey.

The survey respondents were drawn from a mix of Emirati and GCC nationals, Arab, Asian and Western expatri-

ates. The Survey revealed that 66% eat dinner out at least once during the week and that the average spend on eating out per person in the UAE is AED 120.

Casual dining restaurants, QSRs (Quick Service Restaurants) and food courts, are the most popular F&B choices for UAE residents. Fine dining is still largely associated with special occasions; unsurprisingly as income levels rise, the preference for fine dining increases. Interestingly however, the preference for cafes also increases with higher income levels.

Anurag Bajpai, Partner KPMG said: “There is no lack of eating out options across the UAE and the increase in supply, in some segments of the market, continues to exceed the increase in demand. While the outlook for the sector as a whole has probably never been better, for individual players, the market has become increasingly competitive and thus challenging.”

Respondents noted that the type and quality of cuisine along with level of service were the most important factors

when selecting a restaurant. Perhaps surprisingly, respondents indicated that cost was a far less important factor, suggesting consumers are prepared to pay more for the right experience.

“Given increasing competition, it has become important for operators to deliver the right experience and continue to innovate,” noted Bajpai. “While the market is favourable, success is not guaranteed and there are still many examples of failure.”

Over 70% of respondents indicated they were influenced by opinions of friends and family and over 40% read an online review before visiting a restaurant for the first time.

“Increasing internet usage and smart phone penetration is both a risk and an opportunity,” says Bajpai. He adds: “Brands now really need to pay attention to their online presence and have a clear strategy. The operators who are getting this right are really benefiting, as they are not only raising their profile but are also enabling their customers to be advocates for their brand.”

JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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NEWS

A TALE OF TWO HALVES

The popular franchised healthy eating pizza outlet NKD Pizza mysteriously disappeared earlier this year, and from its ashes the local franchise owners have emerged as Freedom Pizza, an independent ‘made in the UAE’ brand.

But what happened to the franchise agreement and will we see NKD returning to fight for its position? Catering News ME met the owners of both outlets to see just how the pie will be divided.

NKD PIZZA Founded in late 2006 as one small store in New Orleans in an area that flooded during hurricane Katrina, N_K_D Pizza (originally named World's Healthiest Pizza) was launched as an ambitious business model – to change the nutritional profile of fast food.

Last year, the NKD Pizza outlets in Dubai performed “significantly” better than their eight US-counterparts, with a customer base of more than 200,000 and 68 percent repeat business.

Edward Rizk, vice president of operations NKD Pizza, spoke to Catering News ME about the termination of its franchise agreement and its plans to return to the UAE. Why was your local UAE franchise terminated?

This is a matter that is currently in the hands of our global and local lawyers so it is in the interest of both parties not to discuss any details.

However, what we can share with you at this point is the following: Due to the termination of the UAE franchise and cessation of all dealings with the previous franchisee, the authentic and original NKD Pizza is currently unavailable. We will be back soon in the UAE, so this disruption in business is only temporary.

Will Freedom Pizza be able to continue offering the same menu items as an independent?

What we can say is that only NKD pizza has the right to serve the NKD menu with its healthy organic ingredients and all items on the NKD menu are protected by copyright laws.

How do you plan to re-enter the UAE market?

We plan to open several stores in the UAE very soon.

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They will offer the true and authentic NKD pizza and will be available for our beloved customers.

What is your time frame for reentering the UAE market?

NKD Pizza knows clearly the market’s demand for its true and all natural authentic pizza. We have a very ambitious plan to be as close as possible to our loyal clients and widen and increase a lot more the breadth of coverage that we previously had.

Will you be able to offer the same breadth of coverage?

As soon as possible, and hopefully sooner than anyone expects How will you differentiate your menu from that of Freedom?

As NKD Pizza we are morally committed with NKD’s international standards to deliver the all-natural, free of derivatives and non-chemical ingredients in every pizza we serve.

How do you plan to market your return?

This will be made public in time.

NEWS

FREEDOM PIZZA The original owners of the NKD Pizza franchise in the UAE have ended their agreement and are now independently launching Freedom Pizza.

The new company has been established by two of the original founders and UAE franchise owners of NKD Pizza, Robbie Vitrano and Ian Ohan.

They have launched with five stores across Dubai, a 237-strong team, 127 delivery drivers and an average delivery time of 23 minutes, a statement said.

Working closely with UAE partners, Freedom Pizza sources its fresh vegetables from Greenheart Organic Farms while its gluten-free pizza crusts and desserts are baked fresh every day by Skinny Genie.

It also uses authentic Italian-style artisan cheese products made in the UAE with locally sourced milk.

Ian Ohan, Founder, Freedom Pizza, talked to Catering News ME about the transition.

Why was the franchise agreement terminated?

A fundamental breach of contract occurred, that made it impossible for us to continue delivering on the ethos and vision we believe should be the foundation for a successful F&B business. It was not an easy decision, but it was necessary for us if we wanted to continue doing the right thing for our customers, our team and our world.

We decided to return to our original mission and uphold our core values. Freedom Pizza is a locally owned “Made in the UAE” success story, combining local and international expertise to share a vision for delicious honest pizza we can all feel good about.

Will Freedom Pizza offer the same menu items as an independent, as it did as a franchisee?

We believe in crafting fresh, delicious,

authentic pizzas and delivering them to you right and fast every time.

We now have our own chef devising our exclusive Freedom menu – with the best and freshest ingredients, and with much of our ingredients sourced locally. We’ve also partnered with a number of great local suppliers such as Greenheart Organic Farms and Skinny Genie to ensure our customers get the quality and choice we believe they should get. It’s an exciting time for us.

What are you expansion plans in the UAE market?

We already have five outlets in Dubai, and we’ll be opening our first outlet in Abu Dhabi within the next couple of months. Of course, our plans are to expand beyond the UAE into the region and out to the wider world.

Will you be able to offer the same breadth of coverage as an independent?

Robbie and I are serial entrepreneurs with a track record of building brands and businesses. We understand how to scale a business and we understand how to deliver on a core mission – Freedom Pizza is about being true to self, to others, and to the community.

our future is bright – this is a journey that will go global.

Freedom believes in the ethical and sustainable sourcing of ingredients, wherever possible choosing those that are locally grown and produced.

And as mentioned, we partner with local producers wherever we can – in the UAE this includes Greenheart Organic Farms, Italian Dairy Products UAE, Skinny Genie and Savarin – all committed to delivering the freshest, most delicious, authentic ingredients, produce and products.

How do you plan to market your new identity?

Everything about Freedom is fresh and liberating – from the quality of the food to its exceptional service by staff who are proud to be Free.

We’re building a brand founded on authenticity – we’ll market using our product, our people, our relationships and our service.

How do you differentiate yourselves from NKD? Freedom Pizza is a forward-thinking food concept that promises fresh, honest, delicious food and freaky fast delivery, for sharing with friends and family.

We’re a ‘Made in the UAE’ brand, and JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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COVER STORY

As Dubai gears itself in becoming an international trading hub for food, bilateral relationships are increasingly important, as Catering News ME discovered

T

he preliminary statistical data of the Federal Customs Authority (FCA), released in May, revealed an increase in the total non-oil direct trade of the United Arab Emirates to AED 1.07 trillion during 2014, achieving a growth rate of 1 percent over compared to the previous year.

The FCA preliminary data indicated that the share of imports of the UAE total direct non-oil trade amounted to AED696.4 billion during the year, compared to AED685.1 billion in the previous year, i.e. increasing by 2%, while the value of exports amounted to about AED132.2 billion, and the value of re-exports to 243.7 billion AED with a growth rate of 5 percent compared to the previous year.

The FCA declared that the UAE direct non-oil trade is witnessing an increasing growth in recent years, in light of the great economic growth achieved by the country, as well as its flexible trade policy, and its success in removing the obstacles of trade with the outside world, in addition to the simplification and standardisation of the customs procedures in all the UAE entry ports.

The regional structure of the UAE trading partners in the field of non-oil trade was stable in terms of regions shares, as Asia, Australia and the Pacific region maintained the first rank with a share of AED424.5 billion, equivalent to 41 percent of the UAE total non-oil trade.

The European region came second with a share of AED 282.8 billion, or 27% of the total, followed by the Middle

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East and North Africa Region with AED163.9 billion, or 16%, and the American and Caribbean Region with AED 101 billion, or 10 percent of the total, West and Central Africa with AED42.6 billion, or 4.1%, and finally the Eastern and Southern Africa with AED9.2 billion, representing 3.1% of the UAE total non-oil trade during the year.

Foreign Ambassadors play an important role in helping the MENA region grow as both an importer and exporter of food stuff by promoting existing bilateral trade, investment and cultural ties. Only last month PRO ECUADOR, the trade and Investment promotion organisation of Ecuador, visited Dubai’s School of Culinary and Finishing Arts (SCAFA), successfully presented to the school chefs the forum themed “Exotic Ecuador."

Attendees were presented with important information about Ecuador, its natural regions, main exportable products, nutritional characteristics, benefits for the consumer, among other important facts that caught the attention of the chefs. All of this with the purpose of providing first-hand information about the quality and benefits of Ecuadorian products.

In April Pablo Kang, Australian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates visited Dubai in celebration of the ‘Australian Goodness Festival’, which took place from April 12- 25 across all Choitrams stores in the Emirate.

And the annual Gulfood exhibition attracts international delegations from around the world, including Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and the Ambassador the Embassy of Chile.

Catering News ME spoke to four international ambassadors to establish what they were doing in terms of promoting bilateral trade.

COVER STORY

CHILE

Trade between Chile and the UAE started over 40 years ago and at that time it was predominately fresh fruit – mainly apples, and timber – mainly pine wood. Now there is a wide span of products, with food being number one, starting with a whole range of fresh fruit – as Chile has opposing seasons, and there is still a high trade of pine. Over the last 5-6 years the key products have become salmon, and seafood, wine and gourmet products.

Jean-Paul Tarud, Ambassador of Chile, says: “We specialise in small volume high quality products, like the oysters, which we can blast freeze to taste fresh delivered.

“Our fish producing area is half the size of the UK, with wonderful king crab, sea bass and muscles, and in the next 4-5 years we will be the number one raspberry exporter worldwide. We are currently second or third placed in blueberries and cranberries.

“If you compare our population and land mass we are the seventh largest food exporter in the world. As a country we are twice the size of France and we have only 16m people – you can fit our entire population in just one city in Brazil.”

Today, Chile is by far a net exporter and that trade represents 45% of its GDP. To the GCC it’s a small percentage, around half a billion dollars in trade, but to the EU, US, China and India its much larger – with Indian trade representing 2.5bn dollars alone. But Jean-Paul sees potential for growth in the MENA. He says: “We try to help companies get to know each other through trade shows like Gulfood and organised trade missions. We are trying to simply logistics, certification and customs and paper work but we can’t sign a free trade agreement as yet as not all countries have the same trade policies within the GCC, so there has been a moratorium for the last five years.

“We are on the waiting list for an FTA and until we have that we have to be creative in finding other agreements to support trade, like avoiding airline double taxation and simplifying food certification to make it quicker and easier for food to move – especially fresh.”

Today, the airlines play an increasingly important role in transporting fresh perishable foods and Emirates has been flying to Chile for four years. They bring fresh berries, fresh seafood – particularly salmon, on a weekly basis. But the shipping industry still carries the bulk of the produce, which takes 40-45 days non-direct and chartered 23 days.

Jean-Paul says: “We opened our first Chilean pavilion in Gulfood in 2006, so I’ve seen a lot of change. Initially we represented only 5-6 companies, but went into force in 2008 and have been growing ever since. Today the fair can’t give us any more space or we would take it. We have 50 companies apply and can accommodate only 12 and participants take preference each year so it leaves little space for new comers.

“Gulfood is our second most important exhibition in terms of follow up and concluded sales, after SIAL, and beating Anuga in Germany.” This year 49 Canadian companies attended Gulfood compared to 38 in 2014

ECUADOR

PROECUADOR is the Trade and Investment promotion organisation of Ecuador, responsible for the business development of domestic exporters as well as the implementation of policies and rules to promote exports and investments into the country. PROECUADOR aims to foster strategic bilateral trade and penetrate existing and emerging markets across the world with concentrated efforts to successfully accomplish that goal in the UAE through its Dubai office.Xavier Larrea Pereira, PROECUADOR Marketing Manager, says: “We have the role of a trade, foreign direct investment and tourism facilitator by creating a link between the UAE and Ecuador to encourage these three main scope areas. A way of attaining this is through participation in trade promotion events such as fairs, trade missions and business conferences that encourage enormously this integration.”

Ecuador has different varieties of products that it can extensively offer to the UAE and GCC market. Ecuador is well known for being an exporter of all varieties of coffee, and Ecuador has been recognised for being the first fine aroma cocoa exporter in the world, moreover, the most relevant Ecuadorian products are: bananas – as the first banana exporter in the world and with 30% of banana world market supply today; fruits, such as mango, pineapple and, non- traditional fruits such as, pitahaya, passion fruit; vegetables like broccoli and palm heart; high end quality snack and spicy sauces; quinoa – as the third placed in Latin America for global quinoa supply; and fish – with excellent shrimp and tuna quality.

The total value of Ecuador's non-oil exports to the UAE reached 134,793 tonnes to the value of USD 74. 7 million in 2014 showing an increase of 44% from 2013. The most relevant products exported from Ecuador to the JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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GCC countries are: bananas and plantains – USD FOB, 57 million in 2014; roses - USD FOB, 6.1 million in 2014; shrimps – USD FOB, 1.6 million in 2014; and confectionary – USD FOB, 2.3 million in 2014.

Xavier says: “Proof of our strong relations are the bilateral visits by authorities of the two countries. Last year we had the visit from our Minister of International Trade and during the month of May there was a recent High

the rest of the GCC countries and the region in general for logistics connectivity in the near future.”

BRAZIL

Brazil has enjoyed a long-term relationship with the Arab World, in terms of trade, that started several years ago. In operation for over 62 years, the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) was established to consolidate and expand partnerships, generate opportunities and bring Arab and Brazilian companies together.

The ABCC plays a crucial role in boosting the economic, cultural and tourism activities between Arab and Brazilian companies, and also works as an intermediary to manage and facilitate the flow of information between Brazil and Arab countries and to motivate SMEs to set up new businesses.

Today, Brazil is both an exporter and importer of goods from and to the GCC. Exports between Brazil and the GCC have grown significantly over the years, reaching US$7.19 billion in 2014, while imports from the GCC have also increased, registering US$5.97 billion last year.

The main Brazilian sectors that export to the GCC are among foodstuff, commodities, iron ore and machinery.

According to last year’s figures, meat had a 31% share among all Brazilian exports to the GCC, or US$2.3 billion, followed by ores (US$1.55 billion), sugars (US$1.3 billion), inorganic chemicals (US$405.32 million) and oil seeds (US$177.3 million).

Dr. Michel Alaby, Secretary General and CEO of ArabBrazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) says: “With well-established trading ties with countries across the world, exports bring money into Brazil, contributing to increases in GDP. In addition, exports promote the country’s brand among importing countries, enabling people to know about Brazil’s well-developed and high-quality production and manufacturing sector.

“Up to now, there are no trading tariffs between Brazil and the GCC countries, and there is currently no incentives to foster the trade between the two regions, but we are actively working to conceive bilateral business councils.

“The best way to enhance mutual cooperation and exchange is through meetings with economic investors and traders from the Arab World. This is the perfect way to know about the clients

With the opening of the PRO ECUADOR Office in the UAE we hope it will be the starting point to expand our trade promotion activities to the rest of the GCC countries and the region in the near future Level Business Mission from Dubai to Ecuador, organised

by PRO ECUADOR and headed by HE Sami Al Qamzi, Director General, Department of Economic Development, which shows that the Government of Dubai is set to increase the trade footprint between the two countries.

“With the opening of the PRO ECUADOR Office in the UAE we hope it will be the starting point to expand our trade promotion activities to the rest of the GCC countries and the region in the near future.”

He adds: “There is the vision of using Dubai and the UAE as our strategic trade hub for the Ecuadorian Exporters to give them increased accessibility and to be able to penetrate more effectively the Gulf Countries and the region overall markets.

But among the major challenges facing the process of import and export between UAE and Ecuador on the logistics side is the distance between UAE and Ecuador that transforms in increased transit time for our products.

However, as the demand for our products continue to grow steadily this will motivate carriers (Sea & Air) to optimise the transit times from South America to UAE. “We will strive to increase logistics connectivity between Ecuador and the UAE by creating partnership with UAE airlines and shipping lines connectivity. We will partner with UAE airlines to increase their routes to Ecuador on the cargo side as well as direct commercial flights to Quito and Guayaquil causing a direct impact into the Tourism Sector. On the shipping lines connectivity, our strategic plan will rely on the increase demand of our Ecuadorian products to the UAE causing transit times from Ecuador to the UAE to be improved in order to satisfy the increasing cargo demand. These initiatives in the UAE will set the ground to strengthen the ties with

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COVER STORY

and their requirements and work to improve rules and regulations that can further boost the trade relations between Brazil and Arab countries.”

Dr. Michel has visited the Middle East several times, to meet potential partners, with a special emphasis on ways to strengthen the bilateral relations and increase the level of trade, including exhibits at the Gulfood exhibition.

“The Gulfood exhibition was a great opportunity for Brazil to introduce and show its best food products to the Arab countries and in particular to the GCC states. It was also an opportunity to engage with visitors and exchange mutual trading concerns and future possibilities. The exhibition was very successful for Brazil as we were able to close many deals during the course of the event,” says Dr. Michel.

AUSTRALIA

Australia and the GCC share a significant economic relationship, encompassing trade and investment across a broad range of goods and services, with the export of live animals and other agricultural and food products valued at around A$2 billion in 2013.

Pablo Kang, Australia’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, says: “With a large proportion of world petroleum resources and a rapidly growing population, the GCC’s prospects for continued economic growth are strong. This fact, along with a GCC FTA, will help sustain growth in Australia’s trade and investment relations with the region.”

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COVER STORY

Free Trade Agreement negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, commenced in July 2007.

Australia is one of a number of countries negotiating FTAs with the GCC, however, the Council has paused its trade negotiations with all partners pending a review of its trade agreement policy.

In March 2014, the GCC Ministerial Council approved the resumption of FTA negotiations, but made no announcement on when negotiations would resume and with which countries. “The Australian Government is advocating strongly for a resumption of the Australia-GCC FTA negotiations,” adds Pablo.

Currently the GCC has no generalised economic tariff against Australia. The GCC is currently in negotiations to create a customs union to agree on a (CET) common external tariff which will create synchronisation between all 6 members on import duties, quotas and non-trade barrier i.e. (licenses) from Australia. Each commodity from Australia has its own individual tariff rate.

Saudi Arabia has the highest tariff rates across the GCC countries ranging from 5%-15%, whereas the UAE has one of the lowest tariff rates e.g. frozen food is 5% tax, fresh meat 0%.

Australia mainly imports petroleum and natural gas products from the GCC. But is a large exporter of goods and services to the GCC. In 2014, exports from Australia grew by 6.25%, with food exports such as meat and wheat leading the way.

The estimated trade between AUS and the GCC region is approximately A$12bn with exports accounting for approximately A$7 bn and imports A$5 bn. UAE and

Saudi Arabia make up A$5bn of the trade to the GCC. Pablo says: “As we are currently doing promoting Australia and our products where we are competitive and where there is demand, to increase institutional linkages and people to people exchange.

The major promotional event is held each year in April, Australia Unlimited, to facilitate increased interconnectivity between the UAE and Australia.”

In November 2014, the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) collaborated with Sultan Centre, the Victorian Government and Lawand Trade to run a retail food promotion in Kuwait. Food Innovation Australia (FIAL) supported the event by providing point of sale materials highlighting Australian brands throughout participating outlets. After its success and coinciding with the Australian Unlimited MENA 2015 event, Austrade decided to get involved in a similar promotion in the UAE, and worked again with Lawand Trade, FIAL and for the first time with Choithram’s supermarket to run the Australian Goodness Festival from 12-25 April 2015.

“With food being one of Australia’s biggest exports to the region, we wanted to showcase the range and quality of produce coming from Australia. Over 500 products were featured in the stores from meat to cheese, honey, packaged foods, etc.

“Through this promotion we hope to increase consumer awareness about Australian food items, which would help increase the popularity and demand for these goods and also open the market for new exporters who haven’t looked into the region yet,” adds Pablo.

Exports promote the country’s brand among importing countries, enabling people to know about Brazil’s well-developed and high-quality production and manufacturing sector

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Each year, Austrade hosts a number of briefings and networking events during Gulfood, in addition to supporting visiting delegates and exhibitors at the Australian pavilion. This year over 150 Australian companies attended, including large delegations from Victoria, Food SA and the Gold Coast City Council. Austrade led a series of business events including a market briefing for over 50 new-to-market Australian exporters, highlighting Dubai as the food logistics hub for the Middle East and beyond.

Austrade regional representatives from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait also attended Gulfood along with their buyer groups.

Pablo adds: “Gulfood being the world's largest annual food and beverage event has been a great platform for Australian food exporters and traders.

Having operated the largest national pavilion at the inaugural fair in 1987, an Australian Trade Officesponsored group has now participated in every edition of Gulfood, aiding its evolution from a regional trade fair into a globally-recognised business and investment platform.�

THE FORUM

PREPARING TO BREAK FAST

With Ramadan around the corner, hotels, restaurants, cafes and bars are all gearing up for this religious festivity. But just how much planning goes into this countrywide celebration is quite staggering, as Catering News ME discovered when it brought a group of leading F&B specialists together for our monthly roundtable debate

What is your lead time for planning for Ramadan?

past 5 years I have done daily tracking on how the outlet performed.

Markus. Our time for planning started almost three months ago with the

Bhavesh. Prep starts for the next year as soon as Ramadan ends – it’s

port the operation requirements. Although we are a fine dining restaurant,

to understand how it went and what we will do next time.

proper marketing support, adequate menu design and enough staff to sup-

with specific working hours for lunch and dinner, during Ramadan we will

open earlier in the morning, will close later in the evening and we’ll stay open in the afternoon.

important to see what exactly happened – the positive and negative – and

The beauty of Ramadan in this country is that it’s been practiced for many years. The main difficulty sometimes is getting the ingredients because everybody wants the same.

Adiil. Ramadan is a sacred month in this region so for us F&B lead-

Rikhsibay. Throughout the year there is no low season anymore. Right

marketing, outlet decorations, and the menu cycles. We have lots of

Ramadan is one of our busiest months. Even from Europe guests come

ers it takes 2-3 months to organise as there’s lots to prepare, such as

regulars that come to our restaurants too, so we do a wonderful kid’s corner as many families’ come with nannies and we have space for

them to feed them. For us, the forecasting is most important – for the 24

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after Ramadan we prepare a post mortem and prepare better for next year.

and enjoy seeing the culture and eating local dishes. We have 10-12 juices that only come out during Ramadan – and this gets great feedback from customers, but it’s all about planning in advance.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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Bahjat. We must remove all alcohol from display – so we remove it entirely or hide it – and also entertainment must stop.

Evangelos. The whole year F&B is buzzing with lots of cheerful events and then its an interesting experience to go through to transform the team to a different phase – everything more calm with the same quality service

– not cheerful during Ramadan time. It’s interesting to mould the team to be more respectful to local culture. This transition takes 1-2 months.

Adiil. With more established hotels you have regular guests that have a perception that Ramadan will be boring or they cannot enjoy a glass of

wine – so you have to train staff to offer alternatives and educate about exploring local cultures. To get a positive mind about the season.

EVANGELOS KARAKOULIAS FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGER DOUBLETREE BY HILTON DUBAI Evangelos. As this will be our first Ramadan we started from January in

Rikhsibay. We also find it very important to give information to our guests. We display the dos and don’ts, the history and the cultural con-

text as well as entertainment guides. Ramadan is not a challenge but an

opportunity. The first week is quiet as people visit family and dine at home, but otherwise our venues are often fully booked.

terms of entertainment and food. As a new kid we don’t have recurring

Bhavesh. First week tends to be quieter. So we started a concept called

entertainment, what competition has previously done – so we started after

of cold and hot mezes and Uzi, for ten people, is delivered to the house for

clients so we wanted to confirm everything early. Marketing, forecasting, new year and concluded by the end of Jan. There are a lot of options here for entertainment but you have to move fast to get the quality choices.

Bhavesh. Book on time. Planning starts the year before but booking is 1-2 month before. We must block ingredients, marketing collaterals, entertainment, etc.

Bahjat. In Ramadan we do charity so we need to plan and get agree-

ments in advance. We also need the NOC for entertainment and to book off the suppliers.

What are the unique challenges of managing F&B during Ramadan?

Markus. Ramadan has many challenges. Keeping in mind that we are a

Ramadan to Go – following New Year concepts with turkey. A special Iftar the one week they want to celebrate at home.

Adiil. We do a raffle draw with Shangri La across the Middle East to offer

a weekend stay so guests can stand a chance to win. I started Ramadan in

Traders and within two years saw a 50% increase. This keeps customers coming back – like a loyalty programme.

How do you juggle the requirements of Muslim staff with those of the restaurant?

Markus. Muslim staff will only work after they break their fast in the evening, while the rest of the staff will work regular shifts and cover for their fellow colleagues.

standalone outlet, we will have to shift a certain number of staff from

Evangelos. You treat everyone equally and don’t discriminate. From the

outsourcing company. Adequate knowledge of the outlet menus, offers

tired, in the past we offered them more of the evening shifts – after sunset

other outlets within the group and look for additional numbers from an and SOP’s is another challenge that we’ll overcome with the proper planning and additional trainings.

team comes an understanding that Muslim team members will be more

– rather than having them in a day shift. Planning the roster and shifts is really important to get over those tired or non motivated to work.

Adiil. Outlets are quiet during the day because of the summer low sea-

Bhavesh. It is really important to respect the local culture, which says we

that pray overnight and wake early in the morning and they need to be

with their family because working hours become a lot less – the rest who

son, so you have to plan your money very well. We have Muslim people communicated with as to when they want to eat and break fast. We en-

courage non-Muslim staff to go on leave for positive P&L figures and give

them time with their families. We also get lots of last minute bookings so we have over flow in the restaurants, so I always secure a buffer space as this time is sacred and these people must eat.

Bhavesh. Our major problem is suppliers – they work on reduced hours so for any last minute bookings we can’t get supplies to meet the covers. We are all about quality and freshness of food so supplier the big challenge.

must look after Muslim associates. I try to give them time off to spend

don’t want vacation work on Suhar, after 8 so they break fast and do Iftar, and work to 3am then rest until the next afternoon.

Rikhsibay. We do the scheduling and also provide the Iftar and special food to break the fast. Even though most of them fast they still want to

work – they still have the energy and passion. As long as we look after them well there is no side effect.

Adiil. I get all Muslims around the table to discuss what they want and JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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Bhavesh. Ramadan has now become fashionable. It’s trendy to do Iftar and Suhar and every company in Dubai will do an Iftar party.

Bahjat. We offer gift vouchers for companies with big staffing levels so

they don’t have to do one huge Iftar and staff can be rewarded when they please. This is the new trend.

Bhavesh. We have vouchers for suppliers, associates, staff and clients so they can come with their families to enjoy.

How do you ensure sufficient supplies to cater to Iftar and Suhar daily?

Markus. We have learned from our previous experiences, we can predict the amount of stock that we’ll require on a daily basis. Also, we have reli-

able suppliers and with the proper communication we’ll manage to have

MARKO ALEKSIC BEVERAGE MANAGER / HEAD SOMMELIER LA PORTE DES INDES

fresh products in sufficient quantities.

Adiil. We have to be careful on food costs as we order lots of meat. We must get forecasts right based on historical figures. No matter what, everyone faces challenges in terms of covers for the first week.

then come up with solutions – like a special corner to break fast or I split

Bhavesh. If you do a lot of live stations its easier – we do 70% so we

run the Iftar and Suhar events.

without the guests we stop cooking. Also food in Ramadan lasts longer –

the team into two so they can take Suhar too. These are the guys that really

Bhavesh. In the housing for the Muslim associates we deliver special food

to their rooms, if they want to break fast there, or we have small cafeterias where they can dine together

Chef. We block vacation during Ramadan so minimum staff away so we can cover the operation with reduced hours.

just cook what we need. If we see a group coming in we cook more and mezze last 3 days and marinated meat tastes better the next day.

Evangelos. Nearly 80% is live stations – we wanted it to feel like a res-

taurant and not a blanket buffet or corporate event. The current trend is for customers wanting to interact with the kitchen and the chef – engage the chef and ask questions – so we follow this trend. 80% of all our food is prepared in front of the guests.

Evangelos. One small attention to detail is to have Muslim staff on pri-

Rikhsibay. We all agree that the trend is changing now – more towards

starts they have priority to break fast. We don’t enforce it but it’s received

waste and provide fresher food.

ority to dine in the restaurant. We give them priority so as soon as Iftar positively by the team.

Bahjat. We do this with the guests also, half board package entitles to lunch or dinner so we tell them dinner start at 8 so they don’t collide with

live cooking than a buffet. We also save a lot of food this way, minimise

Bhavesh. People are more concerned about quality than quantity today – no need to see the table heaving with all the food.

Muslims breaking fast.

Adiil. Closing the restaurant door is a challenge as regular guests have routines so we have to put staff outside the restaurant or put up a nice sign to let them know we are still serving, we lose 10% of business by just closing the door.

Bhavesh. We find that 30% of people from Europe or Asia still don’t

know what Ramadan is so we have to offer alternatives or reality bites,

we send out letters to prospective guests so they are prepared in advance.

Adiil. Western guests – mid class travellers – families with two kids and not enough salary - I identify these guests immediately and explain what is nice

to do in terms of entertainment as it’s very hot so they can’t do much outside.

Rikhsibay. During Ramadan we do a big Iftar for all staff – fasting and not – in the ballroom. We serve the same food as we give to the guests.

26

CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

BHAVESH RAWAL DIRECTOR OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE JW MARRIOTT

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

THE FORUM

something you cook immediately and you have less food left over. Wheth-

er we like it or not guests want to feel the warmth of food and see it displayed in front on them. Ten years ago huge buffets would mean huge

waste at the end of the day, and we have looked at giving to charity but

there are too many restrictions with food and healthy safety – you can’t display food for several hours and then give it away to be consumed.

Bhavesh. Ramadan uses the cheaper cuts of meat because it’s all about the marination and made in an authentic way. We actually save money during the period.

What do you do with leftover food – are you able to donate it to charity?

Markus. Being an a la carte restaurant we don’t have any food left-

overs. But our mother company is doing all kinds of charity work with

ADIIL TEGALLY F&B OPERATIONS MANAGER TRADERS HOTEL, DUBAI

Adiil. It depends on what part of the GCC you are from – some demand to see the full buffet laid out and others are more health conscious.

Bahjat. Suppliers are a challenge as they don’t have enough items to deliver so you need at least 3-4 suppliers. Don’t rely on just one.

Bhavesh. Dubai now has a history of Ramadan and Iftar with over ten

Dubai Cares organisation throughout the year.

Bhavesh. We use the leftovers for the staff to share as we can’t give it to charity because of municipality regulations.

Chef. Waste is based on bookings – we add 20% of extra food only on top of our bookings for last minute arrivals.

Bahjat. We give AED5 for every online booking to children with special

needs as we can’t give away the food – that goes immediately to our staff.

Is Ramadan a profitable period for the restaurants?

years in the business, and suppliers are experienced and committed.

Markus. Having a chance to stay open during Ramadan and being the

persistent in pushing orders, reminding me long in advance and warning

and drinks during day time, we see this as a great opportunity to intro-

They remember what you ordered before, have detailed accounts and are if levels are low. They know your business.

Bahjat. Suppliers can manipulate by saying they don’t have one product and instead pushing another – they advise to buy what they want.

Bhavesh. That issue is true with Arabic sweets as no hotels make them because they are so specialised, expensive to make and not long lasting.

Supply is tight as we all need them.

only restaurant in Dubai Mall where guests can sit and enjoy their food duce our restaurant and our service to the greater number of guests.

Adiil. Ramadan is a main promotional month. Compared to all activities through the year it is very profitable because we have a full restaurant – contributes to GOR.

Bhavesh. It is least profitable for us – we lose a lot of money. We have

Rikhsibay. We find the décor is as important as the food – ensuring you

offer a complete experience from the moment they enter till the time they leave. Yes we have great food, and this works for word of mouth but you need an edge over other hotels with good food.

Adiil. Historical Ramadan – explaining the story behind the ingredients

and preparation, that works for us. We have queues of people drawn in to

these displays. In the afternoon, when its quiet I use the Arabic tents to display in this way and draw crowds into my all day dining.

Chef. All restaurants face challenges during Ramadan with their food

costs because the Iftar and Suhar buffets are offered at prices cheaper

than normal. So what we do is store as much as possible through the preceeding months to avoid the hiked prices.

Evangelos. Live stations work food costs better and when guests require

RIKHSIBAY TURSUNOV ASSISTANT FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGER JUMEIRAH BEACH HOTEL

JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

27

THE FORUM

take away meals for certain groups of employees in our range, such as taxi drivers, maintenance and cleaning staff, etc.

Adiil. For us we have a couple of organisations like Down Syndrome, so

I take AED1 from every cover and then I organise an event for the charity free of charge. I also encourage the Muslim staff to invite family over for a free Iftar in the all-day dining.

Evangelos. As part of the Hilton Worldwide Group our CSR is focused on ‘Travel with Purpose’ with four main pillars – one being strengthening local communities. We partner with organisation to offer com-

plimentary Iftar. We also invite school over to show them how a hotel operates and discussing opportunity for employment for them and how

the hotel operates during Ramadan. The kids get to see the logistics

BAHJAT SAAD ASSISTANCE DIRECTOR OF F&B AMWAJ ROTANA, JUMEIRAH BEACH

behind putting on an Iftar.

Adiil. In our hotel we prepare Iftar boxes for the taxi and limousine driv-

ers and tour bus drivers. I pass them to the concierge to distribute. It makes them happy and also taxi drivers drive covers to the restaurant.

major restrictions on restaurants so we see footfall drop dramatically. Only

Bhavesh. When we are asked to host charity events I will give it at cost

Bahjat. We also lose a lot, for the same reasons, but also the timing of

Rikhsibay. We support charities and do activities with our sport and lei-

and changing our operating hours, so overall it has major impact on profit-

to the teachers. We also go to the local mosque with Iftar packages to

busy time is Iftar. Also hours are down but we pay the same wages.

Ramadan being in low season. We have to reduce the price of our rooms, ability. We must rely on the all-day dining.

price and also do tie up with schools to send out Iftar boxes.

sure team, bringing food along with us to schools with dining vouchers distribute after prayer time.

Bhavesh. Our hotel runs on entertainment and we can’t have that. We

Evangelos. As a newcomer we want to increase our awareness and to

them – they stay home and smoke shisha.

dan Iftar event and from that event had many orders from corporate and

have regulars come 5-6 times per month but in Ramadan we don’t see

Evangelos. We are benefiting that Ramadan comes during low season. Sec-

demonstrate we are open and will be having Iftar, we held a pre-Ramafrom friends.

ond we must focus on areas we can make money on and reduce costs every-

Bhavesh. The beauty of Ramadan is that Muslim people really look for-

costs down. Minimise P&L across everything like operating supplies, cleaning

involvement and enthusiasm.

where you can. Release as many people as possible during the period to drive supplies, etc. You must be focused on where you can maximise returns.

ward to it and the city really supports it. We see tremendous positivity,

Rikhsibay. Dubai tourism really promote Dubai summer surprises. Ramadan is more about giving.

Bhavesh. We drop 60% of revenue during Ramadan as we don’t have wed-

dings or events or entertainment. Only place we do well is Iftar, which is packed every day. Rest of covers down 20-25%.

Bahjat. It depends where the restaurant is situated because in JBR we have 85% expat community and impact will be lower.

Adiil. Ramadan helps our profitability because it drives more covers and

helps payroll and P&L – without F&B we would not achieve targets. Every year we are all struggling to meet our budgets, profitability is not going up.

What CSR activities are the restaurant or hotel running throughout the period?

Markus. As additional Corporate Social Responsibilities we will be doing 28

CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

BON CHEANG EXECUTIVE CHEF JUMEIRAH BEACH HOTEL

Proud distributors of Julius Meinl JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

29

CASE STUDY

DOWN ON THE FARM A

l Rawdah was established in

1994 as a subsidiary of Emir-

ates Rawabi Group 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

Emirates Modern Poultry co., better known as Al Rawdah, process 40,000 chickens every day, with a million plus on site on any given day, as Catering News ME discovered in a recent site visit

processing capacity of above 40,000 birds

daily. With its ultra-modern production facilities, which are in line

with international standards, the company prides itself on its range of products made from fresh chicken.

Paul Farhat, Head of Foodservice for Emirates Modern Poultry Co,

says: “Our team of professionals in the fields of veterinary, chicken

relevant authorities in the country.”

Al Rawdah has fertilised chicken eggs

brought by cargo planes within 24 hours of being laid, from Germany. Upon arrival in

Dubai they are fumigated and cleaned and

kept at 17 degrees Celsius for four days be-

fore going into the hatchery, where they are

kept at 37 degree Celsius and 55% humidity for a further 18 days.

At this stage the eggs pass through a unique machine, in batches of

a 100, which injects vaccination directly into the embryo. After three

more days in the hatchery the chicks are ready to hatch. Incredibly, all 25,000 eggs will hatch within a three hour time frame.

The new born chicks are then re-vaccinated at a day old, before

processing, retail, and hospitality are our corner stones in provid-

they leave the hatchery for life on the farm.

solutions that come hand in hand with the premium quality chicken

the growth of the chicken in terms of what they eat, drink, and how they

ing the biggest retailers and food service institutes with creative grown at our farms here in Dubai.

“We seek partnerships and offer a wide range of tailor made prod-

The chicks will live on the farm for 30 days, which is a critical period in

live in order to reach their maximum growth target of up to 1.2kg.

Paul says: “The chicks are fed a diet of 60% corn and 20% soy, with

ucts to fit our customers’ operational needs. In short, our focus on

the rest a mix of vitamins and proteins, which is a German recipe

to be a sustainable business model encourages environmental initia-

ments. To grow from zero to 1.2 kg in one month is a big deal. Our

quality in both products and services makes us different. Our mission tives that exemplify best practices in the field of chicken farming,

from making our own 100% natural feed to slaughtering as per halal 30

requirements closely monitored by the

CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

proven to contribute to the growth of a chicken as per our requirechickens do not receive genetically modified foods, nor hormone injections, or antibiotics.”

Although the chickens found in stores across the UAE are

considerably smaller than those in the US or the UK, which are typically 2.5kg+, Paul says the local market pushes for small, younger chickens, as small as 500 grams.

“People want baby chicks 500-600 grams, even 1200 grams

doesn’t move a lot. The size of the chicken or chicken breast is a clear indication of whether it is locally fresh, or an imported frozen breast from Brazil. The Brazillian breasts can be up to

200 grams each, and then defrosted them and sold as chilled,” adds Paul.

On the farm there are 13 compounds, with six houses in each,

and each house will hold 25,000 chickens, so at any point there is a minimum of 1 million chickens on the farm. To avoid cross

contamination the compounds are isolated, and each is manned

by four technicians who must live and work in the compound for the entire 30 days lifecycle of the chicken. Across the entire 5km sq. complex 600 workers live on site.

Every day random samples are taken and tested, in particular

for salmonella, in the Al Rawdah Quality Control and Diagnostics Laboratory, which has all the required medicines onsite.

Paul says: “The lab maintains the bio-security levels for the

broiler farms and hatchery during and after the production

process to produce high quality products that are guaranteed

safe and healthy, and we are also equipped with DNA Diagnostic facility to screen and eliminate any noxious elements.

“Our complex is very much a controlled environment. Even the

vegetation is controlled for fear of cross contamination by wild birds.”

As a result Al Rawdah has a mortality ratio of just 3% from each

25,000 batch, which is around 750 birds, and the complex has had zero contamination from salmonella for over 6 months.

Once the chickens reach maturity they are taken to the slaughter-

house, and Al Rawdah has the capacity to slaughter 45,000 chickens daily, between the hours of 1am and 5am, with four men slaughtering 10,000+ birds each by hand, as per halal requirements.

CASE STUDY

Paul says: “Our farm is an entirely self-sustained business – we

have a rendering unit where everything out of the chicken is recycled as fertiliser or to produce fish feed. We also recycle the water for our plants, and keep a close eye on the composition of chicken drinking water. We also have our own feed mill to supply all our farms.”

It is evident as far as consumer behaviour is concerned that more

Today, Al Rawdah produces a wide range of fresh chicken and

processed meat products such as chicken nuggets, drumsticks, fillets, burgers, meatballs, popcorn, minced meat and sausages.

Speaking about the company’s offering, Paul says: “We recently

introduced the food service department, with a team of professionals

and more people are becoming aware of their diet and the ingredients

that go into making their meal. Paul adds: “Our customers’ guests are more demanding and this in turn is shifting the trend in the industry towards a change in mind set. It is now about freshness, organic,

healthy – whereby questions like what goes into feeding our chicken and how a chicken is cared for are 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 when it comes to chicken, which is considered the number one source of protein in our households.

Paul told us that the company has been exploring ways in which it

could cater to groups of school children, with educational farm tours.

The company was also contemplating tasting sessions for top chefs, so they could see the production and sample the produce.

dedicated to servicing this channel and a

new product range, and so far the feedback is extremely encouraging. We will further

A model of contract growing will be put into operation at the Liwa farm, firstly to increase the volume of poultry Al Rawdah can process and secondly, and most importantly, to empower small farmers to make a living by learning and applying superior standards

expand our product range beyond processed and fresh chicken to include beef and turkey processing. We have recently launched our

food service catalogue in its first edition and

we are confident that we have yet to explore further heights.

“It gives us great pride and privilege to service some of

the renowned hotels in the UAE such as Jumeirah International, Kempinski, Rotana Towers, Millennium 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

32

CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

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33

CASE STUDY

of the restaurants which are now considered a house hold name

“Furthermore, we are now in the middle of our fight to shift the mind

in Dubai such as Nandos, Wafi Gourmet, Mezza House, Safadi, Zahr

set of an entire market that is currently running at 90% consumption of

the Shangri-la, as well as Turkish village and a lot more of the ones I

able to pull off.”

El Laymoun, Diwan Al Muhanna, and the Michelin-starred Junoon at will now be blamed for having forgotten to mention.”

When we met last month, Paul added: “We have just signed agree-

ments with the Azadea group to supply the Paul restaurants, as well as the Al Tayer group, and discussions are progressing with Del Monte.”

He adds: “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 competi-

frozen chicken and that is a major undertaking that I’m sure we will be

Al Rawdah is currently constructing a second plant in Liwa, Abu

Dhabi, which will add 25% to its capacity when it opens. Part of Al Rawdah’s expansion plans is the start of the construction of a new farm in Liwa area, which will bring an additional 500 hectares of

farmland. Paul says: “A model of contract growing will be put into

operation at the Liwa farm, firstly to increase the volume of poultry Al Rawdah can process and secondly, and most importantly, to

empower small farmers to make a living by learning and applying superior standards.

tive, and at the same time encourage our customers to support local producers that offer the convenience of a nearby source.

“Al Rawdah’s Liwa facility will serve as a hub for community contract growers – where small farmers will be trained in Al Rawdah’s rigorous standards on free range poultry rearing.”

Furthermore, Al Rawdah has expanded its

distribution by entering the export market and making the brand available in nearby

We seek partnerships and offer a wide range of tailor made products to fit our customers’ operational needs

34

CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

GCC countries namely, Kuwait, Oman and

Qatar. Al Rawdah products are also exported

to Lebanon as well as Turkmenistan as it continues to provide the consumers with timely and efficient deliveries.

Also, through co-packing agreements Al Rawdah is able

to deal and distribute several other products in the local market as well as to other GCC countries.

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JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

35

INTERVIEW

BRITAIN STORMS THE BEACH

Luke Thomas is a remarkable young man, with four restaurants across two continents, and huge plans for the future, as Catering News ME discovered

B

ritain’s Luke Thomas won FutureChef 2009, coming top

against 7,500 competitors aged just 15, and whether it be

for one week, one month or one year, Luke has gone on to work with some of the UK’s top chefs.

At 18 years old he had become Chef Patron of his first restaurant

Luke’s Dining Room, which won the Berkshire and Buckinghamshire Restaurant of the Year award in 2013, against local competition from

opened Luke’s Eating House & Gin Rickey’s Bar in Chester, and he had launched his first book ‘Luke’s Cookbook’.

Born in North Wales, Luke balanced his school studies with week-

end and evening jobs in the Michelin starred kitchens of the Chester

Grosvenor Hotel & Spa, the acclaimed restaurant Soughton Hall, and alongside award-winning butcher Steve Vaughan.

Setting his sights high, Luke went on to secure further experience

Heston Blumenthal, Marco Pierre White, and the Roux brothers.

at some of the top restaurants in the world including, Gary Rhodes,

Pop-up in Mayfair, and he had founded Luke’s Broadway, a Modern

as Alinea in Chicago. Luke has also worked with the UK based Indi-

By the age of 20, Luke had also created Retro Feasts, an exciting

British Bistro in the heart of the Cotswolds. By 2014, Luke had 36

CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

Jamie Oliver's Barbecoa and three Michelin-starred restaurants such vidual Restaurant Company who own brands such as Piccolino and

INTERVIEW

Restaurant Bar and Grill.

Luke competed for Wales in the 2013 series of BBC2’s ‘Great

British Menu’ and was also the focus of BBC Three’s documentary ‘Britain’s Youngest Head Chef’.

One of Luke’s latest projects Retro Feasts has seen him partner up

with Mark Fuller, the owner and founder of the Embassy Dubai nightclub, in the Grosvenor House

The menu is infused with selections from the golden age of British

cookery. Available throughout the day are classic dishes from the

region such as King Prawn Cocktail, Popcorn Chicken, Mac n’Cheese, Coronation Chicken Salad, Fish Finger Sandwiches and a Retro

Burger, all reasonably priced and available in child-sized portions as well. Puddings follow perfectly with the likes of Eton Mess, Choco-

late Brownies and even the

hotel, and Geales restaurant

iconic Knickerbocker Glory

at the Royal Meridien.

in a pot!

A food-and-drink concept

Beverages compliment

inspired by childhood favou-

the food with milk-shakes,

appeal to today’s diverse so-

imaginative mocktails to

rites, cleverly revitalised to

traditional tipples and

cial crowd, Retro Feasts first

quench all thirsts.

gained popularity as a pop-up

Luke added “We’ve come

concept in London’s famous

up with a menu full of the

outlet, situated in Meraas’

ish people grew up with

Mayfair district. The Dubai

guilty pleasures that Brit-

THE BEACH, opposite JBR,

and still love to eat – even

marks the diner’s first perma-

though they may not often

nent residence.

admit to it! It’s going to be

Speaking at the launch,

a lot of fun and very tongue-

Luke Thomas said: “We’ve

in-cheek, all of these remain

gone back to our roots with

great dishes people remem-

this one – whether you grew

ber fondly. Most of them are

up in the 90’s as I did or the

not even served in restau-

60’s, 70’s or 80’s, I hope

rants anymore because they

you will love the spirit of

fell out of fashion or became

nostalgia we have managed

clichés, but it’s now time to

to recreate at Retro Feasts.

bring them back.”

We all have memories of our

Catering News ME sat

favourite childhood food. For

down with Luke for a truly

of all those favourites. We

this remarkable chef could

me, this is simply a medley

Retro Feast to find out how

wanted to create a fun, alter-

have amassed four restau-

native way of eating by the

rants by the age of 21.

beach and I believe there is

a little something to delight everyone at Retro Feasts… whether you are a gourmet foodie or someone that just loves good, simple food, done well.”

Located under the arches within the caterpillar pods at THE

BEACH, the décor is playful

“My drive, determination,

and passion are key to my early success. When you get a little something you get more hungry to achieve more,” says Luke.

He adds: “Originally I learnt cooking with my grandmother prepar-

ing traditional British com-

with guests entering via a

setting that includes white

brick-work tiling, bespoke vintage wall coverings and iconic

artwork. A bright colour pallet of rust red, navy blue and

sunny yellow all combine with minimalist, mixed furnish-

ings to bring back nostalgic

memories from Britain in the 70’s and 80’s.

I’ve been a chef since

traditional red telephone

box. Expect a casual, friendly

fort food.

12 years

We’ve come up with a menu full of the guilty pleasures that British people grew up with and still love to eat - even though they may not often admit to it!

old so I

was like

a sponge

absorbing everything I was taught, from Mi-

chelin starred restaurants across the UK, the UAE

and throughout Europe,

taking all the skills learnt and interpreting them into my own modern

JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

37

INTERVIEW

British food.”

Luke was introduced to Mark Fuller through Lynne Bellinger,

managing director of Purple Hospitality. Speaking of the relation-

ship, Luke says: “It had to be the right partner – I didn’t want to put

a stamp on and walk way – especially at such an early age – it’s a big step and I wanted to be hands on in every aspect of the venture.”

Meraas.”

He adds: “Retro British is my style of food, music, drinks, and décor – it’s a good sell, it’s fun, it’s casual and it’s a concept that won’t necessarily date – especially here with multiple restaurants opening – you need something sustainable.

“Everyone thinks British food is just fish and chips so we want to

“Lynne is my intermediate, my eyes and ears on the ground as I fly

put something new on the menu in Dubai – as a cool, funky, acces-

by us was important to ensure the brand is delivered how we want it.

out of the market. The pricing must reflect the ethos as a fast turn-

between UK and Dubai. To have someone not employed by Meraas but “Meraas has a lot of rules and regulation you have to adhere to,

and then there is no alcohol and no pork allowed, so we had to adapt the menu for compliance in Dubai, but we have been developing for

sible and affordable offering. Here in Dubai it’s easy to price yourself around diner, and the food must be substantial, different, stand out,

have the wow factor and the customer must feel there is value there.”

The partnership with Mark Fuller has provisions for two diner

12 months – which for a unit of this size its quite a lot of time – to

outlets, but Luke is taking it step by step with this first outlet to ensure

head chef from SoHo house in London. It’s about having someone we

fic it must be a machine in structure but we will expand more within

map it out and to bring the right people on board. Such as Tom, our are comfortable with, who understands the brands and who understands what we want to achieve.

“The advantages of working under Meraas are the amazing footfall

and the unique unit we have as our restaurant – the industrial feel of the unit ideally fits our ethos,” adds Luke.

He says: “Having Lynne on my side, and not of Meraas, means she

can challenge things as to how it should be and what I require – and the same goes for the head chef and manager – he was recruited to

the concept is absolutely tight. He says: “Because of the amount of trafDubai – but who knows where and when. There are two restaurants signed up, but there might be more because they like the concept.

“At the moment, I don’t want restaurants in the US or Australia

as I’d spend half my life on a plane. Having a multiple deal here in Dubai made more sense – as people will be more committed and

willing to invest more time and energy in the future. Our chef Tom is committed to setting up here, training staff and then moving to the

work for us and he bought into the brand although he is employed by

next venue. It will be a few years before we expand outside of Dubai.”

Luke is also developing a new dining con-

cept in another of Meraas’ developments, in City Walk 2. Under the brand name ‘Luke’s Dining Room’, this will be a casual fine

We wanted to create a fun, alternative way of eating by the beach and I believe there is a little something to delight everyone at Retro Feasts

dining bar, restaurant and lounge serving

modern British food with a mix of sharing

and formal dishes. Luke calls it “a play on old school British with a twist”.

“In Berkshire we have an up market pub vibe to the

bar – almost a social with people mixing, music and high seating – and we hope to recreate that here in Dubai.”

Currently in the planning stage now this outlet will be

one of four restaurants in a cluster, each with a different concept but all mid to top end.

38

CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

F&B INTERVIEW

THE MILE HIGH GOURMET CLUB Whissle Gourmet launched last month, aimed at the über wealthy, catering to the 0.01% of the population that regularly flies on private jets, with its mile-high gourmet club

W

hissle Gourmet, a curated collection of contemporary dishes for private aviation, launched last month, offering award-winning restaurant quality dishes that can be served with ease whilst entertaining sky high.

Whissle Gourmet’s unique collection of food has been meticulously designed by its expert culinary team, and includes delicious dishes from the contemporary Japanese restaurant OKKU; a selection of exquisite Mediterranean and Italian inspired plates from RIVA Ristorante; and healthy and wholesome organic breakfast items, salads and fresh juices from Sophie’s Café. All of the items will be packaged and portioned in the perfect way to meet private jet restrictions.

Kerry Altunay, Business Development Manager, Whissle, says: “The UAE is a hub for luxury travel and we saw an opportunity in the market to provide a curated selection of gourmet dishes at 40,000 feet.

“The Middle East’s Business Aviation Association has placed its futuristic value on the regional business aviation industry at $1.3 billion by 2020 highlighting the increased need for bespoke 40

CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

dining solutions in the sky.”

In addition, Whissle Gourmet provides a one-stop destination for all private jet needs by purveying everything from caviars and condiments, and the finest chocolates through to flowers and linens.

Whissle Gourmet is the latest addition to the portfolio of award-winning boutique hospitality group Whissle, which was co-founded by Markus Thesleff and Ramzy Abdul-Majeed. The group also owns and operates OKKU, RIVA Ristorante, Sophie’s Café, Claw and Casa de Tapas.

Ahead of the official launch of Whissle Gourmet, Catering News ME met up with co-founder Markus Thesleff and Operations Manager, Kerry Altunay, in discovering what exactly is unique about dining at 40,000 feet.

Almost with glee, Markus regales how he head - hunted Kerry.

“She was working for Emirates Catering and I’d had this idea for a few years but hadn’t met the right person. She came to pitch me something else and with a Jedi mind trick later I convinced her to leave the biggest bunch in town and come work for a group of nobodies on a start up,” he says.

In support, Kerry adds: “I had such a passion for catering, and

F&B INTERVIEW

I had worked with private jets for several years, so I always knew there was a niche for restaurant quality dishes at 40,000 ft.”

“She realised that it’s one thing to travel commercial but if you fly private, on a $50-80m plane, you aren’t the person to eat airline food. You may as well spoil yourself as you can certainly afford to,” says Markus.

He adds: “Mass market catering is one size fits all and we are totally bespoke, as they are with their aircraft, and we are tailored to their hours and their needs.”

Kerry was at pains stressing that the focus of their business was on quality and that a tremendous amount of time and effort was spent achieving and maintaining a certain level of perfection.

“We really thought about the design of our menus, deconstructing the dishes so they stay fresh for the maximum time.”

Markus added: “We spent six months testing this food to ensure we got the quality and taste right, as well as ensuring HACEP requirements.

“Because we blast chill everything, it is delivered temperature controlled from start to finish. We also offer full traceability, because you can offer great food but if you don’t know where it comes from or what it’s made of it can be scary.”

Kerry says: “When I first came on board, in November, everyone was asking when can we order, but we were insistent that they had to wait – we didn’t want to differ from our phases, structure and flow.

Markus added: “We always knew we were in it for the long term and we wanted to ensure our path was proven and worked, and on the plus side there is a now a huge demand.

“We cooked and recooked dishes over and over, until the chefs complained, but we had to ensure our food was 100 percent perfect. Now, when competitors come to market, as they will, we know they won’t have this heritage and thorough control, there will be no quality assurance. We will even host master classes to teach airline staff how to prepare and plate our food to ensure it’s delivered perfectly.

“People questioned why we took this path but we have a reputation to protect and we wanted to ensure that was not jeopardised,” he says.

The typical clients of Whissle Gourmet will be high networking individuals who own or rent an aircraft from charter companies, obviously including the royal families, as well the charter companies themselves and the handling agents (FBOs).

“These people are already customers with us as they dine in our restaurants,” adds Markus.

Customers order online through a website, on which they can see and choose the dishes they want, then pay direct or through a handling agent, and they can then call or email for delivery.

Delivery time depends on the menu as some dishes take a lot more time and require a lot more attention. So Whissle asks for a minimum of 6 hours’ notice from order to delivery. That also depends on the time of the day, because only if the order is placed early can it be delivered the same day.

Aside from the three restaurants of OKKU, RIVA Ristorante, and Sophie’s Café, Claw and Casa de Tapas will both come on board at a later stage, as will a few other bespoke restaurants not owned by the JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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F&B INTERVIEW

Whissle Group.

“The initial three restaurants were chosen as they take us from breakfast to dinner with a comprehensive choice for all ages. Next we will add specialised food like Claw and MARKUS THESLEFF Casa de Tapas. We don’t plan on offering several restaurants of the same genre – instead it will be based on best in kind, and each restaurant must adhere to our strict standards and buy our equipment, which will require an investment of a couple hundred thousand dollars.

“For us it is about who can do the food best, even if the restaurant is not owned by us, as this is a standalone busi-

The UAE is a hub for luxury travel and we saw an opportunity in the market to provide a curated selection of gourmet dishes at 40,000 feet

ness... it is all about finding the right chef. We already have a couple of Indian restaurants in mind, but we have extensive testing to do first.”

Aside from the three core restaurants there are up to 20 suppliers, for things like caviar, macaroon, flowers, linen, etc. The entire business is based on a revenue share model.

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CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

Of his clients, Markus says: “This is not home away service, it’s almost a five star hotel butler service. If our clients spend $5,000 on a meal it’s not unusual for them. These guys makes hundreds of millions KERRY ALTUNAY a year in interest alone, these are billionaire companies. It’s a different world. There is huge business to be done here and it’s been an underserviced industry.

We hope to change the game.”

Payment is al a carte, although at launch there will be credit agreements with charter companies and FBOs. Markus adds: “The subscription system, for all inclusive, doesn’t work because these individuals are so unique – we are talking about 0.01% of the population.”

Whissle Gourmet charges just a 40% premium on the in-store prices, because of the amount of time and work that goes in to producing the dishes. Additionally there is a delivery charge which works out around 600 dirhams per plane.

With demand still unproven, Whissle Gourmet will begin by offering its services at airports in Sharjah, Dubai and Al Bateen, with Abu Dhabi to follow in due course.

“Eventually I would like to see Whisper throughout the GCC – as there is a market there,” says Markus.

Whissle Gourmet has been running a soft opening since November last, with the official launch on 26 May. So far the company has serviced 25-30 aircraft, and ironed out all “teething problems”.

Looking forward Markus says: “If we get around 5-6 aircraft per day we will be happy, as the market traffic is 25-30 aircraft per day.”

VIEWPOINT

I

magine that you have planned to go to this magnificent restaurant, owned by a famous chef, with great food reviews, creative interiors, and good music and ambiance; everything you need for a complete dining experience. You feel wonderful... but let’s pretend that there is something missing in that restaurant… the tableware.

What would have happened? You have no chinaware, no cutlery, no glasses, no serving dishes, no candles,

no placemats, no runners and no napkins. Never mind just sitting and looking at a very well designed empty table top, nothing would have been served to you, unless it is in a pot or a pan. You wouldn’t have been able

to drink your soup, eat your food or sip the delicious bubbly. How are you feeling now? Do you still care

about the interiors or the music? What difference does it make if the chef is famous if you cannot taste what-

ever is cooking? You haven’t got the necessary tools. Of course you can choose to use your fingers for some dishes, but I strongly suggest not trying the soup!

WHAT IS TABLEWARE? Joking aside, tableware, which we call table tops as part of OS&E procurement at pre-openings, is one of the most

important aspects at a restaurant and, unfortunately, one that gets the least attention. It is either, left to the last minute,

has not been thought through in detail, could not pass the cost barrier, or simply forgotten about entirely – in which case

it is panic, run and get whatever you can find. There is generally no money left to buy table tops; the money has been spent on the other areas. And what is this ‘table tops’ anyway; plate is a plate, right? WRONG…

Tableware has to be functional and durable, practical and decorative, should serve the purpose, but should also suit your

concept; it could be a silver service or you can choose to serve everything on a board and let people share. Whatever it is, you need time to figure out. You have to go through steps of a process to identify what is best for your restaurant, your interiors and your concept. It should also suit the taste of the owner, the chef, the F&B manager, the interior designer and it should fit in your budget and your schedule.

There are tonnes of suppliers all over the world now, manufacturing chinaware, glassware and cut-

lery, and so you have many choices, shapes, patterns and qualities to choose from.

WHERE DO YOU START?

Concept of the restaurant: your items will vary according to your menu, what is served and how it is served; how you would like to present your dishes, especially if you want to be unique and different from any other restaurant in the market. Chefs come up with lots of brilliant ideas, but how they are presented is one of the main characters of each dish.

You cannot deny the importance of a frame on an artwork, can you?

Budget & BOQ: the most crucial portion of the whole selection lies within the

cost of items. You have to make sure the complete BOQ is set based on the seat

WHY THE RIGHT TABLEWARE IS ESSENTIAL

count of your restaurant with the correct par levels and all items that are needed have been budgeted according to the type and level of your restaurant. You should allow enough money to cover extra items, specialised plates, customised accessories, etc. You need to invest a bit more and buy products that are good quality, durable, functional and suitable for hospitality.

When you have the list with the budget, you can manage where

and how to spend it. This has to be set out while the concept and interior design are being finalised.

Interior design: the harmony comes together on the pattern of

your plate, handles of your cutlery, how the table top is set; on the texture of your placemat and colour of your napkin, with

your LED light or candle holder. You actually make the connection with the design while eating your food.

Schedule or opening date: you need to deliver all table

tops a month before the opening. Considering the variety of your menu and items, specialised designs and customi-

sations, samples and approvals and the amount of decision makers involved, you have to start early. As soon as you fi-

nalise your budget, get on with the selection process. It may sound a long way away, but trust me it is not…

The process we are talking about is called ‘table top presentation’,

and it is one of the most controversial subjects in the world of F&B.

Yasemin Akaydin Miller Managing Director, PASS International, OS&E Consultant, Integrated Strategic Solutions, argues that all too often tableware is the last consideration in a restaurant design JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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INTERVIEW

As part of a ‘Visit Britain’ campaign, sponsored by the Shangri La hotel group and Cathay Pacific airlines, celebrity chef Gary Rhodes, and the director of culinary arts at The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, Michael Kitts took a 10-day tour of Tokyo in late April

F

or five consecutive days straight

of streamed sea bass, but both menu’s

and Michael Kitts, took over the

mandarin mousse.

the dynamic duo, of Gary Rhodes restaurants of the Shangri La hotel

in Tokyo, Japan, preparing British dishes in support of the ‘Visit Britain’ campaign.

Together they prepared five afternoon teas

in The Lobby Lounge, three dinners at Piacere

and one gala diner in the ballroom, to a packed

crowd of local and expat diners and dignitaries.

The afternoon tea served up sandwiches

Michael and Gary first met at Thanet Tech-

nical College in the county of Broadstairs in

Kent, UK. As a first year student Gary would commis for Michael, who was in his third

year. So when Gary invited Michael to Japan to join the Visit Britain tour, the roles were reversed and Michael became the deputy.

Speaking about the experience, being his

Although down time was limited, Michael

and Gary did get out for an excursion to the fish

market with chef Andrea Fererro and the hotel’s purchasing director. “We were taken to the

best cutter in the market. All he dealt with was cutting tuna. The cutter stopped what he was

doing and prepared some tuna for us, and it was the most fresh you can get. But it did cost 106 pounds sterling per kilo,” says Michael.

He adds: “The way they look after the

fish is impeccable and 90% of the fish in the

of smoked salmon; quail eggs, cress & may-

first time in Japan, Michael says: “I was blown

lemon chicken; and roast beef.

work with. I used to think the Italians had it

way fish was prepared. In the West we tradi-

prepped veg was professionally done.

dock, with the odd firmer fish like monkfish,

onnaise; cucumber and chive crème fraiche;

This was followed by warm savouries of Scot-

tish salmon and parsley fishcakes; and cream cheese, onion and herb croquet monsieur.

The deserts began with the quintessential

homemade scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, followed by a selection of

pastries, including bakewell tartlets, warm

honey Dundee cakes, chocolate muffins, egg

custard tarts, orange and blueberry cakes and

away by the quality of the produce, what they

covered but this was another league. Even the “And the level of respect was remarkable.

Each morning, as we entered the kitchen, the Japanese commis chefs would brush Gary

and I down with clothes brushes, as a sign

of respect.” He quips, “We need to introduce that over here [in Dubai].

“We had a good comradery in the kitchen.

the obligatory red berry ‘Eton Mess’.

But what was surprising was how small the

dinner menu shared several dishes, both

get ahead of themselves as there is no shelf

The evening dinner menu and the gala

beginning with white tomato soup, foie gras terrine and lobster, truffle macaroni cheese, and roast duck breast with red cabbage

jam. The gala dinner squeezed in a course 44

concluded with the hugely popular iced

CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

kitchens were, they are tiny, so they can’t

space or storage. They work day to day, with very little mise en plus for the next day.

Efficiency comes into its own – it’s a real eye opener,” adds Michael.

market was still alive.

“One thing that stood out for me was the

tionally prefer soft flesh fish – like cod or hadbut over there [in Japan] the cod, grouper and

founder are all served firm. To achieve this the fish monger takes a live fish, that is wriggling violently and with a sharp knife he clips the

fish behind the gills - he doesn’t cut its head

off - he then goes down to the tail, two inches in and makes another cut, he then puts a thin wire straight down the spinal column of the

fish and paralyses it – that’s how they transport it or fillet while alive – and that’s also how

they get the meat firm. As the fish wriggles it tightens the muscles and the meat firms up.

That was an education,” says Michael.

Following the success of his trip to Asia,

INTERVIEW

Michael is now preparing to pack his bags

year, and was overall the top team, so now we

and beverage lecturer and restaurant man-

representatives of UAE, for the World Finals

once more, as he and Max Rauch, his food

ager of ICON, set of as representatives of the UAE in the Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge in Sri Lanka, in early July.

Michael says: “We won the UAE heat last

will return, competing against 20 teams, as

cold), and in one savoury and one sweet teas must be an ingredient.

“It’s wonderful to be representing the

from 1-4 July in Columbo.

UAE and I’m sure it will be a very tough

minutes to serve five teas from the Dilmah

as any. We are not going there to make the

“Like wine pairing, we will be given 35

range along with six snacks (both hot and

competition but we stand as a good a chance numbers up but to win,” he concludes.

JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

45

INTERVIEW

GOING BACK TO HIS ROOTS 46

CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

INTERVIEW

Michelin-starred Chef Greg Malouf talks exclusively to Catering News ME about returning to his Middle Eastern routes with the launch of Clé-Dubai

L

ocated at Al Fattan currency house in DIFC, Clé-Dubai

Catering News ME in exclusive interview.

surrounded by contemporary glamour and opulence,

“I had a big appetite as a kid and lived in a household with three gen-

offers guests the opportunity to dine in luxurious style, with the finest Middle Eastern food and beverages.

Clé-Dubai, which means key in French, unlocks the

experience of contemporary Middle Eastern cuisine as

expressed through Michelin-starred Chef Greg Malouf’s eyes, and his stamp of approval is his thumbprint in the restaurant’s logo.

Born in Melbourne to Lebanese parents, this Michelin-starred chef

and renowned culinary author has undoubtedly transformed the way people enjoy Middle Eastern food.

With seven best-selling and award-winning food and travel books to

his name, Greg’s food reflects a deep connection with his heritage as

well as inspiration from his extensive travels around the Middle East.

During his time as the executive chef in Momo in Melbourne, the

authoritative Good Food Guide awarded Greg "two hats" for his unique style in cooking contemporary Middle Eastern cuisine. In 2011, he was honoured as ambassador by the American University in Beirut at their inaugural awards ceremony for his achievements in promoting Leba-

nese cuisine around the world. In 2012, Greg took over the kitchen at the iconic Petersham nurseries café in Richmond, UK, and by the end of the year, Greg earned the

Greg begins by telling us how his culinary journey began. He says:

erations – so my mum, gran and great grandmother would be always

in the kitchen cooking lovely Lebanese delicacies. That was my entertainment for over 20 years, eating chatting and arguing. I’d get home from school and aim straight to the kitchen and it went from there.”

He adds: “I was a bit of a bad boy so getting my first restaurant

made me grow up.” After spending many years in Australia, undoubtedly Greg is glad to be back in the Middle East rekindling ties to his heritage. Speaking of his new home in Dubai, he says: “It is nice

being close to Beirut, but it’s a tough city, the infrastructure is still wobbly – some things are amazing and others weird. Sometimes

you think it’s the third world and others you find yourself in such sophistication.

“But I’d be crucified in Lebanon today, doing contemporary Leba-

nese food. The food culture in Lebanon is heavily steeped in tradition and as a nation they only accept slow and un-shocking change.”

Drawing comparisons to Australia, he adds: “New world countries

have different thoughts

about

the service, style, kitchen

design, and approach

restaurant a Michelin star.

to the

Greg's reputation as the

customer,

creator of a new style of cooking known as 'Modern Middle Eastern', which has changed forever the perception of

Middle Eastern food in the

west, reaches far beyond his

native Australia. Now settled

in Dubai, Malouf and his team provide a matchless dining

experience, always to his own

and when

When we opened it polarised people and now it’s lovely to go in the restaurant and be grabbed by happy diners

I came to put

Lebanese food in a different light they embraced it and the food critics

jumped on board, this is back in the early 90s. It was an

exacting standards, as he told

JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

47

INTERVIEW

cumin and coriander – and that works wonderful-

ly. You don’t need to add loads of crazy ingredients to make a dish contemporary. Many restaurants

fizzle out because they try too hard. Less is more.

Restraint is really a powerful word in the kitchen.”

When asked if he would be experimenting with

local Emirati food, Greg says: “Emirati food is a

lost cuisine unfortunately, but we do one dish with a few local origins – Persian Gulf spices. It comes

from the subcontinent, it’s like a biryani. Cooked to order, the rice is soaked, washed and poured into a tagine, while the chicken is sautéed with

the Persian spices, with baby onions and smashed tomatoes. Then we add boiling chicken stock and saffron. It’s a one pot dish – but all the flavours work together.”

Although Greg has managed several restaurants

around the world, he insists he won’t stretch

himself over several venues at once. “I’m a one

restaurant person, I don’t like satellite diners, and

I don’t like to dilute myself. I live here and want to focus on what we have here,” he stressed.

He added: “I love writing and putting books

together but I’ve still got enough energy and love to stay in the kitchen, it’s not really work for me – it’s a lifestyle. But then, I don’t have any sections or

limits or limitations so I work on what I like – such as a special dish.

“I’m not keen on signature dishes but there are

some I love to cook – like salmon tarator – you take a whole salmon and cook it gently at 80 degrees for

an hour – so it is sitting in proteins. When it comes out it is painted with yoghurt tahini and coated in exciting experimental time.“Here [Dubai] it is also more cosmo-

politan and people are more accepting. Some come to Clé because it’s

shredded walnuts, coriander, chili and its served as

a centrepiece and you can scoop it off the bone with a spoon.”

Despite that dish, Greg is not yet convinced over the quality of

‘the place to go’, others come because they love Arabic food… but are

locally caught seafood.

produce to highlight the cuisine.”

good enough quality. A lot of local organics are getting better and

is a nasty word – my food is a journey of both Western and Middle

most of my ingredients still come from Italy, France, England, Spain,

sick of plastic plates, so what we are doing is sourcing real beautiful

Greg has an aversion to the phrase ‘fusion food’, he adds: “Fusion

East on the same path that crosses in a beautiful way.”

Greg sites one of his favourite dishes, as an example of this journey

of flavours, saying: “We have one dish with foie gras terrine with dukkah – a spice mix from Egypt made from hazelnuts, sesame,

He says: “I don’t use local seafood. Unfortunately the stuff is not

today there is more variety and I’m looking at it more seriously. But

and sometimes Turkey. We cook to season when we can, but I won’t touch Dutch mass produced stuff.”

Some six-months since the restaurant

launched, Greg is happy with the way it has

been received and how it has developed. He

says: “My goal of the moment is to stabilise

I was a bit of a bad boy so getting my first restaurant made me grow up

48

CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

the restaurant and get people to understand it. When we opened it polarised people and

now it’s lovely to go in the restaurant and be grabbed by happy diners. “

Solutions for food safety, risk management and brand protection

For more information: Diversey Gulf FZE P.O. Box 61485, Dubai, U.A.E. Tel +9714 8819470/8819431 Fax +9714 8819488 JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME 49 customerservice.uae@sealedair.com www.sealedair.com

DÉCOR

THE ROLLER DISCO DINER Visitors to Yas Mall are all a spin with the opening of ROGO, the world's biggest Roller Coaster Restaurant.

Catering News ME took a spin with the owner and concept designer Jessica Wadih Al-Absi, chairman and ceo of GroupJWA.

50

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DÉCOR

R

OGO, the world's biggest Roller Coaster Restaurant, highlighted by a tornado-shaped gigantic spiral at its core, opened in Yas Mall, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, in November 2014.

Several loops and sensational rail tracks also contribute to the entertainment of this 360 seat family diner, which is the master franchise restaurant of a franchise to be established in the GCC and other countries in the region.

Jessica Wadih Al-Absi, chairman and ceo of GroupJWA, the ROGO concept creator, spoke to Catering News ME about how she came up with this whacky idea.

“We worked with several external companies on the design due to the complexity of the operation, but I project managed the process from day one,” says Jessica.

She adds: “It was a real challenge to design the space because of the intricacies of incorporating the track system, which is a focal point, and it was important to have an interior that showcased the sculptural nature of the track system.”

Targeting a broad customer base, Jessica was very conscious to avoid being pigeonholed as a children’s restaurant, and to create an environment that would appeal to everyone.

Jessica adds: “We decided to run with the mixed colour stripe feature that you see both at the entrance and in the centre of the restaurant space, which provides an energising boost of colour as you arrive and is carried through the venue.

“It was also important to remember that diners would be looking upward to watch their food make its journey to the table and so a fun and interesting ceiling feature that would be visually memorable, but not distracting, was required.”

The LED feature chosen, adds a nice touch of colour and illumination, and is reminiscent of a disco club venue. The lights can also be programmed to change colour at different speeds and this gives flexibility to adapt the interior space to any mood, season or vibe.

Jessica adds: “Much like the lights, I wanted the restaurant to have a club vibe to it. I felt that this would be a cool way to enhance the rollercoaster system experience. As such, the entire space is fitted out with state-of-the-art Bose speakers and a sound system that provides customers with more than just background music. We play the latest hits, and our sound and music really sets the tone for the dining experience. Our music is upbeat and ranges from pop to rock to hip-hop, and our customers love the vibe.”

It was important for Jessica to create a space that didn’t feel too cold or mechanical. “That was a prerequisite and I love the look and feel of vintage elements, which add character and warmth; and to seamlessly juxtapose the all-steel track system against a warm and inviting background we chose to use coverings that resemble distressed 3-D wood panels that give both texture and warmth.

“For the floor my heart was set on a black and white approach, however I wanted it to be both modern and vintage, so we went with a black and white pinstripe that had a faux wood effect. To add movement, the stripes were set in blocks of random angles separated by different colour stripes that defined each segment.”

In line with the floors, the table-tops and chairs followed the monochrome theme and the use of black and white throughout

the lower space of the restaurant provides the necessary neutrality to draw diners’ attention to the coloured lights in the ceiling and enhance the overall colour stripe effect.

“This concept was two years’ in the making and I came across the idea while working on another project, a family entertainment centre in Lebanon called Up & Away,” says Jessica.

She adds: “The designers of Up & Away were a German company and at one of our meetings the owner shared a story about a visit to a rollercoaster themed restaurant in Germany, which piqued my interest. This led to a meeting in Germany with HeineMack, the owner of the rollercoaster technology and from there I worked on developing the brand identity before eventually concluding a deal to launch in 17 countries with the goal of

3 LIFT SYSTEMS 3 PARALLEL DOUBLE LOOP 1 TORNADO 360 SEATS

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DÉCOR

turning it into an international franchise.”

Dubai-based Living Room were the creative brains behind the brand identity, from the name to the logo to all the collateral. Jessica comments: “They successfully interpreted the look and feel that I wanted to portray, and they developed a level of playful creativity that will put a smile on client’s faces. They have managed to create a brand that has just the right amount of corporate appeal without sacrificing the entertainment aspect that is at the core of the concept.”

The concept behind this restaurant is the embodiment of a true dining experience. From the moment you walk into the restaurant you are overwhelmed by the theatrics of it all. Once seated, the personalised experience begins with customers placing their orders on an individual tablet, which allows them to set the pace of their experience and ups the enjoyment level.

The experience continues as customers wait for their food to make its trip down the individual track system attached to their table; which for first time diners is really something amazing to watch as the food arrives via unique twists, turns and loops.

Every single menu item is delivered via the track, including drinks and desserts, and diners are suitably impressed by the fact that it arrives intact, and at the correct temperature.

Even the way that the food is presented has been designed to add value to the overall experience. Dishes are served in charming little individual pots that they can eat straight out of, and this is already proving to be extremely popular with diners.

One of the unique things about this restaurant is that each table has a space in the middle that holds extra table-wear including crockery, condiments, napkins etc. “In selecting these items we wanted to avoid giving off a cafeteria-like feel and that’s why we went with black plates and napkins, and extra shiny cutlery,” says Jessica.

She adds: “The plates we use were specifically selected because they have a handmade meets vintage feel and the circular shadows and outlines in the design also reflect the movement of the tracks.

“We chose coloured glasses for the tables because they give a vibrant pop of colour, especially when grouped together in the centre of the table.

“Finally, the choice of elongated cutlery is another unique aspect that works with the individual pot style of service and makes this an easy and comfortable experience.”

The restaurant is already very popular with Yas Mall visitors, enticed by the retro roller disco theme and American-inspired casual diner menu, and Jessica is delighted with the reception it has received. “It was an absolute ‘ride’ designing this place.

It was a real challenge to design the space because of the intricacies of incorporating the track system, which is a focal point, and it was important to have an interior that showcased the sculptural nature of the track system 52

CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

DÉCOR

It was a real challenge on several fronts, but I am extremely satisfied with the end result. We were able to design a space that gave the track system its rightful prominence but, at the same time, places great value and importance on ROGO’S overall design,” concludes Jessica.

THE KITCHEN FIT OUT

The kitchen was designed on two levels. The lower level was for the preparation and cooking of the food and the second for dispatch of both food and beverage on the special roller coaster system.

Rashid Bahar, Business Development Manager of Technical Supplies & Services Company LLC (TSSC), says: “We could not design a Beverage Area on either dining levels, which is usually a common practice in our industry, as all drinks had to be delivered on the gravity run roller coaster.

“In addition, we had to look at equipment that was efficient in cooking orders in batches to ensure a quick delivery to each table.”

Taking into consideration the quick service nature of the restaurant and the fact that almost everything is delivered to the table in special pots, there is a significant amount of cleaning up at the end of each order (think of appetisers, a main course and desserts for every person on each table). This requires a very careful selection of equipment.

Rashid adds: “As all food is delivered in special pots and on rails, we had to be very careful in heights of the kitchen pass in the cooking line. An additional challenge in designing kitchens for restaurants in Abu Dhabi, you have to look at Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) requirements which can be very tricky. All food handling areas have to be separated from waste routes in order to avoid cross contamination.

“This is easier to achieve when you are designing a kitchen for a new hotel as they have the space to accommodate the different green (clean) and red (dirty) zones. Fortunately and thanks to many long days of designing with the operator, this was achieved in the kitchen and resulted in immediate approval from ADFCA during the initial meeting.

As everyone in the HoReCa industry knows, it usually takes a few visits before an initial approval can be achieved from ADFCA for any restaurant operator.”

Any kitchen in a mall poses difficulties because of the routes to deliver equipment to the restaurant. Not to mention, you need special passes and health and safety plays a very important role.

ROGO was lucky because the mall was brand new so TSSC were allowed to work at any time, but unlucky because the mall wanted to open collectively on a certain date i.e. before the 2014 Formula 1 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. “So time was our enemy as missing the deadline can result in heavy penalties for our customer. However, as TSSC is known for, we met the difficult deadline of the project

with only a couple of hiccups,” says Rashid.

He adds: “It took around 20 days because we really did not have a choice. The mall wanted to open in time for the 2014 Formula 1 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi as mentioned earlier. It would have taken us 10 days but for the fact that Abu Dhabi’s rules requiring all equipment using a certain amount of amperes (including single phase equipment) to be wired in and not plug and play like Dubai.”

The kitchen has several key components, including: Vianen (Netherlands) Hoods, Bertos (Italy) for cooking equipment, Rational (Germany) for combi-steamers, Mercatus (Portugal) for refrigeration equipment, Precision (Refrigeration) Bottle Coolers, Hoshizaki (Japan) ice makers, Colged (Italy) for dishwasher, TSSC (Sharjah) for coldrooms, Tournus (France) for shelving, G/N Trolleys, hand sinks and knife sterilisers.

“As this was a new concept, the budget was tight for the kitchen. It took us a few trails before we were able to meet the budget of the client to make this kitchen feasible for their operations. We would rate it as a medium budget for a restaurant of this size,” concludes Rashid.

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53

F&B PRODUCTS

PRODUCT PLACEMENT

Catering News ME takes a look at some of the hottest F&B products on the market

Melitta Cafina CT8

Top-quality coffee is always in demand – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – and professional hosts are well prepared for both non-stop operation and peak serving times with the fully automatic Melitta Cafina CT8.

Melitta Professional’s new top-of-the-range model can meet extreme requirements in terms of both output performance and ease-of-use.

With a simple touch of the finger, top-quality coffee, milk and hot chocolate variations are quickly and reliably prepared according to customer wishes.

The machine’s high hourly performance figures ensure fast and efficient order processing even during peak periods – alternatively, it can also be used in self-service mode. www.melitta-professional.de

Mesh Colours Rosenthal

The delicate relief pattern and various round, angular, and oval shapes of the Mesh collection are now coloured with delicate nuances. The acqua, crema and noce tones of the porcelain are the result of a special coloured glazing technique which produces extremely resistant glazes due to a firing temperature of more than 2555°F. The surface colours characterise each of the pieces of the collection, creating a magnificent contrast with the white porcelain and demonstrating the strong character of the unique handmade shapes. www.hotel.rosenthal.de/en

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CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

PolySciene Sous Vide

Sous vide cooking is used by the world's best chefs to achieve amazing flavour and texture. Sous Vide is a cooking technique that relies on a precise, temperature controlled circulator. Food is vacuum sealed and cooked at a gentle temperature in a precisely controlled water bath. Acheiving perfect, repeatable results every time, ideal for delicate foods such as lobster or fish.

Sous vide cooking is great for retaining vibrant flavour and texture in vegetables, and long cook times on secondary cuts of meat without drying them out. Many restaurants cook the perfect steak using sous vide cooking as the main component to the overall process. www.muddle-me.com

MONIN Asian Lemongrass syrup

Friedr. Dick Chef’s Knives

Friedr. Dick is the only manufacturer in the world to offer a complete range of knives, sharpening steels and utensils for chefs and butchers as well as butcher‘s equipment and grinding machines.

Their longstanding tradition and experience in manufacturing, coupled with high quality standards and technical expertise, have transitioned the company into the global brand of choice for passionate and quality-conscious chefs, whether amateur or professional. Each Friedr. Dick product is characterised by its remarkable design, sophisticated functionality and high level of quality. The products are manufactured in a sustainable manner using a mix of traditional methods and state-of-the-art technology at the world headquarters in Deizisau, Germany. www.ronai.ae

Steelite – Welsh Slate

With a hint of spiciness, MONIN Asian Lemongrass syrup delivers refreshing authentic flavour, perfect to create beverages with Asian twist. Lemongrass is a common ingredient across South East Asian cooking and it’s becoming more and more trendy all over the world. MONIN Asian Lemongrass syrup features an appealing herbal aroma with a slight citrus note to create refreshing delights. Hop on the Asian trend and create innovative mojitos, iced teas, lemonades and many more!

Perfectly unifying the historic and naturally beautiful Welsh slate with the demands of contemporary cuisine, this blend of sophisticated warm plum hues with a unique natural texture creates a perfect balance of soft allure and striking detail. The artistry of Welsh slate tableware is the remarkable blend of elegance and performance. Each product is hand-finished and some feature natural veining making each item totally unique. All products are highly durable, nonabsorbent, oven and microwave safe, colourfast and made of the highest quality slate in the world

www.monin.com

www.ronai.ae

F& B PRODUCTS

SpaceCombi

Many professional chefs appreciate the multifunctionality and user friendliness of a modern combi steamer.

However, some of them don’t have sufficient room in their kitchen or they need their combi steamers situated suitably for front cooking and at serving stations, where every centimetre counts. With the space saving SpaceCombi models, MKN offers a professional solution which is specially geared to these conditions. The SpaceCombi is only 55 cm wide, yet still comparably equipped to larger models. The state of the art MagicPilot touch & slide operating concept with information steps and Favourites function, the automatic cleaning system WaveClean and the consumption display GreenInside are just a few examples of user-oriented features which make the SpaceCombi a high performance professional appliance. www.mkn.eu

Marble collection

ACME COFFEE CUPS

LeafCup

Acme & Co is the brainchild of Jeff Kennedy - NZ Specialty Coffee Association inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and Godfather of NZ espresso. Acme & Co was founded in 2011 by Jeff and partner Bridget Dunn from Jeff's longstanding ambition to create the cups he had always wanted.

Acme cups and saucers are made of fine cafe quality crockery from the highest quality porcelain.

Highly durable, dishwasher safe and well insulated.

Acme cups feature large handles for ease of use.

More and more professionals around the world are using the Acme cups and saucers for competitions and their establishments.

Infusions are getting more and more popular. In Germany for example, the consumption grew by 2.8 percent up to 39,000 tonnes in the year 2013.

Following this trend Ronnefeldt comes up with its LeafCup no. 22 as an herbal infusion. The authentic name “Bergkräuter” means “mountain herbs” and stands for its origin, the Swiss Alps.

The fragrance evokes impressions of the fresh air in the Swiss Mountains, and it is therefore also branded as “Swiss Style”.

www.muddle-me.com

www.ronnefeldt.com

Rough!

Tilda

The Marble collection is focused on the presence of tableware and not creating a loud graphic on the table. The material used - clay - is treated with a special technique to produce the characteristics of marble. The natural, rich grain allows it to reveal its textures and introduce a raw, tactile feel to a modern table for casual dining with effortless style.

Designed in warm shades of beautiful cream, no two are exactly alike.

Modest design combined with distinctive surfaces in black and white – “Rough!” is the perfect basis for the presentation of exclusive dishes. The square and the rectangular plates as well as the classic round plates, with their fascinating slate texture, provide an appealing foundation for the stylish presentation of food.

All pieces of the series are available in glossy white or matt black.

HORECA Trade has partnered with Tilda Rice - the house of Basmati Rice.

Tilda is the leading brand in the out-of-home market. Respected by chefs nationwide for its quality and consistency, Tilda rice is a must-have ingredient for any professional kitchen.

www.luzerne.com

www.zieher.com

www.horecatrade.com

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MEET THE SUPPLIER

MEIKO Tim Walsh, managing director of Meiko, explains how some 10 year old American dishwashers still in use today cost three times as much to run as some of today's German machines

Can you provide a description of your company?

Meiko is a leading 90 year old German tableware washing and waste management manufacturer specialising in very heavy duty equipment and systems. With production facilities in Germany, USA and China, and 2,000 employees, Meiko is a Foundation, with no private owners or shareholders, which means any ‘profit’ is re-invested into the company. By law, the company cannot be acquired by another company, which means that quality can't be compromised as sometimes happens when a big profit-driven corporation acquires a smaller company.

WORK-INPROGRESS:

AL HABTOOR CITY (FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE ‘HABTOOR PALACE COMPLEX’) - A MULTIUSE DEVELOPMENT COMPRISING OF THREE HOTELS THE ST. REGIS, W AND WESTIN HOSPITALITY CLIENTS: ROTANA, HYATT, HILTON, MARRIOTT, STARWOOD, IHG, FAIRMONT, ACCOR How well did your company perform over the last year?

Everybody you ask this question to will answer by default "very well" ......even if it's not true.

But actually, we would like to keep our feet on the ground and just say, "we did pretty good".

What does your company offer that other suppliers in your field do not?

We offer super heavy duty appliances suitable for establishments that really abuse the equipment all-day-long. We can also guarantee a 70% saving on true running costs (that are getting more and more of an issue), and we have a new Technical Training Centre to increase the knowledge of the local service technicians.

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CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

Can you list five of your hospitality clients?

We serve most of the major hotel brands including Rotana, Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, Starwood, IHG, Fairmont, Accor, etc.

What growth do you anticipate to see?

I can't tell you a growth figure because it depends on many aspects out of our control but the Middle East is definitely growing as a whole. Probably the mix will change as many stand-alone restaurants are in development as well as many 3-4 star hotels, rather than just 5 star luxury. We have seen an increased awareness in Green requirements and an increased knowledge of how much a dishwasher costs to run. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that some 10 year old American dishwashers still in use today cost three times as much to run as some of today's German machines that is how much technology has moved on.

Any recent projects that you have embarked on?

We have work-in-progress on Al Habtoor City (formerly known as the ‘Habtoor Palace complex’), which is a multi-use development comprising of three hotels – the St. Regis, W and Westin. In fact, this is the largest Starwood property in the world and the largest hospitality project in the world at the moment. We have all types of dishwashers going in and a vacuum waste system (Wastestar), to transport waste food (scrapped in the prep areas or left overs on the plate) from multiple drop off points directly to the garbage room via 1.5km of piping that runs throughout the hotel. That provides the maximum in food hygiene by minimising potential cross-contamination or crossover as well as saving money by reducing the number of lift-shafts and corridors, etc.

What is the most popular product that you supply to the industry?

Most popular in terms of client satisfaction is the new MiQ Rack and Flight type machines, for which several customers have reported a 70% true reduction in running cost savings. MiQ is in a class of its own at the moment.

JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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MARKETPLACE

COFFEE CULTURE

Whether it be an expresso, a cappuccino, a latte or macchiato, coffee is engraved in our culture, so no matter where you go in the world discerning customers know exactly what constitutes a good cuppa – and this is the challenge of coffee machine manufacturers, as Catering News ME discovered

BELLA COFFEE “ALL OUR ESPRESSO COFFEE IS BLENDED AND ROASTED IN ITALY AS THESE ARE THE REAL EXPERTS IN COFFEE AND A GUARANTEE OF QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY” She adds: “We offer two brands of coffee both

According to Valentina Ashmore, manager, Bella

Coffee, the trend in vending machines is for bean

to cup machines with the precise amount of beans freshly ground and brewed for each individual customer.

of which are blended and roasted in Italy. We supply leading brands such as ‘Splendid’ coffee

of speciality coffees.

between the customer’s requirements and what

in Italy, and ‘Italcafe’ – who produce a wide range “The brands complement each other whilst

coffee since here the clientele are more discern-

own customers keep coming back for that reason

of coffee it serves to potential clients, then how

can those potential customers trust the quality of

“One way that we differentiate ourselves is

that we do not employ receptionists. Recep-

giving our customers a choice. Our clients are

ing. If a company doesn’t care about the quality

lowest prices.

– one of the oldest and largest coffee companies

Valentina says: “In offices and the service in-

dustry, managers know the value of offering real

with the highest standard of maintenance at the

tionists can be the hand brake or even dead end the company provides.

“At Bella Coffee, customers speak direct to the

satisfied with the products, they know that their

people concerned without the need for an inter-

and so they put their trust in us to ensure that

field technicians and, should they need technical

the products are supplied at their peak.

“With machines, our customers require the

mediary. Clients have the mobile numbers of our

support, they ring them direct and they are on the way. Ring the office number and you are speaking

that company’s products? There is virtually zero

latest European designs combined with reliabil-

do not supply it.

machines) and Bianchi (vending machines)

Valentina says: “We at Bella Coffee are not inter-

“Service and support is also a top priority and

you what the market size is, but what we are most

demand for instant coffee these days and so we “As for design, the coffee machine is an im-

portant part of the overall corporate image as the

ity and build quality which both Marcfi (espresso pride themselves on.

machines often take pride of place in the reception

our customers are reassured that in the unlikely

pleased to say that Bianchi have recently mod-

a phone and one of our highly skilled technicians

area. The machines must look good and we are

ernised the Italian design of all their machines to give them that sleek, sexy up-to-date look.”

For Bella Coffee the most important specifica-

tions for catering clients, when placing new or-

ders, is trust. “Our clients always come back for the same brand of coffee or machine as they are loyal to that product,” says Valentina.

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CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

event of there being a problem they can pick up will be there promptly,” says Valentina.

Bella Coffee are authorised service centres

to the boss who will get things moving,” she adds.

Speaking about the company’s market share,

ested in our market share and couldn’t even tell concerned about is customer care. As a ‘boutique coffee company’ we have strong brands to give

high end quality, but we are not too big that we don’t understand our customer’s needs.

“We like to know each and every one of cus-

for both Marcfi and Bianchi, they stock a full

tomers individually. However, we are big enough

trained by the companies concerned.

manded in the modern business world. What

range of spare parts, and their staff have been Valentina adds: “Our USP is to sell the high-

est quality coffee and vending products along

to provide the backup and technical support de-

some people find surprising is that Bella Coffee supply machines, maintenance and service on

MARKETPLACE

a contract basis to several other coffee supply

the products are at perfection when they reach

form of the highly computerised technology in

These companies choose to use our expertise

products on their way to us. At any one time

ery cup of coffee is delivered to a traditional stan-

companies who outwardly are our competitors. rather than have their own technical division.”

Valentina adds: “All our espresso coffee is

blended and roasted in Italy as these are the

real experts in coffee and a guarantee of quality

and consistency. In Italy the beans are roasted, packed and sealed so that they retain that peak of perfection. We feel that green beans brought

to the UAE can absorb moisture before roasting

our customers there is a constant stream of there will be one consignment of coffee being roasted and packed in Italy especially for Bella

Coffee, another consignment at sea speeding its way to the UAE, whilst a third consignment will be being enjoyed by coffee lovers relaxing in

coffee shops, hotels or taking five minutes off in offices, all supplied by Bella Coffee.

as the coffee is brewed, it is all latest technology, computer controlled to ensure that every single cup is brewed to traditional perfection.

The LEI 200 coffee vending machine can be

here such as notices, mission statements or even

as tea and milk powder come from Europe. All

fast, and to ensure freshness and to guarantee

beans, grind size to the mixing of the ingredients

chines come from Spain. Other products such

coffees, which are roasted in the UAE to match “Logistics between Europe and the UAE are

trolled to one tenth of a degree), the amount of

supplied with an innovative LCD display screen.

factured in Italy whist our Marcfi espresso ma-

the local taste.

dard. From the temperature of the water (con-

“Our Bianchi vending machines are manu-

due to the humid conditions and this can affect the taste. The exception is our Gulf and Turkish

the Bianchi Vending machine to ensure that ev-

our products conform to the highest European standards,” she adds.

Innovation in the Bella Coffee range takes the

Companies can produce and display messages advertisements which staff or clients can watch and digest as they savour the moment of their coffee being brewed. These are proving to be very popular in the UAE.

JULIUS MEINL “WE MAKE IT A POINT THAT ALL OUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ARE TAILOR FITTED TO EACH AND EVERY CLIENT”

According to Julius Meinl good design is time-

traditionally strongest. Yet, the Middle East as

the latest coffee equipment and exclusive blends.

Merchant Star International, says: “For years

markets for Julius Meinl given these markets

services are tailor fitted to each and every cli-

“Our products are manufactured in Vienna,

first established by our founder Julius Meinl I,

less. Ali K. Elyaderani, Managing Director of we have worked with the renowned designer

Matteo Thun for the design of our cups and our

well as the Asia-Pacific region have become key increasing demand for premium quality coffee.

packaging, and he has also worked on the cur-

Austria and Vicenza, Italy, and there are no par-

“When placing new orders the most impor-

In addition to new tea varieties Julius Meinl

rent version of our logo.

ticular issues related to logistics into the GCC.“

“We make it a point that all our products and

ent. This is our recipe for success, a tradition who was one of the first to develop a mechani-

cal method for roasting coffee beans more than

150 years ago, and who today is counted among

tant specifications for our catering clients are

just launched the Julius Meinl French Press. Al-

tanks because direct water connection is not

fers the consumer the pleasure of a sophisticated

throughout constant innovation, Julius Meinl

brewing, the French Press preserves the volatile

culture based on Viennese tradition.

the Water Source – machines should have water

suitable in these kinds of operations; Mobility –

as machines should be light weight and easy to transport; and Durability – as machines should be heavy duty.

Julius Meinl has business in 70 countries

with 40,000 gastronomy customers reliant on their coffee. Elyaderani says: “We are very well positioned in the GCC market. Revenue

though simple at first sight, the French Press of-

ritual, worthy of a connoisseur. By its method of and delicate aromas in a unique and special way.

be generated by artists, poets, singers or writ-

Julius Meinl currently has.

“We have coffee machines that cater to each

ity output. That is why we have our innovations

“Our largest market geographically are Cen-

tral Europe, Italy and Russia, where sales are

“Since 1862, Julius Meinl has been spread-

and modern branded designs, similar to what

ents are always looking for more innovations

including the major property groups such as taurant groups.

has built a unique and highly successful coffee

ing quality, tradition as well as poetry to the

and every client’s needs in terms of design,

Jumeirah Group, Hilton Group and other res-

As the first industrial roaster in Europe, and

Looking to the future Elyaderani says: “Cli-

is constantly growing year by year. We have

provided our products to over 300 properties,

the fathers of Viennese coffee house culture.“

functionality, and capacity offering better qual-

everyday poets out there. Poetry can not only ers, but everyone is a poet in their own way.

Poetry can take many different forms, but it is always an outcome of inspiration and inspiration is present inside every single one of us.

“Some may not need much to get it flowing

like Prem Break, My Barista, French Press, etc.

and some may need a real kick starter. Julius

is also beginning to be essential. That is why we

for one sip of our coffee gives your thoughts the

Developing the coffee culture in each property

are always looking at providing our clients with

Meinl coffee is the perfect source of inspiration, freedom to flow.“

JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

59

MARKETPLACE

MIELE “WE HAVE QUITE DELIBERATELY CHOSEN DUBAI AS A MAJOR METROPOLIS ON THE ARABIAN GULF FOR OUR SUBSIDIARY”

According to Miele simple, classy and sleek are the most desirable characteristics in terms of kitchen design. “This is a trend that has been around for some time but is certainly something that is here to stay in 2015 and beyond,” says Rehana Sharma, head of marketing.

Rehana adds: “The trends in kitchen appliances this year will focus heavily on high tech, Wi-Fi enabled products. With the region increasingly looking to healthier food options there is a growing appetite for appliances that are specifically designed for healthy food preparation while offering a high degree of convenience and multi-functionality.

Miele is a German manufacturer of high quality domestic appliances and commercial equipment. Founded in 1899 by Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann, and based in Gütersloh, Germany, Miele remains a family owned, family-run company with a single promise of Immer Besser, a phrase meaning Forever Better.

Rehana says: “Miele has a range of world class attributes including cutting technology, leading design, first-class after-care service and it is the only manufacturer in our branch of industry to test products such as our washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers and ovens to the equivalent of 20 years of use, this ensures the Miele trademark of quality and outstanding durability is prevalent throughout all our appliances.”

In many countries Miele is the most aspirational brand in its field. Rehana adds: “Miele customers have high expectations for the performance, convenience, design and environmental friendliness of their domestic appliances. People who buy Miele are quality conscious and have style.”

Miele has supplied over 21,500 appliances to some of the UAE’s most in-demand residential developments including the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa,

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CATERING NEWS ME JUNE 2015

and the luxury island villa community of Palm Jumeirah.

Germany is Miele’s largest market, followed by Australia. The Middle East market is gaining an increasing market share given the popularity of Miele products in a number of new developments and the growing popularity of the brand.

The company has eight production plants in Germany and one plant each in

Austria, the Czech Republic, China and Romania. Miele is represented with its own sales subsidiaries and via importers in almost 100 countries. The Miele company, now in the fourth generation of family ownership, employs a workforce of around 16,700 with two-thirds in Germany. The company headquarters are located in Gütersloh/Westphalia, Germany.

As previously stated, Miele has subsidiaries in more than 47 countries around the world, and in 2004 Miele Appliances Ltd. opened its doors in Dubai.

Rehana says: “We have quite deliberately chosen Dubai as a major metropolis on the Arabian Gulf for our subsidiary. Dubai has seen such amazing development in such a short a

period of time. A constant run of new construction projects are being planned and implemented and we therefore see great opportunity for the Miele brand.”

Miele offers coffee machines with two tried-and-tested preparation systems. The Coffee bean machines allow you to choose your personal favourite coffee bean variety, the settings on the machines can be adjusted to suit your beans and your specific tastes.

Miele has also partnered with Nespresso to provide a capsule system with a convenient choice of 16 fresh coffee specialties. Miele’s Nespresso coffee machine offers outstanding technology – it even has an integrated capsule carousel holding up to 20 capsules.

Rehana says: “We have a range of four coffee machines in the Middle East, two PureLine, built-in coffee bean machines, a freestanding coffee bean machine and the Nespresso system. We have launched these in the region because they match supply with demand.

“The PureLine, built-in coffee bean machines are ideal for those buying a kitchen outfitted with Miele appliances.

The freestanding coffee bean machine offers an alternative for those not currently looking to update their kitchen but still want to the quality stamp of approval Miele offers.”

MARKETPLACE

WMF “NOWADAYS CONSUMERS ARE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE, AND THEREFORE MORE SOPHISTICATED IN THEIR COFFEE CHOICE” opt for reliability and functionality in the machines.

out the need for any time-consuming and costly

service, its capacity and easy-to-use features, and

Who You Want” with the new WMF ESPRESSO.

Here we are talking about the longevity of machine According to WMF the trends in the design and

innovation and design definitely matters.

comes down to the milk systems. Therefore, in

quise International understand the value of after

ented milk system, Dynamic Milk which marks a

strong team of highly experienced technicians to

innovation of fully automatic coffee machines 2015 WMF launched a completely new and patnew standard in preparing perfect milk froth.

Dynamic Milk offers four different consisten-

training. Therefore, WMF isn’t afraid to say “Hire

In the new machine all steps that require

“Also, WMF and their UAE distributor La Mar-

specific ability and handling in preparing coffee

sales service and therefore, La Marquise has a

by WMF engineers and replaced by automatic

support smooth operations of their clients.”

Having been present in the region for the past

specialties manually have now been eliminated

processes. All the operator has to do is to insert the portafilter, press the button, and get ready for barista-class espresso. This is what you call ‘hand-

cies for hot milk froth and up to three variations

14 years WMF’s market share In the GCC region

milk creations that set new standards in variety,

factured in Germany.

within the fully automatic coffee machines sec-

New generation WMF 1500S and 8000S have

sents a revolutionary type of coffee making, con-

able, and therefore more sophisticated in their

customise and save up to 48 drink recipes and

inside the form of a traditional espresso machine.

for adding cold milk froth. The result is coffee and appearance and taste.

both cold and hot coffee recipes available. You can

press only one button on the touch screen in order to get your favourite coffee beverage.

Olga Mirtova, La Marquise international mar-

keting manager, says: “Our clients would always

is around 40%, while all of its products are manuThe recently launched WMF ESPRESSO repre-

taining all of the features of an automatic machine

Users can now make the perfect espresso and café crème even with little technical know-how. The whole process is characterised by complete reliability and constantly high-quality coffee – with-

made automatically’ with WMF ESPRESSO.

Olga says: “We anticipate market growth

tor. Nowadays consumers are more knowledge-

coffee choice. They are looking for freshly made (bean to cup) coffee. At the same time due to the dynamic lifestyle both, the end consumers

and HORECA companies, are appreciating the convenience and easy-to-use feature of fully automatic coffee machines.”

FRANKE COFFEE SYSTEMS “FRANKE INVESTED A LOT OF BRAIN POWER IN MAKING THE NEW MACHINES EVEN MORE USER-FRIENDLY AND IMPROVE THE USER EXPERIENCE”

Franke Coffee Systems is a leading provider

They made menu navigation very easy, sim-

machines have large and intuitive touchscreen

the kitchen. The product range encompasses

working on or with these machines much

guages, so it has become easy to adapt a ma-

of solutions for coffee preparation beyond

fully automatic as well as traditional coffee

machines, capsule machines, and high-volume

plified the entire cleaning process and made more efficient.

“Today, the latest trends are for reduced and

displays they can always manage several lanchine to local requirements.

“Looking forward, the entire "to go" business

coffee brewers.

clear shapes, form follows functionality, and us-

will grow even more and out of home coffee

turer learns from the experiences of restaurant

catering clients when placing new orders are con-

friendly and comprehensive machines are key.

During product development, the manufac-

operators, studies the needs of coffee roast-

ers and coffee lovers, and works tirelessly to

further improve its products, so every Franke coffee machine is packed with true passion and 100 percent Swissness!

ability. The most important specifications for our venience, efficiency, reliability and in-cup-quality.”

So far EMEA is Franke’s largest market,

although they see a rapid growth in the US, APAC and LATAM.

ity fully automatic),

globally, with guaranteed after sales service

friendly and improve the user experience.

Our latest prod-

land, from which they serve over 180 markets

local distributor of Franke, told Catering News

making the new machines even more user-

fee culture and quality awareness,” says Bahar. uct releases are the

ufactured entirely in their factory in Switzer-

ME: “Franke invested a lot of brain power in

“In-cup-quality will remain a key for all ma-

chine types since a lot of markets see a rise in cof-

Franke’s fully automatic machines are man-

Rashid Bahar, business development man-

ager of Technical Supplies & Services Co., the

will be available at more places, therefore user-

and maintenance in every market. Bahar adds: “In previous years, languages were a difficulty in launching products globally, but now our

A200 (S/M capac-

A600 (M capacity

fully automatic), and the C250 (capsule machine).

JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

61

MEET THE SUPPLIER

BALQEES Riath Hamed, managing director of Balqees Honey, explains how honey is still collected by semi-nomadic beekeepers whose techniques have hardly changed for the last 7,000 years

Can you provide a description of your company?

We are a company in Dubai that specialises in the distribution of raw Yemeni and International honey. We already have existing honey boutiques in the major malls and are featured in recipes at exclusive restaurants and hotels within Dubai and Abu Dhabi with plans to expand into the remaining Emirates. We are also featured in Dubai and Qatar Duty free. Right now, we have various kinds of honey, mostly coming from Yemen, Iran, Italy and Kyrgyzstan, which comes in elegant Italian jars that capture a sense of luxury and heritage.

What does your company offer that other suppliers in your field do not?

Balqees focuses on presenting Yemeni and International honey in a luxurious and innovative display with the “pour and serve” method, which not only captures the eye of the customer but creates an atmosphere of bewilderment and fascination as our trained staff plunge the ladle into deep filled bowls of viscous honey only to fill them up and pour into the desired size of fine Italian jars.

The eyes of the customer are firmly fixed on the pouring and this unique method creates an atmosphere and enjoyable experience and is distinctly Middle Eastern.

We furthermore offer a top quality ‘honey bar concept’ for hotels and restaurants. Our honey infusions with natural spices and super foods are exceptional and we offer signature fusions for chefs to use for specific dishes or as a part of their breakfast buffet.

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DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS: HONEY BOUTIQUES IN THE MAJOR MALLS AND ALSO FEATURED IN DUBAI AND QATAR DUTY FREE What is the most popular product that you supply to the industry?

Yemeni Sidr Honey is unique for a variety of reasons partly due to the floral sources and its medicinal properties, ancient practices of the bee keepers harvesting the honey and climate.

Balqees’ flagship product is the hadrami Sidr, the mono-floral honey which comes from the bees that feed exclusively on the nectar of the Sidr tree. This ancient tree grows uncultivated in the remote mountains that climb up from the Wadi Do’an in the Hadramout region of Yemen, some 1,000 kilometres inland from the coast of the Arabian sea.

Collected by semi-nomadic beekeepers whose techniques have hardly changed for the last 7,000 years, Sidr honey is famous throughout the Middle East for its distinctive flavour and purity.

NATURAL SOURCES: HONEY COMES FROM YEMEN, IRAN, ITALY AND KYRGYZSTAN

How well did your company perform over the last year?

We performed exceptionally well. In fact, we outperformed our set target by 50%.

What growth do you anticipate to see over the course of the year?

Balqees is becoming recognised as the home of real raw, natural honey from Yemen and Internationally. We have achieved many contracts with five star hotels and our intention is to see growth in our continued partnerships with the hospitality industry.

We are expanding our reach to the growing food and beverage industry in and around the GCC and Middle East and there are exciting projects underway which honey lovers must look out for.

COFFEE CORNER

4. SINK AND PIPES CLEANING-

Cleaning with Coffee

Simply mix and flush down some coffee grounds with hot water to clear a clogged kitchen or bathroom sink. It also neutralises odours!

5. WOOD REPAIRING

Coffee stains fix wooden furniture scuffs

naturally. Mix coffee grounds with warm water and let them soak in for a while and then gently rub the mixture over the scratches.

6. FERTILISING

Coffee grounds are an excellent fertiliser.

It can also be used as a natural repellent

against ants, slugs and snails. Just spread the grounds at the foot of the plants, or dilute in Believe it or not, coffee grounds can do more around your home than just wake you up in the morning ahead of a busy work day.

Next time you are enjoying a cup of homemade espresso, don’t get rid of your coffee grounds too quickly! The cleaning experts at Helpling (www.helpling.ae) have put

water and spray directly to control bugs.

2. DEODORISING Simply place

some coffee grounds in a cup and change it every 15 days to help refresh the smell of your refrigerator or any places that are not often aired.

together a list of tips and tricks – spilling the

3. DISHWASHING

aromatic drink.

warm water and scrub the surface of your

beans on how you can utilise the end of that

1. HAND WASHING

Washing your hands with coffee grounds helps remove any odours and dirty spots!

Mix 2/3 teaspoons of coffee grounds with dirty pots and pans with a sponge or a soft brush to give a refreshing clean.

Also works well for a gentle scrub on

your stove top.

7. FLEA REPELLENT FOR YOUR DOG AND CAT As well as in the garden, coffee grounds

are also a very good repellent against fleas.

For dogs grab a handful of coffee grounds with or without shampoo and apply on top of their fur coat, and for cats grab

a glass of citrus fruit juice and blend in

some coffee grounds, place it near the border where your friend often heads out for adventures and bingo, you will no longer

be bothered with what gets brought back hiding in its fur.

AVANTCHA TAKES TEA ONLINE Dubai headquartered luxury tea purveyor, Avantcha has launched its official company website with up to 130 handselected blends available for purchase directly from source.

A home-grown UAE based concept founded by Marcus and Marina Zbinden in 2014, Avantcha’s avant-garde approach to the expanding luxury tea market is founded on sourcing only the best world blends – direct from source – to create an unrivalled portfolio of premium whole leaf teas and herbal infusions that are exclusively packaged in the UAE as a guarantee of quality and flavour.

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Tea lovers, chefs and baristas looking for their favourite blends or keen to try something different, can view the company’s complete portfolio of green, black, oolong, puerh, rooibos and speciality leaf teas, with the website providing an encyclopaedic listing for each variety.

Detailed explanations, product images and useful tips on steeping and serving each distinctive blend, as well as the health benefits of tea-drinking, are provided under easy-to-navigate sections that also link through to the Avantcha online store.

“Until now, our teas have only been

available to enjoy at select outlets, but consumer response to the Avantcha portfolio has been so overwhelmingly favourable that we decided to fast track our website development so that we can satisfy the requirements of our dailygrowing customer base.

“We’ll start with 50 of our most popular blends and broaden the online range to 130 blends over time,” said Markus Zbinden, co-founder, Avantcha.

International expansion is also part of Avantcha’s mid to long-term market development strategy, with active clients already located in Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kenya.

COFFEE CORNER

Dubai's 1st Specialty Coffee Boutique Mokha 1450, Dubai’s first specialty coffee boutique, opened its doors on Al Wasl Road last month.

A place for serious coffee connoisseurs

in Dubai, Mokha 1450 actively support

and source their coffee directly from fe-

male-run coffee farms across the Middle East and Africa. The people behind the

brand have worked tirelessly with female farmers in Ethiopia and Yemen over the

last five years to help them become completely self-sustainable.

A unique venue situated in Aswaaq

Community Mall on Al Wasl Road, Mokha 1450 is the first and only place in the

world to offer Ethiopian Geisha coffee, the predecessor of the world famous

Panamanian Geisha that is currently the most expensive coffee in the world and generally sold at private auction.

Thermal Brewers Aurora The Thermal Brewers Aurora from Bravilor Bonamat can brew filter coffee to the SCAE Gold Cup stan-

dard, and have been developed as a front-of-house

and ingredients vary, the settings of the process can be programmed separately for your perfect cup of coffee.

The Thermal Brewers are available as single and twin

solution with design as one of the main features.

units in low and high versions. All units offer three

(Speciality Coffee Association of Europe) to ensure the

roast. These recipes have been developed with great care

The Gold Cup standard is promoted by the SCAE

quality of the brewing process. Important aspects of this process are: grind, contact time, coffee to water ratio,

quality of water and brewing temperature. Since tastes

programs as standard: mild roast, regular roast and dark and are based on general standard ground coffee. How-

ever, you can install up to 25 specific recipes per machine and copy them across in seconds using an RFID card.

FINAL THOUGHT

CONCEPT

A Perfect Pizza Pie

Per Te Ristorante e Café, the latest addition to

pizzas. Per Te is the first restaurant in the UAE to use VENTiT, the world’s first breathing pizza box.

VENTiT boxes provide effective ventilation for hot

food deliveries. This unique packaging innovation

allows for food to remain fresher for longer. Unlike

traditional pizza boxes, VENTiT boxes have vents and

stilts at the bottom to raise the box, allowing steam to escape and not build up in the box. This ensures that the pizza remains crisp and fresh.

“No one likes their pizza soggy and chewy, how-

delivered pizzas lose their quality. We did quite a

bit of research to find the right supplier to solve this

problem. VENTiT pizza boxes maintain the temperature ensuring you get the same Italian goodness at

your doorstep,” said Chef Gladwin Anton, Executive Chef, Per Te Ristorante e Café.

INNOVATIVE ICE CREAM Breaking conventional forms with mouth-wa-

options like

cream delights and chocolate flavours will be

saffron,

tering innovations, a whole new range of ice

made available to satiate the most discerning sweet cravings.

For those who need a little extra energy

in this climate, the new menu will serve Red Bull sorbet to all its patrons. The flavour-

some, tangy and refreshing taste can now be

enjoyed in a cup, with mix-ins of your pleasing for that extra punch.

refreshing twist. The chocolate menu includes

gulla covered in creamy milk chocolate for that

READER'S CORNER

Owning and operating your own catering

business has many benefits one can enjoy.

Gaining the knowledge of the factors of

success for planning, starting and managing your catering operation will have you on

your way to becoming a successful caterer in no time!

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and many

more. Cus-

Markus Thesleff co-founder Whissle Gourmet

tomers have

to order these delicious specialties a day prior to collection.

Also available is the opportunity for a few

blasts of liquid nitrogen! These combinations

duced a fresh new menu to beat the hot spell.

By Bowe Packer

passion fruit

exciting new additions like traditional Indian

sweet delicacies such as Ras Malai and Ras-

Catering Business

hazelnut,

lucky customers to be given the chance to de-

Dubai’s Scoopi Café, a gourmet ice cream and

ate & Be Successful With Your Very Own

marzipan,

“This is no home away service, it’s almost a five star hotel butler service.

If our clients spend $5,000 on a meal it’s not unusual for them. These guys makes hundreds of millions a year in interest alone, these are billionaire companies. It’s a different world. We are talking about 0.01% of the population.”

Aside from the unique cold treats, the café

has also extended the chocolate menu with

Catering Business: How to Start, Oper-

MARKUS THESLEFF CO-FOUNDER WHISSLE GOURMET

ever unfortunately there are so many times home-

Dubai’s dining scene, has the right solution to soggy

handcrafted chocolate boutique, has intro-

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

sign their own ice cream desserts created using will be added with a choice of fruits, nuts other

kinds of yummy mix-ins under the watchful eye of the owner himself!

Modern Buffet Presentation Hardcover

By Carol Murphy Clyne, Vincent Clyne, and The Culinary Institute of America

The ability to plan and execute a successful buffet is an essential skill for foodservice

professionals in the rapidly growing realm of catering and special events—whether

executed by an independent business or as ancillary services offered by restaurants,

hotels, clubs, colleges, and hospitals. Modern Buffet Presentation successfully incorporates the art of buffet and banquet entertaining

with tantalising, current recipes; guidance on

plating, garnishing, and arranging; and design concepts and visual appeal.

JUNE 2015 CATERING NEWS ME

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