NEWS
Interview A master-class in mozzarella with Italy’s Michelin-stared Chef Alfredo Russo
CASE STUDY The Fresh Express family expands its realm with new warehousing facilities in Dubai
Beverages African + Eastern sets the PATH in the training and development of bar tenders throughout the UAE
Connecting F&B professionals with industry knowledge October 2015
Unearthing the true extent of the current global obesity crisis and the Food & Beverage industry’s responsibility in tackling it
NEWS
THE ALL-IN-ONE MILK. IT’S ALL YOU NEED. Camelicious - Nature’s all-in-one milk. It’s low in fat, high in Vitamin C, naturally pro-biotic and immune boosting. The healthy alternative to cow’s milk.
Contact Us: Emirates Industry for Camel Milk & Products (EICMP)
Tel: +971 4 2281034 Fax: +971 4 2281039 E-mail: info@camelicious.ae 2
Catering NEWS ME October 2015
Visit us at Hall 4.1 Stand: E095
Contents
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Connecting F&B professionals with industry knowledge FEBRUARY 2015
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the full report from our inaugural food and beverage forum
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industry news in brief
BIG FOOD FORUM
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COVER STORY
the truth about the current obesity epidemic and the role of f&b in tackling it
THE FORUM
operations managers meet to discuss the challenges and opportunities in sourcing ff&e, food and staff for events
CASE STUDY
exploring the new state-ofthe-art warehousing facilities of the food distributor fresh express
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28 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
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Sales Manager Charlotte Ringrose Charlotte@bncpublishing.net Group Editor
Melanie Mingas
Melanie@bncpublishing.net
Editor Michael Gordon Michael@bncpublishing.net Art Director Aaron Sutton Aaron@bncpublishing.net
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Marketing Executive Mark Anthony Monzon Mark@bncpublishing Advisory Panel
Bobby Krishna - Dubai Municipality Food Control Department Izu Ani - La Serre John Gillespie - Tonique Beverage Consultancy Justin Galea - Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi Mark Patten - Atlantis, The Palm Dubai Markus Thesleff - Whissle Group Michael Kitts - Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management Naim Maadad - Gates Hospitality Photographers
INTERVIEW
Audrey Hastings Neville Hopwood
the art of making true italian gelato with dri dri creator adriano di petrillo
SUBSCRIBE subscriptions@bncpublishing.net PO Box 502511 Dubai, United Arab Emirates P +971 4 4200 506 | F +971 4 4200 196
INTERVIEW
celebrating mozzarella cheese with michelin star chef alfredo russo
DECOR
For all commercial enquiries related to Catering News ME contact dom@bncpublishing.net T +971 50 55 97339
a behind the scenes look at the design choices of the black lion gastro pub
BEVERAGES
taking the path to perfection in mixology with african + eastern
Catering NEWS ME October 2015
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All rights reserved Š 2014. Opinions expressed are solely those of the contributors. Catering News ME and all subsidiary publications in the MENA region are officially licensed exclusively to BNC Publishing in the MENA region by Catering News ME. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher. Printed by Raidy Emirates Printing Group LLC www.raidy.com
Editor's letter
are you burying your head? as an industry we must all wake-up and smell the coffee (without sugar), when it comes to addressing nutrition and obesity Seemingly I'm not alone in my battle with the bulge, which is reassuring, but less palpable is the fact that approximately 3.4 million adults die each year from obesity complications. Furthermore, the UAE is number 18 on a list of the world’s fattest countries, with an estimated 68.3% of its citizens overweight. What I have come to learn this month is that this level of obesity is almost entirely attributable to diet. We eat a mainly Western diet out here, which is high in grains, sugars, and processed foods. I also learnt a new word this month - "leanwashing" - which is where F&B companies undermine the importance of dietary choices in the obesity debate. As an industry we need to drive out those that bury their heads in the sand and refuse to accept responsibility for the nutritional value of foods they pedal. It is as much a responsibility of the F&B industry as it is local, national and international governmental bodies, and ultimately us as individual consumers to educate on the importance of nutrition and the true impact of the food we eat. As an industry we must also begin to offer true alternatives, and by that I mean truely healthy food and drinks reasonably priced to compete
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with the mass produced junk we are confronted with. Today, eating healthy costs three times as much as consuming unhealthy food - and the price gap is widening, according to a study by Cambridge University Researchers. But there is some light at the end of this dark tunnel, with experts from UNICEF recently designing a programme to teach school nurses how to convince youngsters about the benefits of eating healthy food and leading an active lifestyle. And the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi has developed an intervention programme named WEQAYA, which aims to reduce chronic diseases by increasing public awareness to healthy food. Also, in Dubai, the Chamber of Commerce & Industry recently hosted a meeting organised by its Food & Beverages Manufacturing Group to encourage industry self-regulation in marketing and advertising food and beverages considered high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) to children, with a pledge from the International Food & Beverage Alliance (IFBA) in the GCC to not advertise HFSS products to children under 12. These are indeed welcome steps, and we can only hope its not too little too late in the "growing" obesity epidemic.
Follow us on our social media pages @cateringnewsme /cateringnewsme cateringnewsme
Michael Gordon Editor
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P10: Dairy Queen // P12: Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management (EAHM) //
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Beverages Qsr
Burger chain Blazes into the UAE
Wael Soueid Obesity
Anantara targets obesity to increase productivity
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nantara Hotels & Resorts in Abu Dhabi is introducing healthy food and team member challenges to combat obesity and sedentary living habits in a bid to increase workforce productivity. Wael Soueid, area general manager, said: “The health and wellbeing of Anantara’s people is at the core of what makes us a preferred employer. Hoteliers often work long hours and despite having the best quality cuisine around them, can have poor diets. “Many people are not aware of the links between health and productivity.” The estimated cost of obesity in the workplace including medical expenditures and absenteeism for a company with 1,000 employees is estimated to be AED1,016,590 annually, according to Finkelstein EA, Brown DS. 8
Catering NEWS ME October 2015
Soueid added: “We have created our own internal version of the ‘Biggest Loser’ in an attempt to improve morale, lower stress, increase self-esteem and drive productivity.” Anantara’s Biggest Loser challenge includes dietary guidelines and the provision of healthy alternatives in the team member restaurant at each hotel, an exercise plan and access to classes and gym as well as regular weigh in and consultations with in-house personal trainers. “In the current economic climate all businesses need to look at their human capital and place greater emphasis on wellbeing and ensuring each team member is as productive as possible. We want our Anantara team in Abu Dhabi to turn up to work and switch on their brains and move into overdrive. Not just show up and turn off.”
Figjam, a Dubai based food branding agency, has been appointed by Bahraini burger brand rebels, Blaze to bring the brand to the UAE. After five years of operations in Bahrain the Blaze team have looked to Figjam to translate the original Blaze concept while updating it to fit today’s consumer and compete successfully in the UAE market. “It’s important we stay true to the original Blaze concept while consciously structuring the profile and creating a level of consistency with a view to achieving international growth.” said Sanjay Murthy, managing director, Figjam “The core values of quality burgers and an edgy look and feel has been achieved through establishing a trusted, high quality, supply chain and creating an environment that exposes the rebellious attitude.” Blaze is a revered brand in Bahrain, one that customers will travel many miles to reach, and Figjam is tasked with remaining true to its heritage while updating the characteristics. Murthy added: “We are not working on a rebrand or a redesign here but instead crafting a strong identity for Blaze that is based on its original operations and can be rolled out to new outlets as the chain grows. We will focus on identifying fundamental characteristics that make Blaze what it is in order to further develop these, triggering greater impact and building brand recognition.”
Smoothie King to open 45 new outlets Al Ghurair Retail has announced a new partnership with international smoothie brand, Smoothie King, with plans on opening 45 Smoothie King locations over the next five years throughout the GCC, starting with the United Arab Emirates before expanding into Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. “I am thrilled to introduce Smoothie King as our first ever food and beverage brand and a meaningful new addition to Al Ghurair Retail’s rapidly expanding portfolio of companies in the UAE,” said Al Ghurair retail general manager Laurent Cabioch. “Al Ghurair Retail has seen the increasing demand for healthy food and beverage products for those on the go and Smoothie King will meet this demand as we take the concept from Dubai into the rest of the GCC,” he added. Smoothie King offers a wide variety of smoothies made with the highest quality ingredients, created to meet all nutritional goals including weight loss, weight gain and increased energy. Smoothie King is currently located in Korea, Grand Cayman and Singapore, and according to Dan Hannah, vice president of International Business Development, the company is eyeing development in Japan, China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Australia and Brazil.
NEWS
Sourcing
TIME Hotels officially awarded Slow Food initiative approval
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IME Oak Hotel & Suites and TIME Grand Plaza have received the official ‘snail of approval’ from the Slow Food Dubai, becoming the first hotels in the Middle East to be recognised as pioneers of the 20-year old international movement. To qualify for the award, the TIME Hotels culinary team had to create over 50 dishes from scratch, using only locally sourced ingredients. Founded by professional gourmet Carlo Petrini in 1986, slow food supporters are committed to sourcing and using food that is produced and prepared as per local culinary tradition, and using high quality locally sourced ingredients.
The food and beverage team at TIME Hotels has been working in partnership with the Slow Food Dubai Chefs Alliance since early 2015, to promote the benefits of this unique culinary direction across the hotel’s restaurants and banqueting facilities. “TIME Hotels is focused on sustainability across all areas of its operation, and food and beverage is no exception. With around 85% of food items imported into the UAE, we believe that we can make a difference by introducing the Slow Food initiative in our hotels,” said Bernard Fantoli, corporate director of F&B, TIME Hotels. “The guidelines implemented at both hotels include a commit-
Beverages
Bar Maestro launches in UAE
ment to using 100% homemade products with no GMO, MSG or other artificial flavour enhancers; local sourcing of all ingredients/ products up to a radius of 3,000 kilometres; and a focus on sourcing organic where possible,” he added. TIME’s Slow Food menu includes dishes such as labneh cheese with extra-virgin olive oil served with heirloom tomatoes and organic arugula; baked local shari fish with cucumber, carrots and beetroot in a zaatar-black olive sauce; free range chicken machbous with Emirati rice and a secret herb mix; and a delicious cream soufflé made with khidri dates, nuts and mountain honey.
There is an increasing demand in the UAE for affordable, competitive, quality service in the provision of mixologists and bar staff, according to the founders of Bar Maestros. At present, there are a small number of key players on the market who are dominating the industry with overpriced, sub-standard service. Bar Maestros was founded as a solution to the lack of options and few competitors who have the skills to run event operations whilst successfully fulfilling client needs. Bar Maestros, veterans of the hospitality industry, offers bar staff provisions for concerts and entertainment events, major sporting events, private events and launches, as well as a special nightclub/event concierge for VIPs. Each of the Bar Maestros, who have built their craft with over 25 years of combined experience, undergoes specialised expertise education in the fields of mixology, bartending technique, aperitif and digest if, sommelier training— covering all fields of the alcohol beverage industry. Bar Maestros aims to surpass standards of service and hospitality in the UAE
First Millennium Hotel in MENA to get ISO 22000 The Millennium Corniche Hotel Abu Dhabi is the first Millennium Hotel in the Middle East and North Africa to achieve ISO 22000: 2005 HACCP, a food hygiene management system controlling food hygiene under the farm to fork concept. James Wilson, hotel GM, said: “We are deeply privileged to receive this certificate which we worked very hard to achieve. “This certificate is like a roadmap in our journey
towards quality and excellence where we will use it as a practical tool for areas of continual improvement as well as to enhance our points of strength and quality control. “It will also offer our clients and guests an international independent assurance of the quality hygienic control in our food operation, while enhancing and adding to the Abu Dhabi hospitality sector’s continuous strive for international excellence.”
The purpose of ISO 22000 is to provide a practical approach to ensure the reduction and elimination of food safety risks as a means to protect consumers. One of the differences between HACCP and ISO 22000 is the ISO standard’s emphasis of the use of prerequisite programmes (PRPs). PRPs are generic controls used by any food business operation to maintain hygienic conditions in the processing environment. PRPs stipulate the preconditions necessary for producing safe food.
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NEWS
Outlets
Dairy Queen to return with 20-store plan
Dairy Queen, the fast food chain backed by American billionaire Warren Buffet, is set for a huge expansion across the UAE and Middle East over the next four years. In excess of 20 outlets are planned in the UAE alone, as the brand returns to the region bigger and better following an unsuccessful spell several years ago. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway group owns Dairy Queen, with the owner famously shunning the glitz and glamour of five-star restaurants in favour of the family-friendly burgers and ice-cream served up at DQ. Dairy Queen is already in Ras al Khaimah, with new premises opening soon in Yas Mall and World Trade Centre Abu Dhabi, with another outlet planned for Dubai by the end of the year. 10
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Director of operations in charge of the Dairy Queen franchise in the UAE, Malik Bajwa, said the brand is growing at pace in the region – with no sign of this slowing. “Dairy Queen was here a long time ago and now we are seeing the re-entry,” he said. “This is a great brand with a great product. It is huge in the US and the GCC and is expanding across our region, in the likes of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. “We have plans for 20 outlets in the UAE by the end of 2019 and are well on the way to achieving that. We have already opened in Ras Al Khaimah, have two exciting openings in Abu Dhabi in the coming weeks and are also in negotiations over a location in Dubai which we would hope to open by the end of the year.”
Jay Williams becomes complex executive chef The Westin Dubai and Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina has named Jay Williams as the complex executive chef. Jay, who joined the hotel in 2008 as sous chef has been integral to the growth of the hotel’s substantial F&B offering and securing multiple award wins. A New Zealand native, Jay started in the kitchens by accident: washing dishes, peeling potatoes and cutting onions in a friend’s kitchen over summer as a favour. The busy kitchen gave Jay an insight into a chef’s world and so after six months on the pot wash, he moved to the grill and was hooked. Over the next five years, Jay jumped around the many café’s and bars Wellington has to offer before landing a dream job at Zibibbo restaurant, run by Michelin star chef Adam Newell ex Le Gavroche in London. It was here that Jay really learnt how to cook. The kitchen was run in the same style as Le Gavroche; long hours and relentless pursuit for perfection driven by Adam. After three years at Zibibbo, Jay
Jay Williams
moved to Dubai where he took the position of sous chef at Barasti. Over the past seven years, Jay has climbed the ranks from chef de cuisine at Blue Orange, to executive sous chef, with the mammoth task of overseeing the Mina Seyahi complex’s 18 F&B outlets as well as the hotel’s banqueting operation. Over the past three years, Jay has been responsible for spearheading some of the hotel’s flagship culinary experiences including the development of the world famous Bubbalicious brunch, Sparkling at Latest Recipe and Pik-Nik which launched earlier this year. “Through his creativity and drive, Jay has played an integral part in the growth of our F&B offerings over the past few years,” said Tolga Lacin, general manager, Mina Seyahi Complex. “We are thrilled to see Jay move up into the role of executive chef for the complex and look forward to seeing the team taking Mina Seyahi Culinary Quality and Experience to the next level under his Leadership.”
NEWS
QUICK NEWS A brief look at local catering news Outlets
Dubai gets Serendipity Al Tayer Group is set to launch the first two Serendipity 3 outlets in Dubai in December 2015, at Dubai Festival City and The City Walk, under an exclusive license covering the GCC. These will be the first operations outside of the U.S., of the famed establishment. Designed by award winning
international design consultancy Harrison, in consultation with Al Tayer Group, the décor in both locations resembles a theatrical stage set. The store front displays the logo with the three princes, created by Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast in the 1960’s that remains the symbol of Serendipity 3 to this day.
Charity
Koita helps feed Orphaned children Dubai-based Organic Food and Distribution Company, Koita has continued with their ethos to give back to the local community by donating AED 85,000, in both packs of their Koita Organic Certified Milk and cash, to Al-Ihsan Charity for Orphans and needy families in the UAE. "Living in Dubai we all take for granted the great lifestyles we have,” said Mustafa Yusuf Koita, founder and owner of Koita. “Unfortunately there are many underprivileged families we don’t see and with our con-
tinued charity work we want them to be noticed and supported. As giving back is part of the Koita company mandate, we are very proud to be helping the Al-Ihsan Charity. We hope this initiative will also encourage others to give back to such a worthy and needed cause.” Al-Ihsan is a not-for-profit organisation that has been operating in the UAE since 1990, providing financial aid and health assistance and undertaking rehabilitation projects for families in need in the UAE.
Appointments
JAS appoints Group Director of Culinary JAS Hospitality has welcomed chef Emiliano Bernasconi as their Group Director of Culinary, heading up the teams at Qbara Restaurant, Lounge & Bar and Fümé as all future JAS Hospitality brands. With over 20 years in 5-star hotels worldwide, he has spent time with executive chefs at The Fat Duck
and Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, and also catered for Arsenal and Chelsea football clubs. At the top of his game, he doesn’t forget what it was like starting out and looks for opportunities to help young and promising cooks, working closely with several culinary schools in Dubai and Italy.
Gastropub
American-Irish bar gets sporty The Sportsman’s Arms, a brandnew gastropub, has opened in the grounds of Abu Dhabi’s iconic Zayed Sports City, with panoramic views of Abu Dhabi’s premier sports destination. The American-Irish concept, situated on the first floor of the International Tennis Stadium across a 6,000 square metre indoor and outdoor site, offers refined pub
cuisine with an American-Irish touch teamed up with classic cocktails, using some of the best local produce from the US and Ireland. With floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the venue there will be two open terraces in addition to its indoor dining booths and tables, opening in the coming months.
Appointments
Kempinski promotes Food and Beverage Manager Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates has promoted Gabriele D’Amore from Assistant Food and Beverage Manager to Food and Beverage Manager. Starting his career as a waiter in his home country, Italy, where he advanced to more senior roles over a period of seven years, Gabriele moved abroad in 1999, where he spent the next 12 years gaining international experience as a restaurant manager in the UK, USA, Greece, Italy and France, with the acclaimed Alain Ducasse and other Michelin-starred restaurants. In 2011, Gabriele was appointed Assistant Food and Beverage Director with the
Gabriele D'Amore Shangri-La Group in Hong Kong, before moving to Dubai with Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates in 2014 as Assistant Food and Beverage Manager. October 2015 Catering NEWS ME
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Education
EAHM hits all-time student intake record
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he Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management (EAHM) has welcomed almost 210 students from more than 50 countries across its three intakes which is an alltime record since its inception in 2001. The number of students who enrolled onto the one-year MBA programme increased by more than 50% from last year. In addition, the number of students undertaking the flagship threeyear Bachelor of Business Administration with honours in International Hospitality Management programme has increased significantly. Ron Hilvert, managing director of EAHM, said: “The increase in student numbers is testament to the growth of the hospitality and tourism sector in Dubai and the UAE.” Dr John Fong, director of business development and consulting and an associate professor at EAHM, oversees the
student recruitment. He said: “What we have achieved in such a short space of time is astonishing and hence why students from around the world wish to learn from us.” Owned by the Jumeirah Group and located directly opposite the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, students at EAHM receive an internship and employment opportunities upon graduation. Michael Kitts, director of Culinary Arts at EAHM, added: “For the first time we have a student from St. Kitts & Nevis [a country in the Caribbean]. We also welcome for the first time 14 Study Abroad students from the National Kaohsiong University of Hospitality and Tourism (NKUHT) in Taiwan and four students from Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola (USIL) in Peru. We also have five students from EHL on the Study Abroad programme, and one UAE National on the MBA.”
EAHM IN NUMBERS
Technology
VeggieBuzz.com set for launch
116
new students from 37 countries and an all-time record high
67
new students on our degree programmes (61 on the BBA, 6 on the MBA), 46 Study Abroad and 3 English Foreign Language
77%
of Students recruited internationally
64%
Female Students
209
Total new students in 2015 (3 intakes)
Sumati Menda The UAE’s first website tailored solely to vegetarian cuisine, VeggieBuzz.com will give diners a one-stop shop in their search for outstanding meat-free dishes. VeggieBuzz.com, set to launch on October 1, will list hundreds of restaurant reviews, delicious recipes and in-depth features, covering topics such as juicing, affordable eats and where to find Dubai’s tastiest falafel. Founder, Sumati Menda, said: “I grew up in a vegetarian family and we always struggled to find delicious meat-free food outside vegetarian restaurants. In recent years, I noticed a surge in the number of vegetarian dining options and I wanted to create a platform where all of these were listed on one dedicated website. And so VeggieBuzz.com was born.” Qsr
Another slice of Margherita Pizzeria Margherita Pizzeria has announced the grand opening of its second branch in Dubai, which is located along Sheikh Zayed Road. His Excellency Giovanni Favilli – Italian Consul General in Dubai will be a special guest for the ribbon cutting ceremony on 5 October. 12
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Conference
Gulfood Manufacturing 2015 While increasing global populations and rising income levels deliver baseline success for food manufacturing companies, those looking for top-line growth will require proactive efforts in product development, harnessing emerging trends, increasing operational efficiencies, and adopting new technology, according to the organiser of Gulfood Manufacturing 2015, Trixie LohMirmand, senior vice president events and exhibitions department, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). Taking place from 27 – 29 October, Gulfood Manufacturing 2015 will bring together more than 1,500 international companies showcasing the most advanced
food manufacturing equipment, packaging, ingredients, distribution, logistics and technology
solutions for the industry. The three-day exhibition is expected to attract an estimated 30,000
targeted trade professionals from the region looking to drive growth for their businesses.
Suppliers
World Champion Chocolatier in Dubai zChocolat invited its best regional customers to a private event to taste chocolates made by the French ‘World Champion Chocolatier’ Pascal Caffet, last month. In a private event from September 14 to 17, in the One&Only Royal Mirage hotel in Dubai, guests received a sneak preview of zChocolat latest confectionary delicacies, direct from France. Jean-Philippe Khodara, president and CEO of zChocolat said: “I founded zChocolat in November 1999 from my home in Aix-en-Provence (South of France). I started by searching out a master artisan chocolatier to create an exclusive line of gourmet chocolates and was thrilled to collaborate with Pascal Caffet, World Champion Chocolatier.” He added: “ Making the finest French chocolates was only the beginning; it would be imperative to distinguish ourselves with inspiring packaging — as far as possible from the traditional chocolate gift basket — and customer service excellence. I adhere to the philosophy that the quality and responsiveness of customer service had to meet the same exacting standards of our products.”
Jean-PHilippe Khodara
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Outlets
Jumeirah at Etihad Towers opens Pearls by Michael Caines Jumeirah at Etihad Towers has announced plans to open a European restaurant called Pearls by Michael Caines the world renowned chef who has led Gidleigh Park in Devon, UK since 1994. Under Michael’s leadership, Gidleigh Park earned two Michelin Stars and has consistently been rated among the UK’s top dining destinations. When it opens on October 1, 2015, Pearls will be the first restaurant that Michael Caines has given his name to outside of the UK. As one of Britain’s best known and acclaimed chefs, Michael Caines has made his reputation by creating exciting, modern European cuisine that makes full use of local produce and seasonal ingredients.
At the new restaurant, Michael Caines has created dishes that draw inspiration from the Emirate and the Arabian Gulf. With its floor-to-ceiling open glass walls, the restaurant offers unrivalled views of Abu Dhabi’s islets, the surrounding sea and the open terrace on the upper
floor is perfect for sundowners, aperitifs and relaxing with friends. A private landing jetty offers boat and yacht access. Michael Caines said: “It is a real privilege and honour to open my first restaurant outside the UK in Abu Dhabi. It is a spectacular opportunity and I
am delighted to be working with the Jumeirah Group. The location of this stunning restaurant, with its independent entrance, will make it one of Abu Dhabi’s top dining destinations.” Michael Caines, honoured as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2006, has won numerous awards and accolades over the years. In addition to heading the kitchen team at acclaimed Gidleigh Park, he has signature restaurants in Exeter, North Devon, Manchester and Chester. He is also a partner and ambassador for the Williams F1 team, bringing two Michelin Star cuisine and hospitality to the team’s motorhome facility over race weekends.
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Outlets
Chef Middle East celebrates its 20th anniversary As a leading distributor, Chef Middle East has sourced perishable, dry, chilled and frozen items from various countries around the world, for 20 years, distributing the same in impeccable condition to a diverse client base in the Arabian Gulf region. A strong network in continental Europe, in particular, enables almost any food item on the European market to be obtained with relative ease. By way of thanks for their continued support, Chef ME organised a special Vendor Show last month, with suppliers from around the world displaying their product ranges, with live cooking and food tasting. Speaking at the event, which took place on Tuesday, September 8, 2015 from 11am to 7.30pm at JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, Steve Pyle, Chef Middle East CEO, said: “Thank you for helping us make the past twenty years so successful.�
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campaign. With specific focus on social media, she said: “People who are yet to visit Dubai are unaware of the world class cuisine on offer. Our role as a tourism authority is to increase awareness, through social media, international journalists and word of mouth.” While Bobby Thulasi, Dubai Municipality food safety specialist, introduced the new food hygiene rules that will be implemented to establish an “effective foodborne disease surveillance” investigation system within the next 12 months. Bobby said the system would become an integral tool in tracing the source of contamination and disease and would help in preventing outbreaks. The event which was moderated by Stephen Marney, broadcaster, presenter and journalist, comprised of presentations, prime networking opportunities,
IGT
Gemini
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hefs, F&B managers/directors and procurement managers from across the emirates came together at the Ritz Carlton, JBR on 15 of September, 2015 for the inaugural edition of Catering News ME’s Big Food & Beverage Forum, which featured some of the Middle East’s leading professionals, including experts from the tourism and hospitality sector, sharing their expert analysis and views with over 160 delegates. The conference was supported by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) with Debra Greenwood, director of Dubai Food Festival in attendance as the keynote speaker. Greenwood focussed on the importance of Dubai’s F&B scene in the international marketing of the emirate to tourists, she called on all Dubai’s 6,700 F&B establishments to join in the marketing
Now quality has a number.
Innovative General Trading LLC
open Q&A sessions, and lively panel discussions on a varied range of topics, including the hugely popular subjects of ingredient sourcing and tackling obesity. A staggering 30 industry leaders spoke throughout the conference, including Nils El Accad, founder of Organic Foods and Café; Markus Roeder, Marriott International and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, senior director of operations, Middle East and Afric; Dr. Graham Simpson, chief medical officer and founder of Intelligent Health; Naim Maadad, CEO of Gates Hospitality; Farah George, F&B general manager at Al Khayyat Investments; and Salem Khalifa Bin Dasmal, founder of Silver Spoon Investments. Interest remained high throughout the day, which culminating with the much welcomed Malts Masterclass, presented by African + Eastern.
IGT
Innovative General Trading LLC
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Big F&B Forum NEWS government Government
DTCM calls on Dubai F&B industry to join promotional efforts Laura Allais-Mare & Yael Mejia Obesity
Regulation required over local food labelling
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alls were made for governmental control over the labelling of farm foods and organic produce, to ensure the industry is held accountable, at The Big F&B Forum. Organised by Catering News ME, the Forum was attended by over 200 industry delegates, including speaker Laura Allais-Mare, leader of Slow Food Dubai Convivium, who accused the food packagers of bedazzling consumers with
false marketing with regards to local and organic food. Yael Mejia, brand consultant with Baker & Spice Dubai, argued: “The government just wants to keep people’s bellies full, at whatever cost; that is driving industrialisation.” Speaking about a drive for sustainable supply, she added: “People are too far removed from how food is made in the field. It is naivety.”
Design
Full alignment needed for authentic designs
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o create authentic dining concepts, operators must be 100% committed to total alignment, from the design, to the staff and the food they serve, according to Will Elsener, founder of Bespoke Concepts. Speaking at The Big F&B Forum, Will said: “Authenticity is something unique, but it must be the whole package we offer – good food, service, value for money and experience.” Naim Maadad, CEO of Gates 18
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Hospitality, added: “Too many operators try to please too many people rather than focusing on their own brand and brand promises. We must ensure operators believe in the brand and are aligned with it.” Edward Harvey, Foodservice and Hospitality Consultant, commented: “If it’s a French brassier then French food, French staff and French style design. The authenticity of food item must be 100% true to what it is you aim to deliver.”
Out of Dubai’s total count of F&B establishments, 1,400 are still not utilising the marketing tools at their fingertips. The figures were quoted by Debra Greenwood, director of the Dubai Food Festival, DTCM, during her keynote address at The Big F&B Forum. Focussing on the importance of Dubai’s F&B scene in the international marketing of the emirate to tourists, she called on all Dubai’s 6,700 F&B establishments to join in the marketing campaign. With specific focus on social media, she said: “People who are yet to visit Dubai are unaware of the world class cuisine on offer. Our role as a tourism authority is to increase awareness, through social media, international journalists and word of mouth.” While Dubai ranks ahead of destinations such as Istanbul, the UK and France, currently, according to data gathered by DTCM, only 5,300 of Dubai’s total 6,700 F&B establishments are visible across various social media platforms.
Debra greenwood
Dubai to introduce new food hygiene rules Bobby Thulasi
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ubai will establish an “effective foodborne disease surveillance” investigation system within the next 12 months, according to Dubai Municipality food safety specialist, Bobby Thulasi. Speaking at The Big F&B Forum, Bobby said the system would become an integral tool in tracing the source of contamination and disease and would help in preventing outbreaks. While such measures cannot guarantee the complete safety of all foods, they will greatly eliminate the cases of food related illnesses. As part of the measures, from January 2016, kitchens must be designed and laid out in accordance with new guidelines. In addition, a card system will be used to identify issues ranging from critical (red) to caution (yellow) and acceptable (green). Those establishments with no violations will receive a “name and fame” recognition and for all suppliers it will be mandatory to display green cards and clients will have a right to ask the reason behind a supplier having a yellow or red card.
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Health
Government urged to tackle obesity
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Project Canvas for Generation Y
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omeone has to take the ball, in terms of educating the consumer over healthy eating and obesity issue, whether it be healthcare, schools or the food and beverage industry, according to Dr. Graham Simpson, founder of Intelligent Health. Speaking at The Big F&B Forum, Dr. Simpson said: “We know what kills 80%of the population today and it’s not cholesterol – that has nothing to do with health. Sugar is killing 80%of us. More than half of us have diabetes or pre-diabetes here in the UAE, which is second largest nation in the world of diabetes, and it’s
completely reversible. “The food and beverage industry has a huge obligation in educating people,” he added. Ghida Walid Sarieddine, hygiene and quality manager at Royal Catering, added: “One of the problems is the high level wastage with healthy food – the industry needs to be invested as it will lose money. “The government needs to take a bigger role in education – like the ‘Change for Life’ campaign in the UK. There must be a drive from the government to set guidelines, and to tell restaurants they can’t open with less than 10 percent of healthy food options.”
ROI extends for food and beverage investors
Today’s Generation Y demographic prefers to spend on food and beverages than consumer electronics, apparel, footwear, beauty, cosmetics and accessories. Speaking at The Big F&B Forum, Markus Roeder, Marriott International and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, senior director of operations, Middle East and Africa, made a presentation at the Forum, on the group’s ‘Project Canvas’ initiative, which is designed to bring unutilised hotel space in line with Gen Y requirements, by supporting entrepreneurs in the F&B industry to launch their own concepts. According to Markus, by 2018 Gen Y will have outstripped boomers and by 2020 more than half of all travellers will be Gen Y. “We have 4,300 hotels and the issue is how we get them all in the right direction in terms of what the latest generation expect from F&B,” he added.
he period of return on investment (ROI) for those invested in the food and beverage industry has been extended from three to four years to five to seven years, according to Farah George, general manager of food and beverage at Al Khayyat Investments. Speaking at The Big F&B Forum, Farah was joined by Vikrant Rohatgi, associate director and lead of the Strategy Group at KPMG. Vikrant said: “Over the last few years investors have seen the F&B sector grow and it’s been a resilient sector even in the downturn. Investors are willing to stay invested for longer periods of time and take lower returns because of the solidity of that return. “New concepts coming are increasing competition and with that the sustainability of the concept and profitable growth of concept are becoming increasingly important. Return expectations are dropping year on year,” he added.
Food & beverage industry must reward staff to retain them In order to solve the employment crisis in the UAE food and beverage industry, operators must improve working conditions, flexibility and above all pay better salaries, according to a panel of industry experts speaking at The Big F&B Forum. Uwe Micheel, director of Kitchens at Radisson Blue Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek, told a room of over 200 industry delegates: “Changing visa regulations and lobbying the government is not imperative as there simply isn’t the staff available, and that is because wages are too low to draw staff.”
Chef Uwe Micheel Piers Burton, executive director of Eagles Spearing Consulting, said: “Properly paid staff are more likely to be retained, but they are so poorly payed in this market that they are easily poached by Kuwait and Qatar for their training.”
Paul Smith, CEO of Liwa Minor, said: “The key is train people well and to the standard that they can leave but then treat them well so they don’t want to leave. F&B workers are seen as second class citizens here and so we need a change in mind set. If this industry is a pillar for Dubai then we need to find ways to make this work better.” Uwe added: “Interest to join this industry is low. Low salaries and long hours make it disinteresting. In countries where it works we have proper training and development and a pay structure.”
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Interview
Uwe Micheel being presented with a chef ME hamper A panel discussion on the employment crisis
Exhibitor showcase
Paul Todd
The merchant star team (L-R) Ayman Ahmed Helmy, Maryam Nosrati, Samar Albaldani, ali alaneh, Raya Mustafa, Cuqui Dizon Nicholas Couvaras
Izu Ani
Lawrence Wells & Adil Tegally
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Posing for the photo competition
A panel discussion on locally sourced foods
Ghida Sarieddine
Naim MaAdad
Michael Kitts, Uwe Micheel & Willi Elsener
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According to the World Health Organisation, approximately 3.4 million adults die each year from obesity complications, and studies show that GCC countries are some of the most obese in the world. Ahead of Anti-Obesity Day (AOD) on November 26, Michael Gordon investigates the scale of the epidemic and the phenomenon of “leanwashing”
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study conducted by Forbes ranked the UAE number 18 on a list of the world’s fattest countries, estimating 68.3% of its citizens to be overweight; making this small country one of the top regions plagued with high obesity rates. Within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the obese account for: Egypt 71%, Saudi 69%, Oman 54%, Qatar 44%, Kuwait 43%, and Bahrain 31%. Dr. Graham Simpson, MD is Chief Medical Officer and Founder of Intelligent Health, and he outlined the severity of the epidemic: “The problem of obesity in the Middle East is very severe, and according to the World Health Organisation, the Gulf countries have some of the highest rates of obesity in the world.” Board certified in Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine, today Dr. Graham writes extensively in his mission to educate the public about dietary requirements. Dr. Graham says: “This level of obesity is almost entirely attributable to diet. We eat a mainly Western diet out here, which is high in grains, sugars, and processed foods. But obesity is not the only concern. We are seeing a very high increase in non-communicable disease.” However, most people do not realise that they may be at higher risk of developing health conditions due to being overweight
or obese, as compared to a healthy person. Morbid obesity (when the Body Mass Index or BMI exceeds 35 kg/m(2)) often leads to a serious impairment on the quality of life, reduces life expectancy, and chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer. Ghida Sarieddine, quality and hygiene manager, Royal Catering, says: “Obesity is mainly caused by an excessive food energy intake, combined with a lack of adequate physical activity. In today’s world, fast food is cheaper the healthy food. Fast food is more easily available, and is also high in fat and sugar content.” While obesity is influenced by many factors, such as poor diet, lack of exercise, genetics, and their interactions, overconsumption of food is the single most important factor. A recent editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that, “Obesity results from overnutrition and the primary therapeutic target is preventing or reversing overeating. Exercise is associated with weight loss but its duration or intensity has minor effects on weight loss relative to diet.” People who believe overeating causes obesity, and want to lose weight, will monitor and restrict their eating. In contrast, people who blame insufficient exercise will try to increase their physical activity. But, as mentioned, it is harder to control weight using exercise rather than diet. Moreover, people generally overestimate how many calories they burn while exercising, and
underestimate how many calories they eat. What’s worse, we reward ourselves for exercise with an indulgent treat, and end up consuming more calories than we had burned. Exercise has many health benefits, of course. But when it comes to weight control, people who just eat less simply tend to put on less weight. So to what extent is the food and beverage industry to blame and what is the level of their responsibility? In an article written by Brent McFerran, assistant professor of marketing at the Beedie School of Business, Aneel Karnani, professor of strategy at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, and Anirban Mukhopadhyay, associate professor of Marketing at the HKUST Business School, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and first published in the European Financial Review, F&B companies undermine the importance of dietary choices in the obesity debate – in a process that has become known as “leanwashing”. The research suggests that roughly half the population is misinformed about poor diet being the primary cause of obesity, as a result of leanwashing by the food and beverage industry. This conclusion was based on the analysis of four types of corporate messaging – public statements, lobbying, philanthropy, and sponsorships of sports teams and events – through which food companies disseminate messages non-directly advertising a specific product. In each case, the October 2015 Catering NEWS ME
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Middle East & North Africa (MENA) obesity Levels
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industry’s messaging is focused on either exercise or a “balanced” lifestyle, but almost never mentions poor diet as the cause of obesity. For example, most major sports competitions, including the Olympics, the NFL, or the Indian Premier League in cricket, has food companies as significant sponsors. However, the three largest soda companies — Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group — recently pledged to cut the number of calories in their sugary drinks by one-fifth, which is a welcome acknowledgement by the soda producers that excessive sugar intake contributes to the obesity crisis. Yet, the leanwashing report suggests: “The more crucial issue is whether the companies will change their messaging to reflect the medical consensus that excessive calorie consumption, and not lack of exercise, is the primary cause of obesity. The marketing, public relations, and corporate social responsibility campaigns of food and beverage companies consistently overemphasise the role of exercise as the 24
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cause of obesity. Corporate messaging almost never mentions diet, despite scientific evidence that it plays the central role in human obesity. We call this systematic misrepresentation about the causes of weight gain “leanwashing”, and argue that it is one of the hidden factors leading to obesity.” In discussing the role of the food and beverage industry in tackling obesity, Dr. Graham says: “Well it is big business and profit versus the right thing to do. If we look at what the food and beverage industry has introduced in the way of foods over the past decades, we have a real issue. The amount of sugar and chemicals put into our foods are done purely to make us eat more and more often. So the role of the food and beverage industry is, quite simply, to stop producing these harmful foods. But let us not expect this any time soon. This is very big business after all.” Does this mean there should be more accountability from F&B producers? Dr. Graham says: “Absolutely. But we need changes in the law for this to ever become
a reality, otherwise nothing will change because people will keep buying these foods if they are available. These foods are like a drug to us. “We mass produce the unhealthy foods, and due to the chemicals they have a tremendous shelf life, which makes for easy and cheap transport and storage, etc, whereas healthy foods are natural and perishable. “If the governments were to tax junk food and subsidise healthy food it would be a step in the right direction. But what we need is to start seeing many of these junk foods eliminated entirely from our store shelves.” Ghida adds: “Eating healthy costs three times as much as consuming unhealthy food - and the price gap is widening, according to a study by Cambridge University. Researchers examined almost 100 popular items of food, which is defined under Government criteria as healthy or not. “They found that 1,000 calories made up from healthy items, such as lean salmon, yoghurts and tomatoes, cost an average of $11.60 in 2012, while the same calorie intake from less healthy items, such as pizza, beef burgers, and doughnuts, could be purchased for an average of $3.87.” And the gap is rising. Today the gap between the two 1,000 calorie baskets is now $7.73, the research found, when ten years ago it was $6.01. Karen Hargreaves, founder of Beat Obesity UAE, a platform and community on the conversation of health, says: “The food and beverage industry must be committed to playing a part in helping to tackle obesity. “Each company must have a strategy in place that supports reformulating their products, by reducing levels of sugar and calories in certain products; providing clear nutrition labelling, so that consumers can make informed food choices; encouraging better eating and offering greater choice to consumers, with lower calorie and caloriefree products and the promotion of healthy lifestyles; responsible marketing for all ages but especially towards children; and encouraging the wider food industry to establish global best practice. “Nutrition must be a core part of the business strategy. Executing programmes that limit the use of ingredients causing
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public health concern - reducing levels of salt, trans and saturated fats, sugar and calories across products.” Ghida agrees that the F&B industry must accept some responsibility, she says: “Yes there should be more accountability from F&B producers, but it should come more from the governments in the sense that restaurants should only be registered and approved by the government when they have some healthy options within a menu that incorporates nutrition facts as well.” Dr. Graham adds: “There are certainly some initiatives being carried out at the government level, but we have a long way to go. It is an important consideration, because I believe that it is government involvement that will lead to real change.” One way the government could get involved is to tax junk food and subsidise healthy food but how would this affect their commercial and business relationships with vendors of such products? According to research published in the British Medical Journal, fat taxes would
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“In today’s world, fast food is cheaper than healthy food. Fast food is more easily available, and is also high in fat and sugar content.” have to increase the price of unhealthy food and drinks by as much as 20% in order to cut consumption by enough to reduce obesity and other diet-related diseases. Such levies should be accompanied by subsidies on healthy foods such as fruit
and vegetables to help encourage a significant shift in dietary habits. Radha K Valiathan, procurement manager at Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, comments: “Education on eating habit is something really needed in this world, but as educa-
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Karen Hargreaves, founder of Beat Obesity UAE suggests there are several ways the government could help tackle obesity, including: • Subsidise and invest in the development of walkways and sidewalks in cities and communities. • Pass zoning laws that encourage foot and bicycle traffic. • Mandate that nutritional information be in plain sight for customers to make informed decisions in fast food and other restaurants. • Mandate that all restaurants offer a healthy menu option. • As part of the curriculum introduce physical education, nutrition, and cooking classes in schools. • Restrict or even ban marketing of junk foods to children. • Subsidise production of fresh fruits and vegetables. • Subsidise healthy foods in programs for low-income families/ people. • Eliminate corporate tax deductions for marketing. • Tax sugar • Permit lawsuits against food
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“The problem of obesity in the Middle East is very severe, and according to the World Health Organisation, the Gulf countries have some of the highest rates of obesity in the world.”
tion is not effecting the way its required, the best way to control or change the bad eating habit is by imposing taxes on the unhealthy food, which will lead to a reduction of unhealthy food purchases. And for sure HORECA will welcome this initiative. But if the guest still needs unhealthy food we will buy it on a higher price and sell it on a higher price too.” Similarly, Kivanc Eralp, procurement manager La Serre, says: “I can say on behalf of La Serre that it is a great initiative. But the definition of unhealthy food is quite expansive; does it mean they will tax unhealthy ingredients or the product itself? “If it’s the ingredients, which makes more sense, then it will have a positive effect on our supply chain since we are already sourcing mostly organic produce. “As the demand increases local farms will be able to invest in more land to meet the demand. Furthermore, with imported produce the increased demand will give consolidators more logistical options (currently the low demand pushes most consolidators to weekly or bi weekly shipments). Also, since the organic produce is more susceptible to weather conditions and does not store well over long periods
of time, there will be less wastage. “On another note it would be great if this initiative were extended towards product that is sourced from sustainable methods, such as sustainably farmed fish versus wild caught fish.” Ghida says: “While it is unclear how such taxes could be brought in and enforced, they could help ensure that poor diet plays less of a role in future in a range of illnesses such as heart disease, type two diabetes and tooth decay, as well as obesity. “Evidence suggests that bigger health gains result from increasing the price of a broad range of foods rather than a narrow one, and sugary drinks offer the best proof that such a move can be effective,” she adds. Research in America found that a 35% tax on drinks sweetened with sugar sold in a canteen, which added about $0.43 to the price, led to a 26% drop in sales. “Studies have estimated that a 20% levy on such drinks in the US would cut obesity by 3.5% and that adding 17.5% to the cost of unhealthy food products in the UK could lead to 2,700 fewer deaths from heart disease,” says Ghida. But the food industry attacked that re-
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search. "When the whole of the food industry is focused on continuing to give hard-pressed families great tasting food at an affordable price, discussion of adding 20% to food prices seems fanciful if not irresponsible," said Terry Jones, director of communications for the Food and Drink Federation, which represents food producers and retailers. Firms were working with the Department of Health through its Public Health Responsibility Deal "to make meaningful improvements in public health through pledges in areas such as salt and calorie reduction.” However, many countries have introduced health food levies, such as: Denmark has brought in a "fat tax"; Hungary has a "junk food tax"; France a tax on all sweetened drinks; Peru intends to add levies to junk food; and Ireland has suggested it may also introduce such taxes. “Some argue that the fat tax puts an unfair burden on the low income families, this is where the money gained from the tax on junk food should be used to
subsidise healthier food, making the sort of fruits, vegetables and healthy produce every child needs to grow available to the children who are currently losing out,” according to Karen. She adds: “Governments, international partners, civil society, non-governmental organisations and the private sector all have vital roles to play in contributing to obesity prevention.” Ghida says: “The government has taken up some initiatives, such as introducing activities at beaches and public parks, including running and biking paths, volleyball nets, and water sports, all meant to encourage everyone to get active. “Experts from UNICEF have designed the year-long School Health Education Project, which will be implemented by the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, Seha, and the health and education ministries. It aims to teach school nurses how to convince youngsters about the benefits of eating healthy food and leading an active lifestyle.
“And the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi has developed an intervention programme named WEQAYA, which aims to reduce chronic diseases by increasing public awareness to healthy food.” Under the scheme food producers will have to prove the nutritional value of their produce in order to display the WEQAYA logo on their health food packaging. Also, in May the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry hosted a meeting organised by its Food & Beverages Manufacturing Group to encourage industry self-regulation in marketing and advertising food and beverages considered high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) to children, with a pledge from the International Food & Beverage Alliance (IFBA) in the GCC to not advertise HFSS products to children under 12. What is clear is that a comprehensive approach to nutritional values need to be addressed at both the industrial and governmental levels, and soon, before the epidemic literally explodes.
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Feeding the five thousand An increasing appetite for large scale events is placing pressure on hotel banqueting and standalone restauranteurs to provide competitive packages, but a lack of regulatory flexibility and an ever demanding clientele is placing enormous pressure on profit margins. Catering News ME reports How frequent are group bookings at your establishment and how has this fluctuated? Rikhsibay Tursunov: We have seen an increase in the demand for these bookings, but we also have more facilities now to cater to them, which contributes to this demand. Here at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, we have an advantageous location and facilities. We can accommodate more than 1,000 people in the banqueting and ballroom and 600 in our meeting rooms. In general it is a positive trend and it is increasing. Maxwell Grayson: It depends on what kind of venue you are. As a standalone we take a lot of group booking for parties and birth28
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days but we also hire out the entire venue for private parties and we see a lot of people wanting to do that. There definitely is a demand there but the kind of customer you get depends on what kind of venue you are. Oliver Abraham: We have Meydan Hotel and Bab Al Shams; one with 700 suites and a ballroom and another with only small meeting rooms, but large event spaces. The groups we host on a daily basis don’t book three months in advance, like they would have done five years ago. They book two weeks in advance. We also have strong demand for our desert restaurant
and that is always a challenge because it is booked as a VIP option on the desert camp trips by tour operators, so we only receive that booking on the day. From an operations side we always have to be prepared. Angela Mansi: We cater to events on a daily basis because we are in an area which is home to a lot of businesses and we regularly have full meeting room bookings, with regular large events and small events on a day to day basis. I believe, and I have been in Dubai for six years, that there was much more demand a few years back than there is now and there are two reasons: increased competition and more demands from the
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
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Participants
Angela Mansi assistant F&B director Radisson Blu DMC
client. Also clients are very price focused. Sahil Jain: Personally, I have also been here for six years and I see a paradigm shift in the industry where more standalone restaurants are opening, and taking business from the hotels. One property opened as a café and hosted a lot of product launches and it was a well located café, which could compete on rates. We weren’t ready for that level of demand, we were not a conference or exhibition centre, but we had to react to that new revenue stream because our rates were competitive and that created demand. Speaking of the competition element, a standalone would have to close to walk in guests if the venue is booked out for a private party. How does that reflect on your ability to offer a competitive price? Maxwell: You may have a few enquiries one month, and none the next. The exclusivity comes with a price for the client but it has to be financially worth our while to do it, because regardless of that private party we will be driving business in that space. Events aren’t an extra revenue stream for us like they are in a hotel. The consumer now is demanding and looking for value, so when faced with that we would rather not take the business. Sometimes you think you have to take everybody’s business but you don’t. It’s the same with brunch. We tried it, but it isn’t financially viable, so we stick to a la carte. For us, we have to stick to the right price.
People come because they like the venue, the location and it reflects the kind of event they want to host. It’s a different model. Rikhsibay: The client mentality is similar to that which we see in the malls. They see signs for 75% discount, but they don’t realise the price was inflated before discount. A similar logic is applied when looking at the prices of different venues. Rikhsibay: We have also seen Chinese business increase this year, so reaching out to new destinations is important, but this also impact the menu options Sahil: The Russian market has dropped off now and we see instead a huge demand from Asia and Africa, and that demand has to be met. What percentage of your business is generated from these bookings? Angela: The percentage of total revenue which is generated by events is 10%. Oliver: At Bab al Shams, large groups contribute around 25% to our revenue and for Meydan it’s about 20%. Rikhsibay: We see 30% for F&B and 52% is the all-day dining and we average 1,500 guests in one restaurant. Weekend we are talking 3,500. But we are able to retain our MICE and corporate guests because of the resort element. Sahil: In my previous experience we would say around 30% of business was generated by events.
Sahil Jain operations manager Two Spoons
Oliver Abraham
Assistant Director – C&E Meydan Hotels and Hospitality
Maxwell Grayson operations manager 4FRONT
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Rikhsibay Tursunov Asst. F&B Manager Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Looking now at the operational challenges which occur as a result of the trends identified; what are the key challenges and which of these trends have required you to re-organise how you operate the business? Maxwell: Sometimes the client is leaving it to the last minute, but also directing every single thing they want. Rikhsibay: As a hotel or standalone you have to be ready: equipment, staffing, plan A and plan B. But you also have to find a balance. If a client wants to book a party at a day’s notice, we can accommodate that but the price will reflect the last minute nature of the booking because less notice means more costs for us. If you book three months in advance we can meet that demand for a lower price and that is passed on. 80% is all about preparation and 20% is the service. Sahil: When we go out and meet clients we need to ascertain a few things. Is this something our chef has to go beyond the venue to prepare or can we do it in house? If it’s something different we have to charge the premium price, if it isn’t then we can drop. Is it a regular client or a one off booking? If you have a long relationship with the client you can possibly still cater to them even with a smaller staff. At the end of the day it’s all about how you talk to the client. Competition is tough and if it isn’t you it’s someone else. Oliver: I think the difference between ho30
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The groups we host on a daily basis don’t book three months in advance, like they would have done five years ago. They book two weeks in advance” tels and standalone is that hotels can pull resources from other departments and we can have all our staff cross trained to cope with that scenario. If I have a big event in one hotel, I can bring staff and equipment from the other. But I also find that clients now go more to standalones instead of hotels. Angela: I think the standalones have an advantage: the staff know the venue, they can explain about the food and the service is of a different caliber. If you go to a hotel, you have general banqueting staff, or general events staff and that additional product knowledge becomes harder to find. Oliver: I also find that they can lower their rates because their overheads can be lower. Sahil: I was working with a Michelin starred Italian restaurant last year and it was literally making no money because the hotel rates were so cheap and it could not compete. A lunch in media city will cost around AED85 with a drink, at this two Michelin star they were giving a three course menu,
one drink inclusive, for AED50. Because hotel revenue is based on the rooms, they have to work on a lower profit margin. Standalones can’t compete like that and they have to do a lot of marketing to compete with hotels. It works hand in hand at the end of the day. Angela: Marketing is one of the major issues. As a hotel if you don’t know how to do that, you will not be noticed over the standalone restaurants as they put a lot more into marketing. Oliver: Hotels are also giving more space in their properties to lease out to standalones. I worked at a hotel before this appointment that used to have 17 outlets and now it has six because they have rented them all out. Hotels are now giving their owned spaces to standalones because it’s easier to run. Sahil: It’s a great business model – all they have to do is collect rent. Rikhsibay: On the other hand, hotels have an advantage so if they have a large event, they will also need rooms as well, which is a convenience for the participants and the hotel. But you don’t only want to keep those guests in the ball
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It’s all about how positon the venue; always give them a lot of options. So essentially the completion element remains, even though they are booked into your property? Maxwell: It also depends on the duration of their stay. If they are only here for one or two nights, you will be more likely to retain them than if they are staying a week.
room, you want to take them to the beach side, or serve them cuisines from different countries. How easy is it to retain a MICE group on property over the course of their event? Angela: You can try but sometimes they want to experience something you can’t provide in the hotel. Breakfast and lunch are usually secure, but you are likely
to lose them for dinner, especially if it isn’t scheduled. Rikhsibay: We give them the options of which outlet in the hotel they want to use for each meal, but they will always want to have an evening where they go to Burj Khalifa, for example. But we do cater to a variety of tastes; so we have healthier dishes, organic options; it isn’t just Danish pastries and coffee at every break.
Turning now to the staffing and equipment requirements, in light of the restrictions on temporary staff here, how are these covered? Maxwell: It’s a case of all hands on deck really and even some people who do not usually work on the floor, have to work on the floor on that day. Sahil: Back in 2001 we received a large contract, demanding, among other things, 10,000 sandwiches a day, and that was the ultimate “all hands on deck” experience. We had additional staff helping with the cooking off site and then delivering
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products to the client, by pulling in all our resources. This places pressure on training because staff are being trained to cover every eventuality, rather than being able to bring in specialist temporary staff from other outlets, as a hotel is able to do. How does this affect budgets? Angela: The demand is on budgets a lot of the time. Temporary staff for example are paid more than regular employees, equipment costs money and many of the large events don’t include this, but a lot of the time venues must encounter extra costs. Oliver: This is where our training and development team takes over the training of housekeeping and FoH, in F&B. It’s a three week course and before the Dubai World Cup all our none F&B staff undertake a three week training course. Cross training is very important for us. Sahil: We have even trained drivers to speak English, just in case they are needed to help out at a site during an event. Maxwell: We believe heavily in cross training also, so anybody can take a phone call or greet customer or serve a drink. We do like to move our staff around and help them understand how the business operates on every level really and they appreciate that; it keeps them interested and motivated and if they want to progress through the company, we can see who can multi-task and who understands the business. It’s a roadmap for progression. Sahil: I am currently sourcing staff for four venues but I am seeing people coming from several big restaurant companies and that desire to train and develop is their reason for leaving. Oliver: We have a lot of team members who are not trained in hospitality, but other fields. When they receive that training they are happy they have a new set of skills to add to their career growth. Maxwell: You need the right management team in place who can train staff. It’s common here to have people recruited who are thrown in at the deep end without experience or training in the concept, the menu, and that comes across to the customer. It’s hard to find somebody who is part of your team who can train up staff and give them the confidence to train people well. We are lucky we have a few good managers and staff who can 32
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Before the Dubai World Cup all our none F&B staff undertake a three week training course. Cross training is very important for us ” do that. Staff want to leave if they’re not being trained. They want to develop and will seek that opportunity elsewhere. Everybody knows that although Dubai is built on hospitality and hotels, the service in some places can be so bad, but it’s not necessarily their fault. It’s because they have been brought in and instructed to do nothing other than to get on with it. Sahil: I was a fresh graduate at the start of my career and I was thrown in as a waiter. It wasn’t until six months into that role that I realised I wasn’t learning anything or
progressing, then somebody came along who offered me a new role. Because I have been through this when I see somebody with potential I want to give them the same level of training. Oliver: We have a lot of team members who have been on the Meydan property for almost 20 years and they have worked there under three operators, but perhaps only two or three positions. They just love the property and being part of that team and the retention is 80%. Angela: The main challenge in Dubai is the rotations. I come from Europe and usually the staff will stay in the same position for a number of years and they are happy with that level of growth, or just moving up one or two levels. In Dubai retention is a huge challenge and you know people will move to a new property for a couple of hundred dirhams more or to get a promotion. Rikhsibay: This is how you position yourself and explain your vision of the company, to ensure that they are busy all the time. We also, as an industry, need to be mindful of empowerment. Waiters and team leaders need to know how they can handle situations, espe-
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cially the bad ones. They need to know what they can offer, rather than going to a manager and waiting 20 minutes for instructions. Sahil: A lot of staff also use their experience at one brand to sell their training to a potential employer. A lot of those staff will apply for such jobs and say who they have worked for previously because those SOPs have developed them as people. Maxwell: The training is great but we also need personality at a standalone and people to sell the business and yes the training does give you that initiative but it’s also a talent. A lot of the service you get in Dubai can be quite robotic. Considering the ambitions for Dubai to become a major destination for events, as well as the corporate events calendar in the city, what will be the top challenges hoteliers and restaurateurs will have to face to cater to the growing demand for large groups and events? Sahil: A panelist at The Big F&B Forum said that chefs need to be flexible in their menus. Based on the demand and customer base right now people are informed – they look at menus before they book and they plan ahead. Angela: I have worked with chefs in Michelin Starred restaurants and they would not be happy to change what they do, on demand, in that way. Oliver: today people have such strict dietary requirements they choose their restaurant according to those requirements. These are requirements based on preferences, rather than allergies, but we often now get a list of dietary requirements for a number of people in the room. In some cases events aren’t mass catering, but catering en masse to a lot of individual requirements. Sahil: We have annual pharmaceutical and medical conventions and I have been directly involved in the catering and events for corporate groups coming in from the US. We then had to create menus with medicinal and calorific intakes listed. Angela: I think one of the key issues when we do catering for very large groups, the local policies can also stop you. There are restrictions on licensing, entertainment, religious holidays, staff recruitment, and each comes with regulatory considerations and additional costs. We have to be flexible for the guest but we are faced with inflexibility from the other parties. Rikhsibay: Because of the changing market situations, increase competition and rising prices, not to mention the increased cost of living, we are going to see even more focus on retention of talent and keeping talent happy. Angela: The clientele is always looking for a better price but now venues are having to narrow their profit margins to compete with each other. October 2015 Catering NEWS ME
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The Fresh Express
With the paint barely dry on the walls of its new warehouse complex in Dubai Investment Park, Catering News ME meets the family behind Fresh Express
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ounded by Costas Bouyoukas and his sons John and Girard in 1993, Fresh Express is recognised today as one of the leading distributors in the luxury food business within the Gulf Region. The origin of the business twenty years ago, was very different to what it is today. The company was born out of a humble family owned and run Mediterranean restaurant that specialised in seafood and game. John Vouyoukas, vice president, said: “Being Greek, cooking with only the best ingredients was paramount. So, our family sourced the highest quality produce from 34
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around the Middle East. The popularity and success of serving the freshest of fresh, game and poultry dishes in the restaurant led us to expand and open the Grilled Mediterranean restaurant in Abu Dhabi in 1974. “By 1988, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi was growing rapidly and so was the popularity of seafood. Seeing this as an opportunity and using his extensive knowledge of seafood and network of best suppliers, the company started to supply local seafood to the Emirate’s hospitality sector.” The family was always committed to growth and expansion, and in 1991 sons Gi-
rard and John joined the business. By 1993 Fresh Express was formed, and in 1994 it started the importation and worldwide sourcing of produce, ingredients and beverages. Today Fresh Express is a prime supplier of food and beverage products to over 500 clients in 10 countries from the Middle East to South East Asia. Maintaining its family owned heritage, today the company specialises in the distribution of brands and premium quality produce in the food and beverage industry. John says: “Being a family business means our profits are always injected back in to the business
Case Study
“Being a family business means our profits are always injected back in to the business in the hope that the third generation of our family will grow it even further”
John Vouyoukas, vice president
in the hope that the third generation of our family will grow it even further.” With a presence in seven countries and a portfolio of more than 2,000 items coming from almost 60 destinations around the world, Fresh Express supplies luxury hotels, fine dining restaurants, multinational retailers, well-known airlines and royal palaces. Today a team of 200 highly skilled and dedicated people are an extension of the Vouyoukas family, to which the company attributes its over 29 years of success. “Professionalism and passion paralleled by the values of respect, entrepreneurial spirit and excellence, are the trademarks of Fresh Express,” says John. He adds: “Wild, farmed, organic, live, premium delicacy, gourmet niche, fresh or frozen, whatever defines a great culinary experience, you can be sure we will have it or that we can find it for you from anywhere in the world. “But we don't source from just anyone. Every supplier has to meet our rigorous quality demands, which ensures every order you place with Fresh Express guarantees continuous quality and a variety to keep our cooking imagination alight.” Today the company runs a modern fleet of 70 trucks around the UAE and boasts a turnover of circa $68m. Having outgrown its 800sq.m warehouse in Al Quoz, Dubai, the company built a state-of-the-art 8000sq.m warehouse in Dubai Investment Park last year. With 25 chilled rooms the initial construction cost was budgeted at $7m but that eventually shot up to $13m. John says: “We never complained – providing it impressed our clients. We could go cheaper with this operation and make more profit but that’s not our style of business, we are October 2015 Catering NEWS ME
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all about quality. It is people, it’s us, our team; success doesn’t come from a product but people. “We have customers come visit almost every day, it’s important to have chefs come and understand exactly who their supplier is and their hygiene standards, and when we had inspection from authorities it was beyond expectations. We are classified A-grade by Dubai Municipality,” adds John. The facility was designed by Michael Chabowski (MCTS), a design firm based in both the UK and the UAE, and the kitchens were fitted out by locally-based Quality Kitchen. The complex warehouse is split into sections to prevent cross contamination. The receiving happens on one side, the packing on the other, and in between are the chillers. The delivery and packing lorries pull up to the building and create a seal so there is no internal temperature fluctuation when the products are being loaded and unloaded. “Everything is sealed and the temperature is always controlled,” says John. One of the chilled rooms hold up to 2.5 tonnes of the most expensive crustaceans in the world, while the vegetable chiller is filled with the freshest array of ripened asparagus, corn on the cob, avocado, and a wide selection of edible flowers and micro herbs. In fact the company imports more than 1,000 different varieties of vegetables. The dairy section holds imported cheeses, eggs, yogurt, milk and butter, and the icy-cold seafood room is stacked with boxes filled with some of the finest fish from Scotland, Norway and even further afield, including a box of yellowfin tuna from the Maldives so large it takes two people to lift. The warehouse has an on-site smoking, curing and filleting team, which goes through mountains of fish daily, as well as sausage and burger production and portion control. All foodstuffs are imported to order, and the company works closely with chefs to source everything they need for their elaborate menus, often with no expense spared. John says: “There are many good seafood suppliers and fresh food suppliers but nobody has our selection under one roof.” With more than 6,000 products from 58 international destinations often landing in Dubai in one night, Fresh Express is one of top clients of Emirates airlines. “We even ship food on passenger flights, as it can’t be delayed, so we can ensure shipment on time,” says John. 36
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NEWS
John Vouyoukas demonstrates his huge range of Italian cheese
John adds: “If you can’t give the raw material as fresh as possible to the chef he can do nothing. When a chef is demanding he wants, for example, a blood orange from a small village in Spain, or he can’t create his dish, what else can we do. “Nowadays we have direct flights between Dubai and the whole world, and recently Emirates opened a direct flight to Oslo which is now filled, almost every time, with our fish. Before we would fly to Amsterdam, London or Paris and then ship to Dubai, now we get it fresher to the chef.” John and his brother Girard are very aware of the importance of sustainability in sourcing food stuff, and so they continually audit their suppliers. John says: “For instance, all of our fish comes with a sustainability code to trace it right back to the individual fisherman.” The brothers also follow seasonality when and where they can, as John says: “You can find a tomato all year around but we know 38
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“Professionalism and passion paralleled by the values of respect, entrepreneurial spirit and excellence, are the trademarks of Fresh Express” its best in summer, so we won’t bring out of season. If a product is truly needed by a chef then we will find where in the world it is in season – such as strawberries from Japan.” Girard and John still do much of the sourcing themselves, as John explains: “We drive all over, internationally, just to meet farmers and suppliers – up to six times a year. We must do what is needed to find the best. The more artisanal producer the better.”
Today the majority of business for Fresh Express remains in HORECA, with 36% in retail including the distributor owned retail outlet in Dubai Marina called Market & Platters. Selling artisan produce to the general public, John is looking to expand this business with an additional store, at an undisclosed beachfront location, opening in 2017/2018. The second store will be much larger than the first, incorporating a full restaurant offering, and carrying a beach theme throughout. John is also planning to convert a unit within DIP, currently used as a family garage, in to a fully-fledged photography studio, complete with a functioning kitchen and storage facilities for chefs. The next big step for the company is to expand into Muscat, Oman, which will require a new warehouse in one years’ time, but initially be served from Dubai. As John says: “Either you stay at the top or leave the game.”
NEWS
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Interview
A Scoop of Italy
on The Beach Adriano di Petrillo is one of the lucky few that gets to live out their childhood dreams, as he brings the first truly authentic Italian Gelatoria to Dubai
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taring out of the window as a child, while growing up in Italy, the view that greeted Adriano di Petrillo every day was that of his local gelateria. Obsessed with this delicately frozen delight, Adriano would spend most days, either after school or between classes, indulging his pleasure or staring longingly through the window. But as Adriano grew up he put aside his childhood dreams, and turned his thoughts to business and commerce. He spent several years living in New York, Boston and London, accumulating 12 years of experience in marketing, business development, management consulting and general management. Adriano began his career as an integral part of the original team that built the Parmalat business from inception to $800m, through a serious of acquisitions of dairy companies across the country. Today, Parmalat is the leading global company in the production of long-life milk. In 2003 Adriano joined Value Partners, the leading management consulting firm in Italy, and worked on several projects in the media/telecom field. After former Gucci CEO Giacomo Santucci joined the firm, Adriano focused on the luxury goods practice and worked on several projects for all major Italian fashion brands. In 2006 he became managing director at 40
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Art Partner, the top fashion talent agency in the world, representing artists like Mario Testino, Mert & Markus, Mario Sorrenti, etc. But despite his successes in the corporate world, Adriano knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur and not an employee his whole life. When he saw friends travelling to Italy and regaling of the gelato they had tried, his Eureka moment struck and he realised the opportunity to bring his favourite gelato to the world. Following his lifelong passion, Adriano opened his first store on Portobello Road in London, which was soon followed by a second in the Chelsea Farmers market, as well as a few portable pop up kiosks. In creating the Dri Dri brand Adriano, known to his friends as Adri, played on his nickname. And what was born out of passion just a few years ago, has developed into an international business today. Building on the success of his UK operations, Adriano then successfully turned his brand into a franchise, and with his sights set on Dri Dri becoming a global brand, a store in Sao Paulo was his next step. “My idea was always to make the brand global, and at that
There is a big appetite for this concept here and there are some large operators willing to take on the role and the brand” time the Brazilian economy was booming, the weather was conducive to my produce and I had a few contacts on the ground.” Adriano was later enticed to bring his franchise model to Dubai, again following a booming economy and conducive weather. With the first store on The Beach proving so popular, the next logical step was expansion,
and so Adriano decided to go mobile. He imported a 1950s Piaggio Ape van and converted it into a portable gelato stand, first for JBR and followed by a second unit at Boxpark on Al Wasl Road. A third is being finalised for use at the RIPE markets and for private events like weddings and birthday parties. Furthermore, Adriano is planning more stores for Dubai and Bahrain, with a plan to develop across the GCC within a year. “There is a big appetite for this concept here and there are some large operators willing to take on the role and the brand.” Adriano stresses that franchisees must buy into his concept and high standards, which includes only the freshest ingredients. “We select only the best quality fruit, with mangoes coming from India, strawberries and passion fruit coming from Kenya, raspberries and lemons from Mexico, and bananas and pineapples from the Philippines. The whipOctober 2015 Catering NEWS ME
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2 Start with fresh strawberries, cold water and sugar. Add water to strawberries.
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Adriano's Six Step Gelato
1 Leave to freeze for 20 minutes in the ice cream maker and then it's ready to eat!
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ping cream is French, but the whole milk is sourced locally from Almarai.” He adds: “Naturally, the fruit is seasonal so we change our flavour range every two to three months. Most of our ingredients are traceable, with Sicilian pistachios, cocoa beans from New Guinea, hazelnuts from northern Italy and vanilla from Madagascar.” It is the milk, however, that differentiates a gelato from an ice cream. The typical Italian method of preparing gelato is with a mantecazione, which freezes the mix while slowing churning, so it absorbs no air. Ice cream, which is mostly cream, is churned at a fast speed, absorbing a lot of air, which makes the product less smooth and creamy. “Because of this churning process a gelato is tasty without the fat or calories,” says Adriano. “In fact a gelato has around 6-8% 42
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5 fat compared to 18-34% in a Ben & Jerry’s,” he adds. Furthermore, a Dri Dri gelato contains no additives, like the typical stabilisers and emulsifiers found in ice cream, which improves its quality but shortens its lifespan. For this reason, fresh gelato is made in store every morning and with a very delicate icing point, it must be carefully temperature controlled between -30 and -40C, depending on the fruit used. All of the recipes were created by Adriano, with a little help from his childhood hero, the owner of the gelateria opposite his parent’s home in Italy. Each store is deliberately light and bright, with colourful children’s drawings adorning the walls, to create a sense of wellbeing and happiness. Furthermore, the concept is
Blend the strawberries and water before adding sugar to the mixture.
Add mixture to the ice cream maker which is between -30°C and -40°C
very family focused with a dedicated children’s area and workshops where groups of kids can learn hands-on how to make gelato themselves. “Dri Dri is where passion meets business, to deliver a truly artisan approach to our produce with an organised business model, which can be replicated seamlessly without any background knowledge,” says Adriano. He adds: “We manufacture all of the store components ourselves and can open a new store with 45 days of signing the lease agreement, and once open we continue to support with our onsite training.” Aside from rolling out across the entire GCC, Adriano also has plans to extend the brand into retail products, sometime in the future.
Viewpoint
In-flight Catering:
It’s more about logistics and less about cooking Malcolm Dias, Editor, Logistics News Middle East, reflects on and takes a bite out of in-flight catering logistics
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he President of a leading European Airline Catering company once remarked that in-flight catering is two-thirds logistics and one-third catering. As the global air travel sector gets progressively popular with increasing numbers of passengers and airplanes flying the skies above, the subject of in-flight service supply chain has increasingly come under the scanner. The in-flight service supply chain, which also includes on-board catering, is extremely complex and is compounded by such factors as the large numbers of air travellers globally, the permutation and combination of airroutes and travel sectors, eating preferences, hygiene considerations, the composition and mix of passengers on a single aircraft and the sheer number of flights taking off and leaving on any single day particularly at large busy international airports. It is estimated that approximately 2.2 billion passengers are served onboard each year. It is probably one of the most complex supply chain models in the world for a wide number of reasons. Large international airlines operate between 500 and 1,000 takeoffs and landings every day. A single Airbus A380 or Boeing 777 requires thousands of items loaded onto it before it flies. These items range from meals to toilet paper, from newspapers, periodicals to headsets. Food items in most cases are still produced fresh while inflight equipment for crew or passenger use, tend to be recyclable items. If we extrapolate the amount of aircrafts in operation any single day times the amount of equipment being used on-board per plane, times the different cabin configurations, times the number of locations they fly into, and a whole lot of other factors and imponderables, the logistics complexity is very evident. Economy passengers constitute 90 % of the air travel community and any reduction on costs directed towards this segment can have far-reaching consequences. Proper and
weighted decisions taken in the face of such considerations as value-added extras, low cost items, increased cost of supply and sheer economies of scale given the large numbers of passenger trips can result in substantial savings worth millions of dollars. After all, it is a widely held view that most passengers are concerned primarily about safety, safety and safety and perhaps other concerns as on-time performance, seat and leg comfort, baggage allowances and checking process and perhaps less about on-board entertainment and in-flight catering. Down to the core, there are five major stakeholders in the in-flight service supply chain. These are the airlines, the caterers, the suppliers, the logistics services providers and importantly the passengers. All of the first four have shared responsibilities for the total cost of supply chain ownership. They all need to work in harmony and in tandem in order to minimize waste and achieve real efficiencies across the in-flight service supply chain.
The airlines:
Airlines are responsible for the design of the onboard service and therefore their deci-
sions regarding food and equipment served onboard can impact the overall supply chain cost. In the face of stiff competition, Airlines are also concerned about ‘being different’ and being the ‘stand out’ and getting mileage out of this service. Decisions that airlines take in passenger choices and therefore, they walk a fine balancing line between making profits and keeping passengers satisfied.
The caterers:
The conundrum for caterers is reduced cooking as airlines become more conscious for the need for budget cuts and reduced costs without compromising food quality. Caterers are also required to board and assemble trays and trolleys.
The suppliers:
Suppliers supply the inflight industry either as an airline nominated product where the airline determines, defines and negotiates product specifications, amounts, price and other factors or via direct sales to the caterer. The caterer buys the products based on what the airline specified to them during the menu design session.
The logistic partners:
The logistic service providers in the in-flight supply chain are typically global logistics companies, such as Kuehne & Nagel, DHL, Panalpina, DB Schenker, Expeditors among others.
The Passenger:
He or she is the centre of it all! The passenger is the raison d’etre for the entire in-flight catering and associated logistics processes and therefore indispensable in the scheme of things. Everything revolves around passengers and airlines and other constituents would be well advised not to take them for granted and show them the respect they deserve. Go on and serve them a ‘decent’ meal! Bon appetit! October 2015 Catering NEWS ME
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Interview
THE MASTER OF MOZZARELLA
Michelin Star Chef Alfredo Russo was in town last month to showcase his new menu creations for this season, which are based exclusively around Mozzarella cheese, and Catering News was on hand to put them to the taste test
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ivaldi by Alfredo Russo at the Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers is an old local favourite, where residents and visitors alike have enjoyed fine Italian food and spectacular views of Dubai Creek for many years, provided by consultant chef Alfredo Russo. Born in Turin, Italy in 1968, Russo found his passion for cuisine at the tender age of 13, when he helped out in the kitchens of local restaurants, and upon completing hotel management school he apprenticed at three Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy’s Piedmont region. Today, Russo is world-renowned for his respect for Italian culinary traditions combined with a constant drive for innovation, and is best known for his modern Italian fine dining restaurant Dolce Stil Novo alla Reggia (“Sweet New Style in the Royal Palace”), in the stunning Palace of Venaria, a former 17th century Royal Palace on the outskirts of Turin, since restored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since opening Dolce Stil Novo alla Reggia in 1990, Russo has racked up the accolades, including a Michelin star for the restaurant within its first three years, and personally being entered into the Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe. Russo became consultant chef at Vivaldi some 18 months ago, and was in Dubai last month to showcase his seasonal menu, which will run from now until November, designed entirely around Mozzarella cheese. Russo explains: “Mozzarella is one of the most widely used Italian ingredients, but many people underestimate it as simply a white ball, but in fact every region of Italy has its own shape and style, depending on the milk used. I want to give our customers a chance to see the differences. “I have also reinterpreted my menus so classic dishes have been reinvented to challenge conceptions, while remaining respectful of their origins.”
Examples of these interpretations include a classic caprese salad, where the cheese has been replaced with a mozzarella flavoured ice cream. Or the mozzarella soup, made by squeezing out the juices of this wet cheese. “The risk is to flavour, it is all about finding the right balance – the balance between my new interpretations and the classics. I must maintain a link to the original. Many customers have never heard of the cheeses I am using let
alone my interpretations on the dishes,” says Russo. The innovative menu includes several varieties of mozzarella, all air freighted to Dubai two to three times per week. “The best way to try mozzarella is on the day it is made and it should never be put in a fridge, but to get it here to Dubai we have no choice. Instead, we fly it in so it arrives as quickly as possible unchanged. After all it’s a fresh and live cheese,” says Russo. Commenting on the culinary scene in the UAE, Russo says: “Dubai is booming with new construction and new restaurants coming on stream all the time. This is very exciting for tourists and residents, giving them new experiences to discover, but it can be challenging for the chef in keeping ahead of the innovation. “As one of the richest cities in the world, diners in Dubai are not just seeking the best food but also the best show. Also Dubai is a disconnected city of many towns and each requires its own approach to food in terms of the type of diners attracted,” says Russo. October 2015 Catering NEWS ME
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Mozzarella on the Menu • Treccia is made of cow’s milk and created through a process of spinning, cutting and twisting to form a plait. • Cherry Mozzarella is a cow’s milk mozzarella in a shape of cherry tomatoes. • Fresh and smoked Scamorza is a spun cheese made from cow’s milk with a rubbery and more intense flavour than mozzarella from Campania and Lazio. • Fior di Latte is a semi-soft, fresh and elastically textured mozzarella made from cow's milk and not water buffalo milk. Its flavour is smooth, extremely fresh, a little tangy. • Fresh, Truffled and Smoked Buffalo Mozzarella is made from the milk of the domestic Italian water buffalo. Buffalo milk is richer and tastier than cow’s milk and it is traditionally produced in Campania, especially in the provinces of Caserta and Salerno. • Fresh and smoked Burrata, which is a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella, while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it an unusual, buttery taste and creamy texture. The name “burrata" means "buttered" in Italian. Burrata is a typical product of Murgia in the south of Italy. Burrata was probably first made around 1920 but may have origins dating back to about 1900 on the Bianchini farm in the city of Andria within Murgia, an area in the Apulian region. In the 1950s, it became more widely available after some local cheese factories began producing it.
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Alfredo Russo & Chef De Cuisine Fabio Genghini
“I love to cook; to feel and smell the ingredients. I love to create, but then at home I like to make simple food like salads, steaks and pasta” Speaking of his future plans for the region, Russo says: “My initial concern is to create consistency here. This hotel is one of the oldest in Dubai, it is the real Dubai, and we want to turn it into more of a tourist attraction. But I am also open to new opportunities, should they arise.” Russo’s restaurant received its Michelin Star in 1993, but Russo is not a man to sing about his accolades, believing customer’s satisfaction is more important than any prize. He says: “My focus is not gaining new awards. If they come in we will cel-
ebrate with champagne, but I do not work for them. I work for my customers. The prize is a consequence of the job but the focus is always the client. “I have seen three star restaurants with unhappy guests, but the goal should always be guest satisfaction,” he says. Today, Chef Russo is not as hands-on in the kitchen as he would like, with his time occupied by his managerial responsibilities. “I love to cook, to feel and smell the ingredients. I love to create, but then at home I like to make simple food like salads, steaks and pasta. “But my favourite dish, my signature, is my oyster ice cream. You see, I believe people must be able to recognise the ingredients in their food to thoroughly enjoy and remember it. I like clean and pure tastes, with a limited number of ingredients. The memory of taste is stronger when you recognise what you eat. “A single taste can link memories, and in my dish there is just one ingredient – the oyster.”
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t Firs s ' Dubai
n a c i r e m A l l A Gastropub
The Black Lion is Dubai’s first American gastropub, and the transatlantic cousin of the award-winning Reform Social & Grill, both owned by Gates Hospitality. Catering News ME went along for a slice of Dubai’s very own Big Apple 48
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Decor
Dubai is still lacking mid-price independent restaurants and concepts and so this challenges the international brands"
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ith a simple retro diner theme, the Black Lion, which opened in the H Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road on 18th July, combines refined American classic dishes with a beverage list inspired by the best of the US drinking scene. Inspired by iconic bars and speakeasies in New York, the venue serves everything from late breakfast to quiet mid-morning coffees, right through to a swift business lunch buffet in the week, and a late night 'Lock In' menu from midnight to 3am to curb those midnight munchies. Designers TGP Design from the UK has created a comfortable ‘local’ feel, with a space that has a unique style and vibe. Jonathan Mangham, design director of TGP Design, says: “The H Dubai is a boutique destination and works to compliment the venue as both are very personable. “Dubai is still lacking mid-price independent restaurants and concepts and so this challenges the international brands. We don’t have as many regulations or brand guidelines to adhere to as we’re creating them ourselves and so we have more of an opportunity to develop and give our consumers what it is they’re looking for, while still providing something interesting.” Jonathan’s brief was to make The Black Lion “the perfect neighbourhood hang-out”, by transforming the existing space, lightening it up during the day, but creating a cosy, inviting atmosphere in the evening. Working closely and repeatedly with owner operators over the years, Jonathan has developed a very operationally aware approach to bar and restaurant design rather than an ego driven designer led approach. He has a first class degree in architecture and a masters in architecture and interior design from the Royal College of Art, and he established his own practice, Mango Architecture & Interior Design in 2002 with the commission to design London's award winning Milk & Honey. He has designed all of Match Bar/Rushmore Group's venues worldwide including Match Bar & Grill in Melbourne, Australia, October 2015 Catering NEWS ME
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The Clubhouse, Chamonix, and The East Room, Red Hook, and Giant Robot in London. He has also designed multiple venues inside London's O2 Arena for Inc Group, and their flagship venue, Madison, at One New Change in the heart of The City. Other clients include Mahiki, Whisky Mist, Compass Group with work on Roux at Parliament Square and Vertigo at Tower 42, and Hed Kandi for Ministry of Sound. Jonathan says: “The inspiration for the interior design of The Black Lion comes from the contemporary gastro pubs and restaurants of the UK and New York. Specifically places which bring life back to former industrial spaces. “The project is a refurbishment of the previous fit-out so the space itself wasn’t challenging as we retained the basic layout, but the brief was to create a lighter more welcoming space than the dark oppressive 50
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The inspiration for the interior design of The Black Lion comes from the contemporary gastro pubs and restaurants of the UK and New York” place it was previously with as quick a turnaround as possible. That was the challenge as a total rip out and new build wasn’t feasible, so we had to work with as much of the existing fabric as possible, adding, subtracting and refinishing materials as required in a way more common to working in London than Dubai where starting from scratch each time is the norm.” When guests arrive in this casual diner, they are welcomed into the reception area and then escorted through to the restau-
rant space, immediately welcomed by the bar. The space set up allows them to dine close to the bar area, which is more lively and interactive, whilst the tables positioned towards to the back of the restaurant allows for more of an intimate dinner. Jonathan adds: “We retained the basic layout of the main from before, but we opened up what was previously a corridor like sandwich takeaway to the main room giving the site a new entrance directly from the office tower entrance lobby as well as from the hotel, which also had the benefit of adding more seats in a slightly less exposed area than the main bar. “Much of the furniture was refurbished and re-upholstered by our contractor. There was nothing inherently wrong with the furniture itself, but the fabrics and colours weren’t right for the new design. Also given the timeframe and budget of the whole
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51
Decor
project, procuring all new furniture wasn’t an option. Similarly we had to source new lighting from retailers in Dubai rather than importing as we might normally do, but we did have time to import the traditional Anaglypta Lincrusta wall covering which has a major part in there transformation along with the painted brick wall which is home to the American inspired art collection.” Prior to the conversion, the outlet was called Bapas and ran as a ‘Belgian tapas’ bar. Jonathan adds: “I’m proud of the transformation of the site as a whole, rather than the design of any specific part of it. It’s actually a very simple refurb that has added up to more than the sum of its parts thanks to a strong F&B concept to inform and inspire the design, something we are very committed to at TGP.” The TGP team had about eight weeks to design and execute the concept, which they 52
Catering NEWS ME October 2015
say was challenging. The design team selected statement pieces and styles from local retailers within the region, and also worked with local company Drawdeck to source all of the prints to create a feature wall. “The kitchen refit was very minimal as we took an existing operational site and apart from a couple of new small pieces of kit, such as a chargrill and salamander, we didn't make any changes to what was already there,” says Jonathan. CCE provided the kitchen appliances, which included units from both Falcon and Williams. Naim Maadad, chief executive officer of Gates Hospitality, the owner and operator of the Black Lion, says: “We’ve had a great response so far and it’s been a welcome addition to Dubai, especially from those living in the surrounding Downtown area as it’s very different to what is currently existing
on their doorstep. “We’ve taken the design inspiration from The Black Lion’s transatlantic cousin, Reform Social & Grill which is located in The Lakes. We’ve replicated the exposed brick wall, printed wallpaper and nostalgic prints however the two still remain very different. If there’s demand for another The Black Lion or Reform Social & Grill then I’m sure it’s something we would consider, although there’s no plans for a mass roll-out.” Within the last year TGP Design has been responsible for the design of China Grill at The Westin Mina Seyahi, La Residence at Raffles/Wafi, Crab Tavern and Spirito which occupy the whole 9th floor at the Media One hotel, and the soon to open Sportsman’s Arms at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi. They are also currently working on two restaurant projects in Jeddah, as well as other London based projects.
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On the right
Michael Gordon goes back to school to mix it up with Dubai’s leading bar tenders in African + Eastern’s training school PATH
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Catering NEWS ME October 2015
A
s the training arm of African + Eastern (A+E), one of two official distributors of alcohol in the UAE, the Professional Alcohol Training for Hospitality (PATH) School was established in 2011, responding to the specific needs voiced by trade. The goal of PATH is to provide internationally accredited training that centre’s on customer service, speed of service and advanced bar tending skills, and to date it has trained over 25,000 bartenders across the Middle East and India. As a result of its experienced trainers, today PATH is able to tailor its courses to suit different operations and requirements, and is able to train across all categories: spirits, wine, champagne, beer, sake and cocktails. As part of its commitment to customers A+E has invested ahead and moved PATH Bar School to its own premises, with a stateof-the-art training facility in Grosvenor Tower in Tecom, Dubai, and Catering News ME was one of the first guests through the door. The 3,500 sq. ft. of dedicated training space, which has a fully stocked bar, a lecture room and a private tasting room, opened just after Ramadan this year. From a cocktail standpoint – there is no other facility like it in the world. The school boasts a lecture room with seating and presenting for up to 40 people, a bar training area, with 17 fully-equipped stations, a tasting room with presentation abilities, and a photography and videography studio. Muddle Me equipped the school with every conceivable piece of bar equipment, including Williams freezers and fridges, a blast freezer, rotary evaporator, polyscience sous vide, paco jet, a slow juicer, citrus juicer, centrifugal juicer, blenders, a dehydrator, a poly science vacuum chamber, a PrO-Xtract centrifuge, a Kold
Draft ice machine, and a Maiko glasswasher. Over 200 skews of glassware was provided by BarWare, while Classic Fine Food and James White cordials suppling mixers to the school. Further to that the photo studio allows the team to support F&B professionals in taking professional photos both for marketing and training purposes, and the videography set up allows them to film the making of each cocktail for induction or marketing purposes right down to the way they want their staff to stand behind the bar. Richard Cohen, training manager – PATH
Marketing, says: “A+E has a clear aim of support for the trade and travel retail businesses, with a serious investment around training. In a market that is dark, where traditional methods of advertising are not present, the greatest advertiser for us is the bar tender or the customer service person standing in travel retail. “It was clear from my remit upon appointment that training was not just about reinforcing brands but also supporting the trade in general education and skill sets. So while there are brand led activities, one big thing we do is the wine and spirit education trust. This is a global institute that writes and delivers
October 2015 Catering NEWS ME
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wine and spirit education. We also work with the institute of brewing and distilling for beer sommeliers. “We are one of only three institutions in the world to teach level three for Sake, and through our team of specialists in their own field we teach all levels of wine and spirits programmes. This is not brand led but pure educational programmes.” The PATH school is quite a sight to behold and unlike anything else in the country or the greater GCC region. What makes it so specialised is the dedicated facilities it can offer. As it was never designed to be a bar, unlike many schools, the designers could accommodate 17 work stations. “We also made the decision to purchase every piece of equipment a bar might have so I can teach right up from the classics to molecular mixology,” says Richard. He adds: “Our entire concept is about allowing venues to come in and explore. Nothing says this better than the fact we have 200 skews of glassware. Most bars might have 20 - 30 skews, but we wanted everything we could get, so when the guys come in they can try all the varieties and see which drink fits which glass.” Today, a great many hotels are engaged with PATH, including most of the top 5-star hotels, and they come to redesign cocktail menus, to create new concepts and to train staff for new venues, so that pre-opening they are ready to go. The group can also deliver a range of trainings to take staff from entry level into competent food and beverage professionals. “Often a hotel won’t get its liquor license until close to opening so they can’t do proper training, but they can here,” says Richard. He adds: “Senior F&B directors through to standard bar tenders are all blown away by our investment and facility, and that is because this market is so unique. “We can train both bar and floor staff, either in our training premises or in venue. We have a team of trainers that are available to support with a huge variety of both theoretical and practical trainings in-venue. “Our main focus for in-venue training is to support the perfect serve and to assist in your 58
Catering NEWS ME October 2015
team’s ability to up-sell,” says Richard. Richard is the head of training at PATH, and with 17 years’ experience in the trade, including four years leading training in the Gulf, he understands both global and local trends. Trained in cocktail making at The Ritz London he then progressed to own boutique cocktail bars in central London. Afterwards he returned to school to train as a winemaker, and is today accredited to teach the full spectrum of WSET, IBD and practical courses. The PATH team also includes Jason Clark, who is a globally recognised name in cocktails with 15 years’ experience. Christopher Chambers who has 10 years’ experience in the whisky industry, including managing one of Scotland’s leading specialist whisky retailers. Brent Henderson, who is one of only three Beer Sommeliers in the Middle East, is accredited to teach the full range of Beer Academy courses. Ratheesh Edavana has two years’ experience in beverages, focusing
on high volume venues with a focus on shots and straight serves, while Viktoryia Toma is a sake specialist and Mathew Castle is a wine specialist. Richard remarks: “What we offer is training that is for everyone, built on long-term ambitions, that is product focused not brand focused.” He adds: “Part of our role is engaging with the on-trade and supporting them with a huge variety of educational activities and competitions. “We run the world’s most prestigious spirit and beer competitions – the World Class and World Draught Masters – and this coming year we have no less than eight other major competitions covering every major category. “We also have masterclasses and on-trade exclusive events such as Wine Week and the Stoli Lemonade Lab that are running throughout the year.” Every 18 months PATH celebrates the Dubai bar trade, by getting top end fashion
(L-R) Brent Henderson - beer specialist, Jason Clark - luxury specialist, Viktoryia Toma - sake specialist, Mathew Castle - wine specialist, Christopher Chambers - whisky specialist, Ratheesh Edavana, brand ambassador
photographers and inviting around 20 venues to come into the school and have the team photographed, with a different theme each year. “This is just about having fun as these guys graft crazy hours, so it’s giving something back. It doesn’t always have to be about branding or marketing, it’s just a bit of fun,” says Richard.
Onsite
The third instalment of the Dubai Bartenders Photoshoot was held at the PATH school last month, and Catering News ME went along to join in the celebration. “We invite a range of accounts from across the city to have their photo immortalised by one of the region’s top fashion photographers, Bahr Karim.
“This years’ theme was a mix between moody 1930s and a touch of Laurel and Hardy. All the teams that made it down on the day got into the spirit whether it be having liquid poured over their head or precariously balancing on the edge of a counter. “Our long term aim is over time to be able to get more and more bar teams involved from across the region and come 2020 release a book documenting and celebrating the bartenders who graft so hard and deliver exceptional service,” says Richard. PATH also hosts many masterclasses, on a huge range of topics across categories, with recent examples being the art and science of ice carving. Richard says: “We have a range of programmes from the very serious competitions like World Class, the world’s biggest and most
serious cocktail competition, which Jimmy Barrat from Zuma won twice for UAE before going on to compete globally. Then we do everything in between including the Metusalem rum speed competition, which was a challenge to see how many mojitos could be made against the clock, with 32 in 3.5 mins being the record. We had 115 bar tenders compete in that competition! “We want to engage the guys. Challenge them with serious competition and education that adds value to the hotel, them personally and ultimately the consumer. But then also an element of enjoyment, and learning for the sake of learning. We want to make bar tending a respectful trade and career again as it was in the past,” concludes Richard.
barprosuae
October 2015 Catering NEWS ME
59
Take a
Break
RAW Coffee Company launches training programme RAW
Coffee
Company
has
announced
the launch of the #RAWeducation training
programme
for
domestic
and
specialty
trainers,
Matt
commercial customers.
Coffee Planet builds for growth
Authorised
Toogood, Kim Thompson and Drew Den-
nehy spent the last four months developing
the programme under the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) guidelines.
Founders of RAW, Matt Toogood and Kim
Thompson see barista training as one of the
main ingredients to making quality coffee in the home and in the café and have in-
vested heavily in certifications, state of the
art equipment and training facilities to make their training fun and engaging for all.
Jamaica Blue brings Blue Mountain coffee to UAE The UAE’s home grown coffee brand, Coffee
this year, the roastery features a new produc-
capabilities with an AED10million investment
patible capsules a minute and approximately
Planet, has increased its roasting production into the expansion of its roastery in Jebel Ali, making it the largest in the UAE in terms of production output, with further plans to expand later into Q1 of 2016.
Set up in 2005 with one coffee machine and
tion line, which produces 340 Nespresso com-
47 million capsules a year, as well as a new pod
machine, which produces 70 pods per minute
After launching its capsule range, tailored
to both retail and foodservice markets, earlier
60
Catering NEWS ME October 2015
sive partners in the region, Capital Group.
“With great locations and signature Jamaica
Suri, CEO, Capital Group. In order to meet this
mitment in supporting and diversifying the
roast 70-100 tonnes of coffee per month.
mountain coffee to the region through its exclu-
Speaking on the expansion, Robert Jones,
one shift.
locally in 2008 - but now in its 10th year, the
6,000sq ft. to 14,000sq ft., with the capacity to
brought its signature single origin Jamaica Blue
blue menus, we have received an unprecedented
managing director at Coffee Planet, said:
roastery has more than doubled in size from
fee service chain in the UAE, Jamaica Blue has
and approximately 10 million pods a year in
one box of cups in ADNOC petrol stations,
Coffee Planet started roasting its own coffee
In a first by any organised multi outlet cof-
“This new roastery shows our invested com-
UAE’s economy. Our roastery expansion will
response from the UAE customers” says Umang burgeoning demand, Capital group has set up
13 Jamaica blue outlets in UAE and plans to set up another five outlets by the end of this year.
The coffee consumption market in the UAE is
not only cater to our growth as we expand
estimated at $112m by the end of 2017, accord-
allows us to take a step further in globalising
it one of the fastest growing coffee markets by
regionally through our franchises, but also our local brand.”
ing to a research by Euromonitor. This makes volume in the world.
Figjam completes work on Ratios Figjam has completed work on Ratios, an artisan coffee house in the heart of Sharjah conceived as a high quality alternative to the chained coffee shops and cafes that are dominating the sector. A report by Euromonitor International clearly has highlighted a desire for homegrown and more artisanal experiences when it comes to coffee. The report predicted that the number of local, small coffee roasters, such as Ratios, is likely to increase in the coming years as consumers become more educated about coffee and more interested in single-origin, fair trade and organic varieties. Further research indicated traceability and health as key trends gaining ground in recent years, the expectation of customers to know where the food they’re eating has come from and a preference towards the use of organic ingredients, healthy food and drink options and accommodating dietary requirements. “Considering this research and the client’s vision we felt we had a clear direction from which to take the Ratios brand forward,” commented Sanjay Murthy, managing director, Figjam. “We created a high quality artisan coffee house that will meet today’s consumer demands and spearhead the evolution of the UAE’s specialist coffee sector.” With coffee culture stronger than ever Euromonitor International predicts that by the end of 2015 specialist cafes (chained and independent) in the UAE will have a combined total sales value of AED 1.3 billion. Working closely with owner Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi, Figjam has been responsible for the concept development through to on-site management of Ratios, since early 2015.
October 2015 Catering NEWS ME
61
Final thought
HE SAID WHAT?
Do you bark at the moon?
READER'S CORNER
The ‘Werewolves of London’ will descend
upon Trader Vic’s Madinat and Trader Vic’s
Mai Tai Lounge JBR this Halloween, on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October, transformed the
venues into a frightfully decadent werewolf’s playground.
‘Werewolves of London’ is this year’s inter-
national theme running across Trader Vic’s locations worldwide, uniting each venue together for one frighteningly fun night.
Drinking the Devil's Acre: A Love Letter from San Francisco and her Cocktails by Duggan McDonnell
1978 song by Warren Zevon “Werewolves of
An Amazon Best Book of the Month, this
drinkin’ a Pina Colada at Trader Vic’s and his
interlaced with spirited history. The Devil's
Trader Vic’s played a starring role in the hit
“We know what kills 80% of the population today and it’s not cholesterol – that has nothing to do with health. Sugar is killing 80% of us. More than half of us have diabetes or pre-diabetes here in the UAE, which is second largest number of diabetes diagnoses of any nation in the world, but it’s completely reversible. The food and beverage industry has a huge obligation in educating people” Graham Simpson, founder of Intelligent Health, told delegates at the Catering News ME Big F&B Forum, held at the Ritz Carlton, JBR, last month.
London” with the lyrics “I saw a werewolf
hair was perfect” being the inspiration behind
this year’s event. A ghoulish menu of devilish cocktails and terrifying tidbits will be offered
inviting you to indulge your wildest werewolf fantasies. Just make sure your hair is ‘perfect’!
title is a heady mix of bar tender's memoirs, Acre was a wild block festooned with saloons
within the notorious Barbary Coast of old San Francisco, a few short blocks away from the
marbled drinking palaces where cocktails were shaken in tin and served in copper mugs. Sev-
eral generations later, San Francisco boasts the
same culture with the farm-to-glass movement as at its height.
Twenty-five iconic cocktail recipes, including
the legendary Pisco Punch, the Mai Tai, and the
Irish Coffee, are blended with McDonnell's 'Bartender's Secret Formulas,' including contemporary San Francisco classics as the Revolver and La Perla. This book is guaranteed to keep the
Are you Wonderfilled?
party going and your spirits flowing!
Have you ever wondered what might happen
if you give an Oreo to a monster; will it still be
evil? Or will the monster be inspired to change its ways? Oreo is launching a new campaign in
the region after more than a decade of success-
fully running its “Moments” campaign globally. The ‘Wonderfilled’ campaign hopes to inspire people across the GCC region by unleash-
Made in India: Recipes from an Indian Family Kitchen by Meera Sodha Everyone knows the best Indian food is fresh, simple, packed with flavour and is cooked
and eaten at home. Meera serves up a feast of ing their imagination and playfulness. It is
– EEMEA at Mondelez International. “We
creativity run wild.
through the innocent eyes of a child and let
intended to bring to life the child within and let “The ‘Wonderfilled’ campaign reminds
grownups how something small, like an Oreo. Combined with a little imagination it can
want people to not be afraid to see the world their minds wander without limits by being ‘Wonderfilled’.”
With more than $2 billion in worldwide
brighten up their day and allow them to see
yearly revenues, Oreo is considered one of the
Anwar Zaman, director of biscuits brands
large Facebook fan-base in the GCC.
things in a different light,” said Mohammed
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Catering NEWS ME October 2015
most well-known brands in the region with a
over 130 delicious recipes collected from three generations of her family. On the menu is ev-
erything from hot chapatis to street food (chili
paneer; beet and feta samosas), fragrant curries
(spinach and salmon, or perfect cinnamon lamb curry) to colourful side dishes (pomegranate
and mint raita; kachumbar salad), and mouthwatering desserts (mango, lime, and passion fruit jello; pistachio and saffron kulfi). You’ll never reach for the takeaway menu again.
Under the Patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority
THE AUTHENTIC
BUSINESS CLASS EVENT FOR THE REGION’S
Strategic Partner
FOOD & BEVERAGE SECTOR
Images by:
www.stockfood.com
7 - 9 December 2015 Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, UAE
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