I N T E R V I E W belonging to the Hilton and the first female to be appointed cluster General Manager for Ramses Hilton and Hilton World Trade Center Residences.
Working in the hospitality sector can be very hectic and demanding, how do you balance work and family life?
And now I am currently training female experts to make them become top choices for leadership positions at Hilton. I believe that females can become very successful in managing hotels anywhere in the world, because of their many advantages, such as patience, tolerance, and endurance, which were planted in them by God.
Indeed the hospitality sector is very demanding, however, as I mentioned earlier that a hotel is like a big house, and being a woman makes the role of running it easier. Needless to mention women know how to multitask, they have high endurance levels, and they add an aesthetic touch to everything around them. But she requires a lot of support, understanding, and appreciation from all parties, especially the family, I consider myself to be a very lucky woman to have a son who is proud of what I am doing, and a very understanding husband who is always supporting me to flourish. The most challenging aspect for every woman to master is to know when to put on the hat of the leader and when to take it off to become the wife, the mother, or the friend. Once I am at home, I change hats in order to have a good life/work balance.
Would you say it is harder for women to break through the ranks in hospitality? Are there any advantages or disadvantages or are the challenges the same for women and men? Nowadays, there are lots of women working in hospitality and tourism; but it’s another challenge to become GM. When I started my career off, I remember that I was always singled out. It was like everyone was checking after me, judging me, and testing me. Today, it is no longer as big of a challenge as it used to be. There are several improvements, and females are now appointed as General Managers; regardless of the fact that they are still a few. Although this is a very demanding job, I consider it more suitable for women than men. I see that a hotel is like a big house but on a larger scale. It has rooms, kitchen and bathroom that need a woman’s insight, ability to multitask, and a good eye for details. It is a women’s area of expertise to be in charge of the house, follow up on every little detail and make sure that her guests are hospitalized and well treated. I believe women have their own touch in hospitality and have a keen eye for detail much more than men- with all respect to men.
Do you have a particular role model? Margaret Thatcher & Angela Merkel
What in your opinion makes a good General Manager? If there’s one thing that majorly contributes to being a good General Manager, it is to love what you are doing. Another key factor to reach success in this industry is your perception of it. To me a hotel is like a big mansion, you have to make it warm and welcoming and always new, and it is my responsibility to be fully in charge and involved in everything. It is the way you run it that determines how it stands out. When you offer something new to the guests, the market, and the team; you succeed at making the entity remarkable and unique.
What are often your last thoughts or wishes before you go to bed, and what are your first thoughts when you wake up and start the day? By nature, I am too much focused on deadlines, punctuality, and fairness so before going to sleep I reward my day in my mind to ensure that I did not slip any task nor I missed a deadline, and most importantly I was fair in any decision I took. When I wake up, I go through my calendar to organize my day accordingly and my first thought is the outcome & impact that I would be able to contribute today that would make a difference and benefit to all stakeholders.
Why do you think there is a worldwide shortage of staff entering the hospitality industry? It’s not only the Hospitality it’s the entire Tourism Industry with all its sectors, as we’ve all noticed during the COVID-19 crisis and how badly was the entire Tourism industry hit and is still struggling to achieve pre-COVID business trading figures. It’s a very sensitive industry that gets drastically impacted by uncontrolled factors whether political, economic, or any sort of unrest. Unfortunately during a crisis, the first decision always deployed by employers is laying off employees. Moreover, entry salaries are not attractive as other evolving industries. In Tourism Industry in general and Hospitality in specific, you have to fall in love with it and enjoy what you do as the return is really worth it when you succeed.
What do you feel is most valuable in what you offer to the client, as a tourism establishment?
What is your advice for young Egyptian women starting out a career in the hospitality industry today?
Our Company Mission is to be the most hospitable company in the world- by creating a heartfelt experience for guests, meaningful opportunities for team members, high value for owners and positive impact in our communities.
As I always advise my female mentees, have confidence in your capabilities, love what you do, be dedicated, committed, do the job with passion and most importantly be thick-skinned. Once at home, change hats to have a good life/work balance. Believe in yourself and never believe that your gender is an obstacle on your way to rise and shine. It’s a women’s era and there’s absolutely no field that women won’t be able to rule. Don’t be afraid of dreaming big….Keep getting up when you fall, we only learn from mistakes and lastly, don’t forget when you achieve your dream to pass your experience to the young female generation stepping in.
Our guest is on the top of our priorities and our goal is always to create a memorable experience for each and every guest by fulfilling his/her needs and exceeding expectations by delivering warmth of hospitality, best service & quality, value for money, safety & security, etc…. We all live by our founder “Conrad Hilton’s vision“TO FILL EARTH WITH LIGHTS & WARMTH OF HOSPITALITY” and in Ramses Hilton, our mission is “MAKE OUR GUESTS FEEL HOME AWAY FROM HOME”
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F E AT U R E
The key message is that there is never room for food loss and waste! There is a direct connection between food waste, hunger, and climate change. Food loss and waste undermine the sustainability of our food systems. When food is lost or wasted, all the resources that were used to produce this food - including water, land, energy, labor, and capital - go to waste. In addition, the disposal of food loss and waste in landfills, leads to greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. Food loss and waste can also negatively impact food security and food availability, and contribute to increasing the cost of food.
The key question is what can chefs do to reduce food waste? Chefs can reduce their food waste by understanding where their food waste is coming from, why it’s happening, and then putting strategies in place to prevent the waste from happening. With the cost of food on the rise worldwide, preventing food waste is a win-win situation for the foodservice operation and our planet. To get started ask yourself the following questions.
Do I have a sales forecast? Without a sales forecast, you are working in the dark. You either produce too much or run out of food items halfway service time. Sales forecasts and matching the foods sold to the foods being used will guide the Chef to determine how much of each item to purchase and how much to prepare for each day.
Do you use the same ingredient in multiple menu items?
Is the right Chef on the right task? While training in cutting skills is a key element in reducing food waste it is a given fact of life that each chef has its own capabilities and qualities. Some are just more efficient in chopping the needed 30 kilos of onions, while others might give you a higher yield on de-boning that chicken. So make sure you assign the right job to the right chef.
Do you have the FIFO stock policy in place? Did you implement the First-in First-out stock control system? Are you labeling your foods with a to be used by date?
Do you have an expiry policy in place? Even if you match your sales forecasting with foods to be purchased and you got the FIFO stock control system in place, you might still end up with some food items nearing the expiry date. Do you have a policy in place on how to use food items nearing the expiry date?
Do you know your waste and yield percentages? The cheapest price is not always the best price to pay! Do you know how much each product purchased yields in edible weight? Do you have quality versus price policy in place? Do you know how many tomatoes end up in the waste bin of the 20 kilos you purchased? It is a common mistake to purchase cheap and after cleaning and trimming you realize you paid more than when you had chosen for the higher quality and higher priced supplier in the first place.
Do you have weighing scales in place?
Menu planning is an artistic puzzle. You want to create an interesting menu with sufficient choices and no duplications of flavors. To achieve this the chef needs to know how to produce different menu items and flavors while using the same ingredient. For example, a homemade French fry has a different flavor to mashed potatoes, a glazed carrot will produce a different flavor to a steamed carrot, and so on.
You would be surprised how many commercial kitchens do not have scales! We know that exact weights are important in baking to get the right results. However, scales are paramount throughout your operation if you want to limit food waste and control food costs.
Are you using trim-offs?
Do you have somebody responsible for maintenance?
Did you incorporate into your menu the use for trim waste? Are you using the stems of vegetables either in the main dish itself or to produce a soup?
When your fridges and freezers are not operating properly this can cause immediate spoilage and food waste. Make sure you reserve cool storage places for food that has to be restored from ailing fridges and freezers. In addition maintenance of temperature controls in deep fryers, ovens, and no malfunctioning of coffee machines, just to name a few, all help to reduce waste.
Are your chefs trained in cutting skills? It is a given fact that the chef’s cutting skills will either cost or save you money. We are not talking about the cost of the use of the first-aid kit, but the cost of the amount of trim-offs that end up in the wastebasket. Are you training your staff in cutting skills? Are your knives sharp? Do you check the wastebasket regularly?
Sources: Leanpath & Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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VISIT US AT HACE AT CAIRO INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER-NASRCITY
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N E W M E M B E R S Amal Attia Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
Asmaa Ragab Ali Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
أمل عطية ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
أسماء رجب على ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Ayman Mohammad Hassan Owner Granny's restaurant
Eman Bounailat Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
أيمن محمد حسن مالك مطعم جراني
إيمان بونعيالت ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Ibrahim Kotb Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
Amin Radwan Sebahi Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
أمني رضوان سباهي ُمحب للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Ayman Mohamed El Morsy Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
أيمن محمد املرسي ُمحب للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Dalia Kamel Awad Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
داليا كامل عوض ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Hader Mohsen Abdel Haq Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
هدير محسن عبد الحق ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Ibrahim Yahia Mohamed Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
إبراهيم قطب ُمحب للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني Islam Ayman EL Kaitan Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
Khaled Radwan Sebahi Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
إسالم أيمن الكيتان ُمحب للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
خالد رضوان سباهي ُمحب للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Mahmoud Mohamed Mohamed Chef Hot Kitchen
محمود محمد محمد شيف مطبخ ساخن
إبراهيم يحيى محمد ُمحب للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني khaled Mohamed El Ayashy Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
خالد محمد العياشي ُمحب للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Kholoud Saad El - Sayed Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
خلود سعد السيد ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Mai Mohamed El Shahawy Amateur Cook Owner fooditure
مي محمد الشهاوي مالكة- ُمحبة للطهي فوودتشر
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N E W M E M B E R S Marian Gamal Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
مريان جمال ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Menna Allah Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
منة اهلل ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Munirah Abdullah Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
منيرة عبد هلل ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Mayada Tarek Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
ميادة طارق ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Mostafa Hatem Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
مصطفى حاتم ُمحب للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Mustafa Mahmoud Habashi Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
مصطفى محمود حبشى ُمحب للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Radwa Ahmed El Sherbiny Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
Ramy Mohamed Salah Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
Rana Osama Hamed Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
Rana Raafat Mohamed Ali Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
رضوى أحمد الشربيني ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
رنا أسامة حامد ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
رنا رأفت محمد ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Sally Abdel Hamid Sami Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
Shaima Ali Mohamed Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
Suad Talaat Salah Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
Tasneem Abdel Aal Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
سالي عبد الحميد سامي ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Vera Tharwat Gerges Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
سعاد طلعت صالح ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
ڤيرا ثروت جرجس ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
رامي محمد صالح ُمحب للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
شيماء علي محمد ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
تسنيم عبد العال ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
Wafa Ezzat Abdel Ghani Amateur Cook Egyptian Chefs Association
وفاء عزت عبد الغني ُمحبة للطهي جمعية الطهاة املصريني
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59 ﻂﻂﻂﺊــتت اﺔﺔﻂﻂــﺋ اﻌﻌﺾﻐــﻀ اﺗﺗﺧــيي ﺔﺔﻋﻋﻌر ﻏــﺋ ﻄﺧ ـ اﺳﺳﻐﻐﻐــﺋ ﺠــﻌدان ﺣــﻐﺊﻐﻈﺒ ا ﻇــﺛ ﻏﻏﻏﺛﻏﻈــﺒ ISSUE 97 - YEAR 2021
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