Hospitality Business ME | Issue 41 - 2015

ISSUE 41

DECEMBER 2015

THE LANGUAGE OF HOSPITALITY TEECHNOLOGY UPDATE

THE PRO CHEF ME AWARDS

SIGNS OF SUCCESS

“My philosophy is built around quality ingredients, pure and simple.”

Pierre Gagnaire

*Voted the favorite by 512 international chefs with 2 or 3 Michelin stars for Le Chef magazine.

Three Michelin stars Chef Voted world’s greatest chef by his Michelin peers.*

Only the best ingredients inspire the world’s greatest chefs.

Excellence inspires the chef’s favorite, Pierre Gagnaire*.

Excellence, it’s not just our name, it’s our promise.

Distributed in: KSA: Arrow Food Distribution Co ; UAE: Greenhouse Foodstuff LLC. ; Kuwait: Massad Co W.L.L. ; Qatar: Fahed Foods ; Oman : Gulf Technical Trading Co. LLC ; Bahrain : Fine Foods ; Jordan: Waddan Foodstuffs Co. Ltd. ; Lebanon : Bocti Sal contactthechefs@elvir.fr

#elleetvirepro

EDITOR’S LETTER

MANAGEMENT Dominic De Sousa Chairman Nadeem Hood Group CEO Georgina O’Hara Publishing Director Paul Godfrey Group Director of Editorial

Editor Dave Reeder dave.reeder@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9163

Deputy Editor Beth Burrows beth.burrows@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9167

ADVERTISING Business Development Director Elaine McCarrick elaine.mccarrick@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9112

DESIGN Head of Design Glenn Roxas Senior Graphic Designer Froilan Cosgafa IV Production Manager James Tharian Data Manager Rajeesh Melath

Printed by Printwell Printing Press

Head Office PO Box 13700, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 (0) 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 (0) 4 447 2409

Another year…

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s the hospitality industry gears up for one of its busiest seasons, senior management across the region is already viewing the prospects for 2016 with some alarm.

That’s isn’t just down to the recent massive merger announcement, in whose wake we should see a number of local operators struggling, nor yet to on-going geo-political pressures - note: the recent hostage taking in a leading Mali hotel should be a wake up call to many to review security, today! - but in the sheer number of new openings, refurbishments and repositionings in the local market.

Here in Dubai, for example, it seems hardly a week goes by without a new property joining the over-crowded lists of hotels. But what is the projection for next year? How will hoteliers, restauranteurs and chefs have to change to maintain let alone increase their market share.

We offer some predictions.

Next year, the industry will have to try ever harder in order to satisfy a variety of audiences, taking on multiple personalities to please multiple types of people at multiple times. The pressure is on. Now you will have to stand out from the crowd, but in a way that has longevity and is not an overnight sensation.

So, for instance, it probably makes no sense to turn your weekend buffet into a year long celebration of Korean food, delightful though that cuisine can be.

Instead, the properties that come out ahead will be those who recognise the trends and ride them before moving, in a planned way, to the next.

The ground rule in all this, of course, is understanding your guests. Think outside the box but never forget the basics - those dishes or concepts that always work. Such as? Freshly made pizza in a corner of the restaurant. A fresh seafood counter with dishes cooked to order.

Carving tableside. And so on.

So what is going to be hot? Frankly, if we knew then we’d be running an F&B operation rather than a magazine, but (in no particular

order) we’d be surprised not to see at least some of the following: • The consolidation in Dubai of so-called ‘restless palate syndrome’, meaning customers are always looking for new tastes and experiences - and this is inherently true of the UAE dining scene.

• A demand for fresh, natural and seasonal ingredients - bearing in mind the opposite seasons in North and South hemispheres - especially quality fruits and vegetables, particularly handpicked. Despite massive strides in local farming, top F&B outlets still cannot rely on local quantity and quality.

• A rise in healthy eating. We see an increasing chasm between unhealthy fast and cheap eatery food and healthy quality food at the 4- and 5-star level. What will disappear, we believe, is shouting about it - it will just become the norm.

• Certainly the rise in quality retail food outlets is going to be mirrored by increasing demand, especially amongst millenials, for better dining out options. F&B Managers would do well to look at how their tired outlets and standard buffets can be reimagined.

• Classic European cuisine is back. Just as I was writing this came news of the arrival in early December at the Fairmont Dubai of Bistrot Bagatelle - old Mediterranean favourite dishes never go out of fashion.

• Linked to that, we expect to see a re-emphasis on old-school fish and meat dishes such as Dover sole, oxtail and ossobucco.

• With seafood, we think there will be more wet bars, with oyster shuckers and plates of fresh shellfish a common feature of all up-market hotels. At the same time, fish on offer on menus will be more unusual with species like turbot, halibut, wild sea bass and razor clams in evidence.

• Ultimately, it’s all about sourcing. Simple, well-sourced ingredients treated with respect that’s the story for 2016!

Dave Reeder dave.reeder@cpimediagroup.com

© Copyright 2015 CPI. All rights reserved. While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

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CONTENTS

The road goes ever south Dave Reeder goes south to Naples on his Italian culinary adventure

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MANAGEMENT 6 Digital marketing trends With 80% of mobile searches converting into purchases, your brand’s digital marketing is more vital than ever.

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Anyone here speak English?

Don’t let language be a barrier to your hotel.

HYGIENE 18 Carpet care in hotels Carpet maintenance is crucial for both the hygiene and appearance of hotels.

rid of the trash 20 Getting The UAE ranks as one of the top food wasting countries, we look at how this can be changed.

DESIGN 26 Seeing the signs Ensure your hotel signage is going in the right direction.

30 Is itTECHNOLOGY safe?

Safety is paramount in the hotel industry, find out how to stay ahead.

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Under control We explore solutions to ensure that back office hotel operations run smoothly.

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COVER CONCEPT To be successful in the hospitality sector, you need to attract visitors from around the world, not just from one specifc region. That’s why language skills are vital for your guest-facing employees, from check in to F&B to housekeeping. We look at the issues involved.

CONTENTS

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Push the button

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High-speed hospitality

In-room technology is advancing at a rapid rate, take a look at these devices.

In today’s fast-paced world, slow and unreliable Wi-Fi in hotels will no longer suffice.

58 PRO CHEF 42 AnTHE industry honoured The winners and highlights of The Pro Chef Awards 2015

road goes ever south 52 The Dave Reeder goes south to Naples on his Italian culinary adventure

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the crème de 58 Celebrating la crème HBME speaks to leading pastry chefs about the importance of French dairy cream

corner 63 Recipe Norwegian chef Daniél Rougé Madsen offers up delicious fish dishes and Chef Yannick Lohou from Sushi Counter shares a scrumptious salad recipe.

of something?

68 AAncup insight into the highly-attended International Coffee & Tea Festival.

eggs factor 70 The A peek inside the fridge of Sharon Garrett, Area Director of Marketing & Communications for Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas - Abu Dhabi Cluster.

last word 72 The This plane has had a suite revamp.

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IMPROVING YOUR MARKETING SKILLS

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GUEST COMMUNICATION - IN ANY LANGUAGE

HOTEL MANAGEMENT

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HOTEL MANAGEMENT

Digital marketing trends From social synergy to the impact of mobile search, digital marketing in 2015 is a new landscape of creative engagement, seamless integration and the customer journey. With our eyes on every algorithm launch and search trend, Milestone has designed innovative strategies for online visibility, content engagement, conversion, ROI tracking and the user experience. Inspire your hotel marketing strategy by looking at these driving forces in digital marketing.

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HOTEL MANAGEMENT

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obile search is the star trend of digital marketing. The universe of mobile users is massive – three in five people now use mobile devices to search and 80% of local searches on mobile devices convert to purchase. With Google rolling out a new ranking factor for mobile-friendly sites, it is essential that your hotel Web site is optimised for mobile search and responsive on all mobile devices.

The target is to enhance mobile traffic and ensure a robust and seamless experience with content that can be shared on social media.

Your Web site has to tap into the possibilities of enhanced local search. The goal is to create optimised content and local profiles, manage quality citations and directory listings, as well as deliver a seamless mobile experience across devices. It is critical that you manage your local presence across search engines, IYPs, aggregators, business directories, local citations and maps.

Ensuring your hotel’s marketing strategy includes optimising your content with headers, title tags, metadata, footers with location-based schemas and image alt-tags will help strengthen the property’s local presence.

In our connected on-line community, the synergy of social engagement empowers your digital marketing. Most of the world uses social media sites, including Google+, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Social media is a driver of brand awareness and customer relationships and retention. To be in the social conversation and derive traffic from social platforms, your Web content must be interesting, build connections and inspire conversion. Ensure your site is optimised for mobile and sharing across devices and make sure to add OG tags and Twitter cards. Be a stand out with robust hotel social media outreach, engaging content and visual media.

Content marketing Content marketing starts with understanding your audience and the customer journey.

Content should engage, inspire and enhance the user experience. Empower your audience with engaging content, including local attractions and activities, visuals and trending topics. Your content should be optimised for local and conversational search and saturate diversified channels – from your Web site to blogs to Facebook. Look at KPI indicators – time spent on page, bounce and click-through rates and engagement patterns. Once you determine top converting pages, enhance the content to encourage the path to purchase, and ensure mobile responsiveness.

The user experience The user experience is the human path to

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digital marketing. Audiences want to be engaged, be able to navigate your site, and tap into social influences. Conversion optimisation starts with usability factors such as speed and performance, information architecture, legibility, colours and images. With robust architecture, clear design and navigation and engaging content, your site will increase conversion. A smart way to see how the user experience relates to the conversion funnel is to implement A/B testing. Track which pages perform better based on simple design and content evolution, including floating buttons, drop-downs, marketing messages and banners.

Expanding your presence The key to a highly successful hotel paid search campaign is to maximise your outreach and diversify your channels, via Facebook, Google, Yelp and so on. Make sure you bid on your brand or hotel name, leverage social channels and allocate your budget to tap into mobile conversion, which is higher than ever! Customise marketing messages to your specific target audience and focus on the customer journey.

Maximise hotel ROI The customer journey is evolving, so businesses need to alter their approach to measuring digital marketing ROI. With the dramatic spike in mobile search and social signals, the conversion funnel is not linear and the purchase journey can begin at any point along the decision path. It’s important for hotels and businesses to tap into this dynamic, target the audience journey and personalise the content.

With new innovations in digital tracking software, we can attribute ROI to every channel. By understanding the conversion path, attributing ROI and integrating a dashboard to break down the data, we can see the value of each touch point.

Understanding the journey From travel inspiration and research to booking to post-stay social, understanding the customer journey is paramount to your digital marketing strategy. In hospitality/travel and just about any industry or business, customers use search, Web sites, social channels and reviews to plan a trip or book a room. That’s why your hotel Web site has to be optimised for organic and paid search, connected to social channels and designed for conversion. Being present on every layer of the customer journey gives your business the edge.

Courtesy of Milestone Internet Marketing

HOTEL MANAGEMENT

Top ten things you can do Given the challenges in today’s economy, Internet marketing has become a critical method for driving on-line reservations for hotels. Whether your hotel’s needs are short term, long term or both, there are a variety of internet marketing tools available to help you achieve your goals.

Pay per click – Of all the Internet marketing options available to hotels, Pay per cick is perhaps the one with the most potential for instant gratification.

If the Pay per click campaign is well managed and the keywords which you are bidding on are relevant to your hotel, you should expect a strong short term ROI. This is a great tool to get through seasonality and/or other anticipated slow periods where you need an extra boost to business.

E-mail marketing – If you already have a list of e-mail addresses which you’ve been collecting through the double opt-in process, you are in a great position to begin. If you don’t have a permission based e-mail database, now is the time to begin that collection process. Targeted, permission based e-mail marketing campaigns can yield extremely high ROIs.

Google has recently launched a useful tool that helps businesses (small and large) understand what channels they should be focusing on to maximise exposure and encouraging consumers to make a purchase.

Check out its customer journey tool.

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Enhance design for conversion – The average Web site should have its design revamped every three to five years. By incorporating engaging photography, pertinent content, easy to use navigation, value added offers and an intuitive booking process, you should see an increase in the conversion rate of those shopping on your Web site.

Up-sell through packaging – Everyone is looking for a deal, especially a great allinclusive deal. Consider using value added packages as a way to convert lookers to bookers. These packages should be created based on historical demand.

Community eMaps – If you’re in the best location and close to all of the local attractions, interactive community eMaps are a great way to showcase

your hotel. With many consumers looking to cut down on the overall cost of travel, your location may be the best selling point of all and eMaps are the way to showcase it.

Destination blog – Destination blogs for hotels are designed to provide a forum for consumers to exchange information about the destination. One of the biggest benefits which blogs have is that they ping the search engines as soon as a new post is made on the blog. By stimulating discussion forums about your destination, you’ll be well suited to market your hotel within that destination.

Consumer generated content – An alternative to managing a full destination blog is to add a Customer Review section to your Web site. By allowing consumers to post their thoughts and opinions, you will build credibility both with the search engines and with prospective guests.

Search engine optimised on-line video – On-line videos are one of the hottest forms of Internet marketing. By search engine optimising the video and distributing it to the major video search sites, you will be able to achieve visibility through those popular channels.

Rich media continues to drive on-line conversion and should be incorporated into any strategic marketing plan.

Organic – Setting a solid organic strategy is the most sustainable way to get through tough economic conditions. While it does not result in instant gratification, the results come from proving credibility and relevancy to search engines. If you don’t already have a good organic strategy in place, now is the time to implement one so to help you can get through future economic challenges.

Strategic directory enrollments – As a part of your organic strategy, ensure that you place an emphasis on strategic, high quality directory enrollments. By having your site enrolled in relevant niche directories, you will benefit from driving qualified traffic to your site.

http://enjoyeuropeanfood.eu

HOTEL MANAGEMENT

Anyone here speak English?

Although Arabic is the national language of the region, in the hospitality sector that has been overtaken by English. That’s hardly surprising given the number of non-Arab tourists that the area is targetting to bring in massives revenue streams to local economies. How is the region shaping up in language skills?

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HOTEL MANAGEMENT

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ven more so than today and as the most common shared language, English skills will be essential for virtually all the hospitality sector. except perhaps in those parts of the industry targeting GCC nationals where Arabic will remain paramount.

Remember that employees dealing with guests either face-to-face, over the phone or via e-mail represent the company and its brand.

If a member of staff doesn’t understand what you’re trying to say, you will more readily associate the hotel with faiulure rather than blame the member of staff. The opposite is equally true - helpful and polite staff enhance a property’s reputation.

So when you ask the question about how important English is at work, you’re really talking about the corporate culture and not just the language. Being able to understand other cultures and adapting to others - customers or colleagues - is a key hospitality skill for any employee. A key potential customer from New York City receiving a poorly worded e-mail will likely decide on another hotel for his or her stay…

So providing language training to customerfacing employees is a smart move, as the damage from a poorly written e-mail or response to a verbal query can be out of proportion to the cost of training.

Of course, staff shouldn’t just rely on company support. Anyone wanting to make a career in hospitality is likely to seek other foreign postings and English will always be a key communication skill.

Providing language training to customerfacing employees is a smart move, as the damage from a poorly written e-mail or response to a verbal query can be out of proportion to the cost of training.

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HOTEL MANAGEMENT

Language at work A key community-led initiative by four young women is empowering low-income expatriate women in the hospitality industry to gain English language skills in order to help them communicate better with hotel guests. A lack of proficiency is more apparent, incidentally, during phone conversations with business travellers.

Now more than 15 women from various departments in Dusit Thani, for example, are attending a regular English class to improve their communication skills as part of the chain’s Lotus Effect initiative. The project, run by a mix of expats and one Emirati, is known as the E7 Daughters of the Emirate and is being funded for one year by Emirates NBD. Also inviolved is Promise of a Generation (POAG), a seven-year old Dubai community project that aims to promote heritage as well as provide career support for those who need it.

“Women working in the hospitality industry receive little to no support,” claims Aisha. a Zayed University student who

is also creative director of Lotus Effect.

“We came up with this project to give expat women the skills they need in their daily lives and to also increase customer satisfaction in preparation for the 20 million visitors who will visit the UAE for Expo 2020.”

It works like this. For two hours every Friday, the hotel staff meet in a traditional classroom setting talking, interacting and role playing with an English instructor.

There’s even a mobile-learning platform which students can use to complete their assignments outside class via phones or laptops, thus extending the two hour faceto-face time. The curriculum was drawn up by a Dubai-based English language instructor to give employees full-time exposure to the language.

The benefit to Dusit Thani? Such investment in employee training plenty of benefits, including higher profits and better quality of service. Most of the hotel’s staff are from Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, most of whom are very keen to improve their English

language skills. Jennylove Aimee from the Philippines is typical: “Everyone uses English here and I want to learn how to use proper words and be able to pronounce them correctly,” A recent Harvard Business Report claimed that job seekers in the developing world with exceptional English can earn 30-50% more than the national average.

That’s part of the reason why the Dusit Thani, the first to adopt the Lotus Effect, believes that the universality of English makes it a vital tool in effective communication, especially in multicultural Dubai. According to Swati Anand, a training manager at the hotel, “With improved communication skills to transcend cultural differences, the team will be able to connect with our guests in a more convenient and accurate manner.”

And the future? The team wants to extend the project and even partner with other hotels interested in hosting the language programme as they move into 2016. Certainly they are keen to extend the benefits to more employees at Dusit Thani.

If they possess this key job skill, it will increase their job prospects.

Friendliness, efficiency, dedication and a passion for service characteristics hotel and restaurant hiring managers look for in job candidates. One less obvious talent is rapidly becoming the key job skill in hospitality - the ability to speak a second language.

For example, the US Department of Labor has listed interpreters among the nation’s fastest growing occupations, with an expected growth of 42% in the field between 2010 and 2020. In the US, over half of all residents now speak a language other than English at home, most noticeably Spanish.

Bilingualism is a skill many hospitality employers value, particularly in hotel and restaurant management candidates.

For example, managers who speak a second language can enhance the experience of customers. One study found that restaurant employees led by managers who spoke their native language were able to complete recipes with increased accuracy and an average of 7.23 minutes faster than those who did not have the benefit of bilingual instruction. This means customers spent less time waiting for meals and were more likely to return.

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In fact, it’s the combination of employees with limited English language skills and foreign language customers that limits the global hospitality industry, which would contribute more billions of dollars to the world’s economy if hotel and restaurant managers were able to speak the languages of their guests and make them feel moreat home.

For example, consider the role of a concierge manager at a hotel near the Russian consulate in a large U.S. city. The concierge manager’s staff may encounter many Russian speaking tourists and diplomats. Fluency in the language will better enable him or her to meet their needs, making their stay as enjoyable as possible with restaurant recommendations, directions to popular landmarks, and even a friendly goodbye in their native tongue.

Bilingual means that staff can speak, read and write in a second language fluently. If they possess this key job skill, it will increase their job prospects. Equally, you should encourage your employees to improve their language skills, not just for their own sake in their future careers but to benefit your hotel or restaurant today.

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CLEANNG YOUR CARPETS

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F&B HYGIENE

Hygiene & Housekeeping

Carpet care in hotels For many centuries carpets have adorned people’s homes, hotels, resorts, palaces and many other establishments around the world. They add gran-deur to the interiors and provide great comfort, but they are also a major investment and in order to protect this investment it’s important to take care of them. Regular, careful cleaning is essential.

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carpet installation at a hotel is a significant investment, both in monetary terms and overall facility image. A consistent and effective carpet mainte-nance program is so valuable because the floor of any hotel is an extremely important space. It must be sparkling and spotless all day and doing so not only requires excellent cleaners and a strict regimen but also efficient equipment. This of course is one of the biggest challenges for any house-keeping manager especially in a tourism-driven region like the Middle East.

Blitz Blank Building Cleaning Services has been in Dubai for the last 12 years, maintaining carpets at five-star hotels such as Armani, All Address Hotels, Burj al Arab, Royal Mirage, Westin, The Palace and Myachts for the Royal Family, to name a few. The company’s operations are mainly in Dubai, with some key clients in Abu Dhabi.

Thomas Schindler, Managing Director, Blitz Blank Building Cleaning Services said: “The key considerations in carpet care are the cleaning of carpets using the right technique and the right chemicals to keep them clean for as long as possible and to ensure that they are not spoiled with the treatment. The toughest task is stain removal because it is hard to guess what the stain is, so often the stain is treated with the wrong products and the wrong cleaning method can quickly ruin a carpet.

Compared to stones like marble floors, the lifespan of carpets are much shorter, and if treatment cleaning is wrong, it can damage the surface to the point of no return so it is very important nothing goes wrong.

Spot removing is the biggest challenge.

There are good stain removal products in the market which are working but they are very expensive. To aid spot removing, there are various chemicals and techniques that depend on the depth of the stain and material of the carpet. Treatments vary from heat transfer, plotting spots and rinsing for instance. “There is no single common technique that will work for all stains. There are many different methods in stain removal, which mainly depend on the quality of the carpet and the damage of the stain.

Methods vary from using only water to heat transfer, reduction and oxidation chemicals and salt splitting, to name a few,” Schindler commented.

It’s important to protect new carpets using Scotchgard immediately after cleaning and this should be done at least once a year.

The environment is also important to look after and Schindler recognises this. He said:

Hygiene & Housekeeping

“Our chemical suppliers need to certify their products and as we buy our complete product range from Europe (mainly Germany). We have a proper environmental proof from these companies. For instance, our product for carpet cleaning is completely foamless, less than five per cent phosphate, tensile-free, enzyme-free and it is of ‘food quality’ so it would not harm you if you happened to swallow it.”

As in any other field, there are challenges involved in proper maintenance of carpets including cleaning frequencies, time window, drying time, AC adjusting, furniture, cooking stations and careless usage of carpet areas. He explained: “Some clients only want the carpet to be cleaned rarely and the stains remain for long periods.

As a result sometimes you cannot re-move the marks completely.

There are two main ways to clean carpets, one is deep cleaning and the other is spot cleaning. Schindler mentioned: “Deep cleaning varies from hotel to hotel but it will usually take place two to four times a year because it involves cleaning the entire carpet so it needs at least a day to air so rooms can’t be booked by guests straight away. The main work is spot removing on upholstery and carpets.”

The method of deep cleaning is mainly done with a single disc equipped with a brush (there are different brushes for different carpets), followed by rinsing the carpet with a spray extraction machine.

What’s important are the chemicals to take off all of the dirt so there is no resoiling after cleaning. A poor job by a carpet cleaner can cause the resoiling of a carpet. However, there are many potential causes of resoiling and moist conditions from malfunctioning air conditioning or water leaks won’t allow a carpet to dry properly. This will make the carpet a great cloth to clean off the bottoms of shoes! It is important to make sure thayt the carpet is totally dry after cleaning so that this doesn’t happen.

A second method for deep cleaning is labelled the bonnet method. This industry machine resembles a floor buffer, with an absorbent spin or oscillating pad that attracts soil and is rinsed or replaced repeatedly. The bonnet method is not strictly dry-cleaning and involves significant drying time. To reduce pile distortion, the absorbent bonnet should be kept welllubricated with cleaning solution. It’s very important to change or turn the bonnet early because bonnets can become filled with soil in just a couple hundred square feet.

As in any other field, there are challenges involved in proper maintenance of carpets including cleaning frequencies, time window, drying time, AC adjusting, furniture, cooking stations and careless usage of carpet areas.

And once loaded with soil, the bonnet will not hold any more; instead, it simply moves the soil from one area to another. Drawbacks are: it distorts pile and grinds dirt deeper in carpet fibre, it has an abrasive effect, when there’s a large amount of foreign material in the carpet, extraction with a wet process may be needed and it only cleans the top layer of the carpet but its very fast for wide areas. The product used with this method is less than 5% phosphate. It’s got a green certificate and it’s eco-friendly.

There are machines in the market which can be used in larger corridors and banquet areas and they give very good results. One example in the market is Amphibian by Nilfisk-Advance. It is a full carpet cleaning walk behind machine. Other good brands include Kärcher, Columbus and Taski.

Another useful cleaning equipment is the TASKI Ergodisc Duo (Multi-speed single disc machine). The TASKI Ergodisc Duo is an extremely effi-cient machine, which gives the best results in floor cleaning or polishing and carpet cleaning. Usually, hotels have huge areas of marble flooring that need regular cleaning or buffing to maintain the shine and aesthetic appearance. Most hotels have expensive marbles in their public areas like the lobby, restaurants and lounges. The use of the right chemical with TASKI Ergodisc Duo

works beautifully to make the marble floor gleaming and ultra-shiny. TASKI Ergodisc Duo also works very effectively with a TASKI Foam generator attached to it for shampooing carpets.

At hotels, prices vary on annual maintenance of carpets. Depending on the size, it starts from AED 7,500 to AED 20,000 for larger properties. The managing director of Blitz Blank Building Cleaning Services added: “In the past we even contracts for carpet and upholstery service for one hotel that was over AED 50,000 per month. This was a 24 hour service for seven days a week for all the rooms and public areas.”

Carpets are still heavily used in five-star hotels, but there seems to be a focus more on high quality loose rugs (inside the rooms and suites) instead of fixed carpets, which are easier to change and to maintain. One family business that have spent decades cleaning and repairing Persian rugs is Al-Madaen Carpet Trading. This family business provides excellent ser-vices for Persian rugs. They have over 25 years experience, in the region, cleaning rugs washing and repairing them.

Pejman, the son of the owner Mostafa Pejouheshnia, said: “The first thing that most people don’t know is that you cannot let people who don’t understand Persian rugs clean them otherwise the colours of the carpet get damaged and they shrink because every carpet needs an individual meth-od of cleaning. The price of your carpet is a factor too as a carpet might be worth AED 1,000 and another AED 50,000 so the material differs and so will the technique to clean it.”

The most expensive carpets are Persian rugs. A pure silk handmade car-pet which might take two years to make by hand can cost approximately AED 200,000. This type is handmade with Qum silk using a very unique special technique. One mistake cleaning it and the colour will certainly get damaged. Although cleaning Persian rugs aren’t very popular and some only clean theirs every few years.

Most places clean Persian carpets with machines which only cleans the top layer but dust still remains inside the lower layers.

“We wash carpets using natural herbs.

Carpets are dipped inside special herbal water for a lengthy period of time. This depends on each carpet because they all made from different materials and colours vary. You need to be a carpet maker to fully understand the complexity and the process to wash them us-ing unique methods without damaging them,” concluded Pejman.

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Hygiene & Housekeeping

Getting rid

of the trash Every food outlet faces the same problem: how to reduce food waste. However, it’s not as simple a task as it appears, not least because a culture of plenty and generosity in the region can demand over-ordering. We look at a number of solutions to tackle the issue.

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ne restaurant in Chicago hasn’t taken out the rubbish for almost two years.

Sounds impossible, doesn’t it, unless the owner is a serial horder? However, the explanation is simpler: there just hasn’t been anything to throw out.

Owner Justin Vrany wanted a ‘zero waste’ restaurant from the day he first opened his quick-service joint, Sandwich Me In. How he has reduced an average restaurant’s waste output from a single hour into just one reusable bag in big years? The bulk of that rubbish didn’t even come from the restaurant, but from customers carrying in items like plastic-lined paper Starbucks cups.

“If I can do this with a quick service restaurant, I hope I can help other restaurants do that, too,” Vraney explains.

To achieve his goal of zero waste, the restaurant runs on sustainable energy, food comes minimally packaged from local farms and just about everything, from food scraps to used frying oil, is either reused or repurposed.

Hygiene & Housekeeping

Vraney is a believer and practitioner in the environmentalist’s five Rs - reduce, reuse, recycle, reject and refuse. He won’t for example, accept junk mail and excessive packaging, also instituting the same systems in his home. “I have kids,” he explains. “They’re not going to be able to live the way I lived. I want to see them live the same life that I had. I want to to take care of the things I love the most.”

The chefs’ view We asked Michel Jost, Executive Chef of Yas Viceroy, and Darren Velvick, Chef/Patron of The Croft, about the issues.

We’re looking at four kinds of food waste: raw ingredients that go uncooked, individual components of dishes (sauces, mise en place etc) that are cooked but go unserved, uneaten leftovers from customers and spoiled/ out of date food. In terms of disposal, do you treat all these in the same way?

Are you able to give a rough percentage breakdown of each type of waste?

Darren Velvick: I always run a tight ship. I think part of being a good chef is utilising ingredients, so my style is to use all the ingredients as much as possible and try not to waste anything. If we cannot use a part of an ingredient, we use it for staff.

Michel Jost: Food wastage – we have a recycling process for all oils and fat.

Has the widespread adoption of HACCP and tightening Municipality regulations had an impact on food waste management over the past few years?

Velvick: Nothing that has really affected us.

Jost: HACCP and Municipality regulations help to reduce food waste as there is no option of overstock – food cycle is three days maximum.

Have waste levels increased with the ever-growing popularity of brunches drunches and so on?

Velvick: In the past, I chose an a la carte style service so we didn’t have any waste from buffets, etc.

Jost: Buffets and brunches are potentially a source of food waste, but can be managed

Not that it’s been easy. Instead, for example, of pre-packaged stock, he makes his own from the bones of the chickens he uses. More importantly, he has slashed the restaurant’s food costs since no food is wasted and many items intersect on the menu. “The crispy smoked skins of the chicken go onto the Cobb salad and the chicken bones make the broth for the chicken soup,” Vraney explains. Leftover

vegetables from one day go into a burger the following day and food scraps are given to farmers to feed the chickens that produce eggs for the business.

But what about the wider issues. Of course, in the industry, plenty of food goes uneaten at the end of each day is is disposed of. Some are raw ingredients that were unused by the correct date, some are

with proper forecasting of guests, smaller dishes and and live stations. Gone are the days with lines of chaffing dishes. I would hope that older hotels have readjusted their offering.

anything eco-friendly and I hate waste.

Jost: Composting definitely not, but sharing of waste management facilities already exists. We have it on Yas Island, not only between hotels but as well with other industries/businesses as well as future residential neighbourhoods.

Do you have a general waste management policy covering all your outlets? Do you have it collected as waste, collected for composting or compost it yourselves? What new procedures and staff training were required if it was either of the latter two?

Velvick: I would love to be able to compost our own waste, however we lack the facility to do so. As far as I know, our waste is collected with our general waste.

Jost: Training goes into maximising sales from prepared mise en place, yield/portion control and training. Based on this assumption and a proper rotation of mise en place, wastage does not occur.

Wastage of oils/fat is in a recycling programme.

Compost is not always the best option due to geographical location and size of hotels. It is used mainly for marketing purposes by the few that use that option and it is used only for a small portion of the waste generated.

How realistic is it for most F&B operations to compost on-site and use this to grow either food or general vegetation to engance the property?

Velvick: It’s funny as I was only discussing the other day how I would love to grow and serve our own ingredients here on site. I think it’s realistic we just need someone to maintain the patch.

Jost: The UAE is not the right location for this process due to climate and very limited possibilities to use it but hotels that do that use it for marketing purposes mainly.

Do you see an opportunity for hotels in the same vicinity to share composting or waste management facilities?

Velvick: I can’t see why we can’t group together and share a waste management facility. I love

What is the biggest challenge you face in this area?

Velvick: Our own in-house guests have to be considered.

Jost: As the growth is so fast and none of us really know the extent of the whole UAE project, waste management systems need to be part of infrastructure projects, from the people at the core of the whole UAE project, not as an individual add-on. Most business owners are not considering waste management as a priority.

What practical steps (such as reducing portion sizes) can you trake to reduce customer food waste?

Velvick: I just look at what comes back from people’s plates to see if we are serving too much or if the portion size is too big.

Jost: It’s about FIFO and proper training, nothing else. Reducing portions is a NO-NO.

What initiatives have you seen in other countries that could be adopted here?

Velvick: This is just my idea but encourage the customer not to overfill their plates. For example, offer a donation for every empty plate to go towards labour camps instead of sending the waste food. That way it’s safer for everyone.

Jost: In most European countries, waste management programmes are sponsored or implemented by the government and are part of the citizen’s educational programme, supported by campaigns to get the whole population aligned.

There are many more programmes than we have here in UAE. It’s a choice the UAE has to make and should want to do.

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST

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Hygiene & Housekeeping

sauces or mise en place that cannot be carried forward to the next service and some are uneaten leftovers from customers.

In many countries, raw ingredients still perfectly good to eat will be picked up by food recovery programmes, which make sure it goes to those in need as long as the food is not spoiled or rotten. Individual components of dishes are harder to recycle in this way as food that’s been cooked and sitting out for a while are either not acceptable to food recovery programmes or their reuse is not allowed under local food health regulation. However, many see the value in passing on whole cooked dishes or soup.

Part of the problem, though, lies in a general public lack of awareness. A YouGov done survey revealed that whilst the UAE is amongst the top food wasting countries, only about a third of residents see food wastage as a global environmental concern and almost 80% of households throw food away every week to make room for a new food purchases. The statistic worried Denisa Fainis, who works in IT. “Food wastage is an issue here and 95% of the UAE’s food is imported. Technically, we cannot afford to waste it,” she says. She wants to create a proper infrastructure to package and transport unused food to UAE labour camps and the plan has won the backing of Mondelçz International (formerly Kraft Foods) in its Philadelphia Creativity for a Cause campaign, beating out 350 other entries.

“Think about it, the glitz and glamour of this place would not be possible without a worker.”

Fainis explains. “I feel it’s of paramount importance to help them out.” She is now working on her business plan and will work closely alongside the hospitality sector to use left overs from hotels and package them to be delivered to workers’ accommodations. Fainis

FOOD WASTE AT A GLANCE * The problem will get worse unless we act due to worldwide demand for animal protein as well as increasing caloric intake per person per day. * The projected world population by 2050 is 9.6b, which means food production will have to increase by 60%. * 35% of the world’s adult population is currently overweight whilst 41% are either undernourished or micronutrient deficient. * Wasted food currently makes up around one third of the world’s total food production.

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Here in Dubai, some 40% of domestic waste that goes to landfill is uneaten food, partly due to the cultural belief that should always be enough food for everyone, whether eating at home or in a restaurant.

said: “I can’t wait to give birth to my concept.”

Of course, the UAE is not alone in having a food waste problem. According to a 2012 study by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Americans throw away nearly half their food, amounting to $165b wasted every year. Fainis explains: “According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the World Resources Institute, approximately one third of all food produced worldwide, worth around $1t gets lost or wasted in food production and consumption systems.” Here in Dubai, some 40% of domestic waste that goes to landfill is uneaten food, partly due to the cultural belief that should always be enough food for everyone, whether eating at home or in a restaurant. Colin Clague, when he was Qbara’s Executive Chef, said that “large parties always over order, despite our staff telling them that the sharing concept means they don’t need so much. The waste is tragic.”

And food redistribution schemes? Along with other chefs, Clague is hesitant. “It’s not as simple as people think, with regulations from the Municipality.” Michel Jost, Executive Chef of the Yas Viceroy agrees. “This is a disastrous approach with the potential to create more food poisoning. The solution is in training and education - the municipalities should create mandatory classes for all food handlers, then get more strict with all restaurants and food outlets, so that there is no incentive to produce food for more than two days at any given time. This will automatically reduce wastage.”

Darren Velvick, Chef/Patron of The Croft, takes the middle path: “Sure, there should be some

way to donate to the camps as long as long as the food has been handled correctly. It seems pointless to throw it away when someone else can benefit from it, but I still think we need to educate and encourage customers not to over indulge.”

One interesting initiative from the US is the PareUp app that aims to connect consumers to restaurants and food shops with excess food before food is thrown away, PareUp users are offered the extra food at a discounted price.

The thinking was simple: what if restaurants could profit off excess food by selling it instead of throwing it away? Wouldn’t consumers be interested in food sold at discounted prices?

And, in Denmark, René Redzepi is making Noma an even more sustainable restaurant, by implementing a zero-waste compost system that can reduce food waste by up to 90%.

Developed in Australia, the Closed Loop zerowaste system turns food waste into compost in just a day. The system goes hand-in-hand with Redzepi’s food philosophy of serving only local, foraged and sustainable foods, including ants and edible insects - a combination that put Noma to the number one spot in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Brazilian chef Alex Atala has also installed two machines and plans to use the system as part of a social enterprise.

An initiative by UFS (Unilever Food Solutions) is the Wise Up on Waste toolkit to help chefs and operators reduce waste by 20%.

The kit features a step-by-step waste audit, menu ideas that utilise frequently wasted ingredients and simple techniques that make the kitchen more efficient and less wasteful.

Although not yet rolled out in the Gulf, UFS as a whole is committed to reducing waste at every stage of the food service cycle — from purchasing and storage, to food preparation in the kitchen, to encouraging guests to take home their leftovers.

In the years since its launch, more than 1,000 toolkits have been downloaded, potentially saving nearly 400 tonnes of food waste. In Turkey, for example, UFS partnered with the biggest local canteen operator to measure the impact of using UFS products to make bouillon, soup and potato puree compared to preparing from scratch using raw ingredients.

The results generated 12 times less food waste, with creamy mushroom soup 40 times less kitchen waste was produced and for preparation of potato puree six times less energy was needed.

All just baby steps so far, perhaps. But sooner or later the industry as a whole is going to have to deal with global annual food waste of 1.6b tons - that’s a lot of leftovers and a lot of wasted profit.

R O F Y ONL S L A N O I S S E F PRO K.A.C. Prasad Director of Culinary VP Emirates Culinary Guild for East Coast Miramar Al Aqah Beach Resort - Fujairah Izu Ani Head Chef La Serre - Dubai Stephane Buchholzer Culinary Director - Complex The St.Regis - Dubai W Dubai, Al Habtoor City - Dubai The Westin Dubai, Al Habtoor City - Dubai Danny Kattar Executive Chef Intercontinental - Abu Dhabi Atim Suyatim Executive Chef AFHM Hospitality - Dubai

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READING THE SIGNS CORRECTLY

HOTEL DESIGN

Seeing the signs Without careful planning, trend-spotting and meticulous attention to detail, hotels can often be left behind with drab, dated and unclear signage. By Surena Chande

T

he number of hotels in the region is constantly on the rise, and with it; the competition. Though it can easily be overlooked or rushed, signage plays a crucial role in a guest’s experience and an increased emphasis has been placed on hotels to take the time and effort to ensure that standards are maintained and improved to keep up with and overcome competition.

It is easy for hotel management teams to assume they know what they want from a hotel’s signage design, but this often leads to overcomplicated and sometimes-dated outcomes. Instead, current trends should be reviewed, from fonts to materials, along with logistics being taken into account – a cursive font may look nice, but is it legible and easyto-read at a quick glance?

Maria Adnan, Cluster Marketing and Public Relations Executive, Dubai Marriott Hotels says, “Hotels should avoid using colour schemes that don’t allow for the best visibility depending on the lighting or placing too

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HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST

much text on signs, along with having too many signs in one place.”

With hotels in the region signage varies vastly, with each having its own merits and downfalls, and though there is no golden formula to perfect signs, there are guidelines and simple factors to keep in mind during the design process.

“With signage, just like any other design, form has to follow function. The signage needs to be on-brand and has to communicate whatever it is designed to communicate simply. Longevity of signage is also important – signage that is beautifully designed, but doesn’t last is pointless,” explains Manav Fernandez, the Chief Operating Officer of Insignia, a brand that has worked with leading hotels including: The Jumeirah Group, One & Only The Palm, Dubai, Fairmont Dubai and The Armani Hotel Dubai.

He adds, “In addition to typeface and styling, materials used are often what will help to ensure that signage is ‘on brand’ and

should be considered carefully.” It is easy for designers and those conceptualising signs to become overconsumed with making signs as big and bold as possible, but this often leads to a loss of synergy between brand formatting and guidelines. For example, a hotel that uses minimalistic, understated design throughout can sometimes be spotted featuring loud, unsightly signage that guests can often be put off by. Simply put, clarity needn’t mean big or brash, but rather wellthought-out and uncomplicated.

Maria Adnan tells Hospitality Business Middle East, “Every hotel has its brand guidelines and hotel signage has to reflect exactly that. There is a certain theme that runs through all areas and signage should never stick out like a sore thumb. If the hotel is a chic, young brand they can use tongue in cheek verbiage that their guest would relate to.”

With such a multitude of nationalities, cultures and therefore, languages spoken in the region, it is also a challenge to ensure

HOTEL DESIGN

Digital signage has become big now as hotels slowly move away from traditional, large A1 posters and glass signs.

Signage is now displayed on digital stands, lobby televisions and digital maps.

that the signage, that hotels pay thousands for, is actually understood. In relation to aforementioned issues, signs can sometimes become overcomplicated such as bathroom signs – something that should be able to be deciphered quickly and easily, but that guests are sometimes failed by with unclear illustrations. Both Maria and Manav echo this view and suggest hotels use universally-known characters and imagery, along with arrows.

As with many aspects of the industry, trends are rapidly changing and evolving in regards to signage. Maria points out one key trend to look out for in the coming year.

“Digital signage has become big now as hotels slowly move away from traditional, large A1 posters and glass signs. Signage is now displayed on digital stands, lobby televisions or digital maps, which similar to how you find them in malls.” Hotels are rapidly introducing and increasing the presence of digital signage in the region, with more and more opting for clean digital displays of information over

cluttered posters, stands and wall plaques. A recent trip to the Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi, a vast property that spans across two buildings, proved the usefulness of these digital elements by allowing simple navigation through the hotel in a clear and simple way on digital maps. This is in addition to, and not reliant upon, information on TV screens that may have once sufficed as digital signage – a trend that may gradually become dated with the speed the signage industry is progressing at.

Another rising trend, as noted by Manav, is the increase in ‘beautifully-crafted typography’, which can be noticed throughout the F&B and hospitality industry. It seems that Arial and Helvetica fonts will no longer cut it with guests and clients having been exposed to a range of contemporary, artistic fonts that are both clear and eye-catching.

With both of our sources confirming that they had seen many bad examples of signage to list, it may be time to completely re-evaluate overall signage to ensure that your brand is going in the right direction. Here are some pointers to keep in mind: • “Do not treat signage as an afterthought, it is effectively the ‘badge’ going onto a building and needs to be designed for both the interior and exterior of the property.

Too many hotels think of the signage as an afterthought and it then has to be retrofitted into the design.” – Manav Fernandez.

• “Properties can be over-signed! You can have signage exactly opposite another and guests are left wondering which way to look. A consolidated sign in the right place works best – with all of the necessary information, of course.” – Maria Adnan.

• Don’t overcomplicate illustrations, whether it is for bathrooms or different areas of the hotel. A guest should glance at the imagery or icons and be able to understand it within seconds.

• Avoid slap-dash A4 paper signs in restaurants and outlets as a temporary replacement for actual, planned signage.

• “Stay on-brand with respect to design and materials. Don’t be ‘blingy’ for the sake of it.” – Manav Fernandez.

• “Take into consideration every area that requires a sign. The guest journey through the hotel is what needs to be perfected, starting from external signage pointing to the hotel right until the guests reaches their destination within.” – Maria Adnan.

• Language is key. Ensure that if a phrase or word is being translated into other languages, it is translated correctly.

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST

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SECURING THE PROPERTY

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ERP SOLUTIONS

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IN-ROOM TECHNOLOGY

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Wi-FI FOR ALL

HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

Is it

safe?

Providing an accommodating atmosphere that doesn’t compromise safety is the biggest challenge that hotels face. Achieving these goals requires a multifaceted plan that starts with staff training and guest education about safety and security issues. Management must also consistently enforce established security policies.

Constant planning to stay ahead of these issues is also a must, even in the relatively safe Gulf, especially when the hotel hosts public events.

O

ne of the key concerns of hotel management anywhere in the world, including the relatively safe Middle East, is controlling access, both to limit criminals’ ability to steal money and valuables from hotel rooms but also to ensure the integrity of a hotel’s operations.

The first step to ensuring this is to train contractors and staff in keeping a tight watch on room key distribution and restricting access only to registered guests. During normal hours this is not too hard to do, but management must ensure that, off-hours, security personnel are stationed at all main access points to greet people as well as deterring unwelcome visitors.

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Hand in hand with this, staff have a responsibility to educate guests about safety and security responsibilities. The challenge?

How to do that whilst not impacting the guest’s experience in the hotel - imagine you’re greeted at check-in with a long list of security issues and think whether you would decide to go and stay somewhere ‘safer’? A softer approach is to make security awareness integral to the customer’s experience - when cases are taken up to the room, for example, a few words about the importance of keeping the room door locked is appropriate. And front desk clerks can discourage guests from inappropriate actions, such as showing room key numbers or calling room numbers across the lobby.

HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

Of course, technology is invaluable in helping hotels to upgrade basic security measures with closed-circuit TV cameras with recording systems essential for securing busy public spaces as bars, lounges and parking lots. However, the cameras are not enough. Active monitoring of their images by staff and proper lighting reduces the opportunities for crimes and having the option of a security concierge to escort guests also minimises the risk of crimes such as luggage thefts.

Communicating basic safety and security measures becomes even more critical at public events on hotel premises such as meetings, exhibitions and so on. The ‘business’ flavour of such events often

Training should be an ongoing enterprise, with the aim of ensuring a consistent, professional response to all emergencies.

makes people forget real world dangers so, to head off problems, management should send advance notices to event attendees containin g basic safety tips, such as the need for locking doors, not leaving cellphones and laptops unattended and being alert in public areas.

In the end, hotel security is only as good as the level of training given to staff, who serve as management’s eyes and ears.

Training should be an ongoing enterprise, with the aim of ensuring a consistent, professional response to all emergencies.

Management should empower staff to take responsibility in addressing unusual behaviour that occurs on hotel property, without jeopardising their own safety.

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HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

Under control As a hospitality provider, it is hard to continue to provide high-quality, personalised guest experience in a world where service levels are key. A powerful technology strategy is the key to success and staying ahead of the competition against the backdrop of ever-changing consumer demands, claims Epicor whose hospitality solution provides a way to streamline your multi-unit operations and delivers tools to grow your business.

E

picor for Hospitality and Entertainment delivers a suite of integrated business applications tailored to meet the requirements of this unique industry. Bringing together front- and back-office, OH&S, logistics, finance and accounting, sales, marketing, operational management and HR departments under a centralised business management software solution opens up communication between departments and removes excess paperwork and unnecessary day-to-day onsite management.

Critically, it also helps managers to concentrate on what is important in this industry: customer service and the service delivery.

Epicor has helped many companies successfully use its hospitality software to create a competitive advantage and meet

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business objectives more efficiently. Epicor for Hospitality and Entertainment can provide the tools needed to manage growth, refine operations and increase profitability, by integrating front office, back office and LoB systems to unlock the power of technology.

Few industries are more competitive than hospitality. Hotels and restaurants are continually looking at ways to attract customers, build loyalty and refine operations to drive growth and improve profitability. Epicor’s hospitality solutions provide a comprehensive suite of applications and tools including complete property management (PMS) and POS, cash and sales reconciliation, and supply chain management, along with integrated back office capabilities for financials, analytics and business intelligence.

HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

Success for Hyatt International The company’s proprietary back office application lacked breadth of functionality and globalisation capabilities required for a multinational hospitality company so it turned to Epicor for a robust hospitality back office solution with integrated financial, operational and reporting features to support a global company.

Around the world, Hyatt is one of the most recognisable names in hotel and resort management and development.

There are 210 Hyatt locations worldwide. Hyatt International operates, manage or franchise 90 hotels and resorts in 39 countries, with an additional twentythree hotels under development whilst Hyatt operates, manages, franchises or leases 122 hotels and resorts in the US, Canada and the Caribbean.

With its vast cultural and geographic diversity, Hyatt International must manage property management systems (PMS), point-of-sale (POS) information, along with financial data from its multinational locations. For nearly two decades, Hyatt International utilised in-house, proprietary front and back office systems at the majority of its properties. As the company expanded, the legacy systems could not adapt to the company’s changing needs, and Hyatt International was faced with the choice of updating its current system or moving to an outside vendor.

“We needed a solution that could provide robust financial management functionality along with the ability to function in multilanguage environments and in more than thirty currencies,” said Gebhard Rainer, senior VP for Global Hyatt International. “We chose Epicor iScala Hospitality for its flexibility, platform, multilingual and multi-company capabilities and because of the company’s strong global presence, we knew they would be able to support us effectively. Epicor iScala Hospitality is now our only recommended back office system.”

After a successful beta test of Epicor iScala Hospitality at the Hyatt Regency Almaty in Kazakhstan, Hyatt deployed the solution at four properties throughout Germany providing a centralised, fully-integrated back office management software with real time access to the financial and operational data among all four of the hotels. It then negotiated a global corporate agreement to have Epicor iScala Hospitality rolled out to a number of properties in Europe and the Middle East.

The solution provides consistent and streamlined financial and operational processes and has enabled tighter controls and auditability to better manage costs, as well as easier and timelier access to data within each property. Within the centralised environment, regional offices are able to run on-line, customised and comparative reports between the different regions and

hotels, allowing local staff to deal with the back office in their own language with flexible account structures to meet the local requirements.

Hyatt International now also has the ability to generate up-to-the-minute reports through Epicor iScala Hospitality including daily profit and loss statements while also having immediate access to inventory through the solution’s stock management processes. “The ability to run daily P&L statements has enabled our managers to be proactive in managing their expenses proactively,” said Rainer.

“The ability to access performance analysis reports and supporting market information to all hotels and business units provides a much more solid base to define strategic goals and business objectives tailored to the individual markets and environments we operate in. This, in turn, has increased reliability and accuracy of budgeting and forecasting throughout the company.”

The key business benefits of the solution are streamlined financial management operations with global localisation, multi-currency and multi-language capabilities; established real-time financial and operational reporting to track daily cash, bank and revenue management and reconciliation, reducing daily cycle times by over one hour; and increased overall system integrity to meet controls compliance; effective and efficient data sharing between corporate office and subsidiaries worldwide.

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HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

Push the

button

MENA is moving into automated check-in and keyless room access, but what happens when guests get on the other side of the door? What space does, and should, technology occupy in-room? We look at a handful of different devices on the market.

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HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST

HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

It’s so vain Global leader in lighting, Truelux Group, is taking the mirror and challenging guests’ expectations of this supposedly normal fixture. Its Electric Mirror range offers a range of media-based solutions integrated within the traditional vanity unit. Perhaps the most exciting products are the Genesis Duo Hospitality Duo and Vive mirrors.

Genesis Duo Hospitality TV is a TV-cum-mirror - a novel idea and a space-saver too. The power and operations are governed by a TV master control box, so there’s no need to remove the mirror from the wall when troubleshooting problems. In fact, the control box can be positioned up to 20’ way from the TV screen itself.

The other Electric Mirror product worth making some noise about is Vive. When connected via Bluetooth to a smart device the mirror becomes a wireless stereo. You can play music from your smartphone or tablet through the mirror at premium quality sound. And your device is not ‘locked-in’ when music is playing so you can continue to use it as normal, and from quite a distance - the connection is strong up to a 30 foot range.

S

o, what exactly is in-room technology? Once upon a time it meant the TV system, phone unit and perhaps an MP3 docking station. But times and technology have changed and those items are mostly redundant now.

The industry’s technology is in transition, which makes agreeing on one definition of ‘in-room tech’ problematic. “People call automation, a good interactive TV solution or having an in-room tablet ‘in-room tech’,” explains Rachana Salgia, President of Digivalet, an integrated iPad-based solution. She predicts the industry will agree upon a standardised definition of ‘in-room tech’ in the next two to three years, but not until the market has matured.

And the first thing we need to let go of are traditional TV systems. According to a survey by global travel industry intelligence skift.com, only 9% of guests use in-room TVs. Pay-to-view TV is out and on-line streaming is in. With guests bringing more devices than pieces of luggage, it is essential they can connect their gadgets to all the in-room tech features. It’s all very well having a massive plasma TV, but if your guest can’t stream their own films on it you might as well not bother with it.

MENA’s hospitality sector is somewhat sluggish in terms of in-room tech adoption, but markets elsewhere are motoring ahead. Literally. Last summer saw the opening of the Henn-na robot hotel in Nagasaki, Japan. Aside from

robots on the front desk and an automated porter to walk you to your door, each room comes with its own in-room robot. This pocket-sized creation responds to voice commands to perform a range of tasks, including monitoring the lights, arranging wake up calls and giving weather reports.

Hideo Sawada, the mastermind behind the project, is set to open his second robot hotel in March of next year. He claims it is going to push technological boundaries even further.

In Abu Dhabi there is already an automated F&B outlet, but the region doesn’t yet have a hotel to rival the in-room capabilities of Henn-na. But this could change sooner than we think. “I believe we’re not as far away from robot hotels in the Middle East as we thought - we’re already introducing automated check in/ out and other similar solutions. We’re not light years away,” asserts Rami Moukarzel, MENA Vice President of Louvre Hotels Group. “But the important thing to remember is that we have acute security concerns here in the Middle East that the Japanese don’t,” chips in Laurent Voivenel, CEO of Hospitality Management Holding (HMH). “It will come, but we need to build the security around it first,” he continues.

Clearly there are challenges faced when introducing in-room tech, not least in such a politically flammable region as MENA. But though it may take a few years before a personal robot comes as side-table standard, there are some neat in-room tech solutions already stirring up MENA’s market.

Take one tablet Stepping away from products that only control one or two elements of the room, Digivalet is comprehensive, integrated Ipad-based solution covering pretty much every in-room requirement. The easyto-use tablet allows guests to manage television controls, movies on demand, room service, spa bookings and more from a single interface.

One particularly impressive feature is the door control. If a camera is placed outside the door then guests can see who is calling. Not only that, but you can also open the door remotely at the touch of a button. And Digivalet already has a Dubai fan-club; the Armani Hotel, The Address and Madinat Jumeriah are all clients.

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST

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HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

“If the guest ever sees or has to interact with the tech in an uncomfortable way then we have failed.

That is the test and the standard.”

Lyle Worthington VP of Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals

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HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST

In-room tech solutions make a significant difference to the overall guest experience - it’s worth hoteliers investigating them further. But in the world of technology, the next new device is always just around the bend. In the next few years, we will see in-room technology stepping up a gear in terms of the personalisation, integration and sophistication.

“For me, the most interesting tech trend to develop will be the interactive wall you can choose the theme or project the weather for the day ahead on it,” explains Denis Sorin, President of hotel operations for Dur Hospitality. Meanwhile HMH CEO Laurent Voivenel has his eyes fixed further into the future: “intuitive technology is the way forwards. We will see the introduction of subtle monitoring devices in pillows, bathrobes, etc. Even the TV and mirror units will be able to read your blood pressure, heart rate and other biometrics.

It’s very neat. It’s not on the market yet, but it’s coming.”

It’s an exciting prospect. But it’s important not to forget the original purpose of in-room tech in the buzz surrounding the latest devices. We may not have a universal definition of what in-room tech is yet, but there is a way of measuring its efficiency.

Two questions: is it smart? Is it simple?

As Lyle Worthington, Vice President of Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals neatly surmises, “if the guest ever sees or has to interact with the tech in an uncomfortable way then we have failed.

That is the test and the standard.”

Managing guest rooms Legrand Group, the Dubaiheadquartered specialists in digital building infrastructures, have a solid guest room management system offering. The product places the usual lighting and temperature settings in one panel, but the guest is not the only one who can control it. The hotel reception can also monitor the variables, so that when guests leave the room energy and cost-saving levels can be implemented. In a nice touch, preferred settings can also be logged by the supervision system so that the next time the guest stays levels are preset.

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HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

High-speed hospitality Citymax Hotels, the hospitality division of the UAE’s Landmark Group, has leveraged Aruba Networks’ wireless infrastructure to establish ubiquitous Wi-Fi networks in its Al Barsha and Bur Dubai properties in Dubai, explains James Dartnell.

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HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

C

itymax Hotels, the hospitality division of the UAE’s Landmark Group, has leveraged Aruba Networks’ wireless infrastructure to establish ubiquitous Wi-Fi networks in two of its Dubai properties.

Thanks to the deployment, hotel guests now have high-speed Internet access through the entire premises of the two hotels – including elevators and basement parking lots.

Explaining the brand’s decision to overhaul its wireless infrastructure, Amit Kanchan, Head of IT, Landmark Hospitality said, “Today, we summarise our customers’ primary requirements with three Bs – Bed, Breakfast and Bandwidth.

When guests enter our hotel, they don’t want a welcome drink, they want to connect immediately. We have therefore had to adapt our business and focus on our Wi-Fi offering.”

Kanchan’s primary objective was to provide ubiquitous access across each property and enable the hotel’s guests to transition seamlessly between Access Points (APs) without any noticeable change in performance – thus allowing them to roam throughout the hotel without losing internet connectivity.

The team decided on a barbell strategy, to address the pressing short-term challenges while also accommodating for future requirements.

Supported by Aruba’s implementation partner, CADD Emirates, Citymax Hotels opted for an 802.11n solution from Aruba Networks which could provide 600Mbps throughput and coverage to a large number of guest devices.

Aruba 103 Series Access Points were selected as the primary APs for the deployment and an Aruba 7200 Series Mobility Controller was also deployed to manage authentication, encryption, VPN connections, IPv4 and IPv6 services and deliver other advanced security features.

With its new wireless infrastructure in place, Citymax hotels has begun to witness a steady return on investment.

The hotel offers a basic 512Kbps service free of charge, with the speed bandwidth capping facilitated by the Aruba Network Mobility Controller.

In addition, the hotel has been able to monetise the network by extending a premium wireless connectivity option with faster speeds and greater bandwidth as a charged service.

“Today we can proudly say that Citymax hotels is a very contemporary technology enabled hotel, which is ready to welcome the guests of today and the future.”

Russel Sharpe COO, Citymax Hotels

Guests connect via a single SSID thereby eliminating the need to repeatedly search for and log into the Wi-Fi network as they move around the hotel.

The system has also been designed to provide the same level of service throughout the premises.

“Today we can proudly say that Citymax hotels is a very contemporary technology enabled hotel, which is ready to welcome the guests of today and the future,” said Russel Sharpe, COO, Citymax Hotels. “We intend to move on to the next stage wherein we will be able to use our admin technologies, staff technologies and guest facing technologies on this Wi-Fi infrastructure.

We also intend to use VoIP for our internal communications and see Aruba’s solution as being a long-term investment.”

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THE PRO CHEF ME AWARDS

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ITALIA, A PRESTO!

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PRO CHEF

An industry honoured It’s time to give three cheers to three years of The Pro Chef Middle East Awards! Having returned for another successful year, we give you an inside scoop into an evening that was filled with entertainment, food and most-importantly, a celebration of talented chefs, industry suppliers and F&B professionals.

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PRO CHEF

I

t is not every day that you find over 350 key industry people in the same room, but for a third year running CPI Media brought together some of the finest talents at The Pro Chef Middle East Awards 2015 on November 11 at the Habtoor Grand Beach Resort & Spa. The glittering gala event began with a reception, allowing attendees to mingle before heading inside for an entertainment-filled soiree.

The evening was presented by CPI Media Group’s COO, Gina O’Hara-Larsen, who entertained guests throughout and highlighted the important ideology behind the awards; that they are from the industry to the industry. Also making appearances throughout the evening – in very different forms – were CPI Media Group’s multi-talented Chairman, Dominic De Sousa, who you are sure to have spotted singing a series of hits on stage, and Editorial Director of Hospitality Business Middle East and The Pro Chef Middle East, Dave Reeder.

We were also joined by the remarkable teams behind RAK Porcelain and New Zealand Trade & Enterprise. Krishna Sajan, Senior Export Sales Manager for RAK Porcelain said of the evening, “The Pro Chef Middle East Awards have always been for and about the industry, and this evening was no different. From the awards presentation to all of the entertainment, it was

a truly wonderful evening. It was great to see such creativity and hard work being recognised, in addition to the exciting announcement of competitions being organised by the New Zealand Consulate for the chefs”.

He added, “In an industry with so much competition, it is often hard to recognise the best. This is why the awards play a vital role.

RAK Porcelain was overwhelmed to receive such a prestigious award of Best Tableware as the brand has always endeavoured and strived to associate itself with chefs and industry people.”

HBME also spoke to Haylon Smith, New Zealand Trade Commissioner to the UAE, “It was a fantastic evening to celebrate the achievements and talent in the UAE food industry. Those working within the industry here in the UAE achieve a lot across so many areas, both technical and creative. It’s important to recognise those achievements. The ability to have New Zealand partner with Pro Chef Middle East to support this recognition is something we really value.”

An important highlight of the evening is the announcement of the Taste New Zealand Chef Competition. Last year the Taste New Zealand Chef Competition saw a record number of entries and this year’s competition is set to be bigger than ever. Haylon Smith explained,

“We recognise the importance of The Pro Chef Middle East to the industry and are privileged to use these awards to profile the best of New Zealand F&B ingredients to the UAE and for chefs to experience first-hand the products and create inspirational dishes.”

Winners for the awards – with exception to the Editor’s Choice categories – were nominated and voted for by those who work in the hospitality and F&B sectors, setting The Pro Chef Middle East Awards apart from the region’s awards offerings and showing a true reflection of the best in the industry. Chef Uwe Micheel was given the Editor’s Choice Food Ambassador Award, a well-deserved title for his longstanding loyalty in the region after spending over 23 years working with the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek and displaying true culinary talent.

The second Editor’s Choice Award went to the brilliant Darren Velvick for the Chef ’s Chef title.

Having gone from strength to strength in the region, the chef has enjoyed a stint at Table 9 and opened The Croft this year at the Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel & Suites, a huge achievement that was certainly worth commending.

We’d like to say a big thank you to the attendees, winners and sponsors of the evening for their ongoing support and hard work, here’s to next year!

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PRO CHEF

Best Uniforms

Chef Uniform Store

Best Coffee Machine

Nespresso

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Best Tableware

Best Bar Equipment

RAK Porcelain

JetChill

Best KItchen Consultant

Best Kitchen Equipment

Michael Chabowski Technical Services

Boss Vakuum

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PRO CHEF

Best Kitchen Tools

Best Knives

Best Kitchen Innovation

PolyScience Smoking Gun

Shun

PolyScience Sousvide Professional

General Manager Award

Rabih Melham Media Rotana

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Restaurant Manager

Best Restaurant

Christoph Winkel

Coya

La Parilla Jumeirah Beach Hotel

PRO CHEF

Sommelier

Olivier Gasselin

Service Champion

Gamma Martin

Marketing Champion

Susan Huisink

Hakkasan Dubai

Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi

JW Marriott Marquis

Hygiene Champion

Training Champion

Industry Champion

Richard Cohen

Sascha Triemer

Aurelia Caccamo JW Marriott Marquis

African & Eastern Bar Academy

Atlantis The Palm

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PRO CHEF

Sustainability Champion

Junior Chef

Gabriele Kurz

Tom Hammond

Jumeirah Group

Pastry Chef

Fabien Fayolle

Armani Hotel Dubai

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Jumeirah Group

Executive Chef

Chris Lester

Jumeirah Group

Middle East Chef

Innovation Chef

Colin Clague

Geun Sung Park

Jean-Georges Dubai

Asia de Cuba

PRO CHEF

Seafood Chef

Meat Chef

Francesco Guarracino

Lij Heron

BiCE Mare

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST

Ben Tobbit

Lexington Grill, Waldorf Astoria RAK

Jumeirah Group

Editor’s Choice Food Ambassador

Editor’s Choice Chef’s Chef

Uwe Micheel

Darren Velvick

Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek

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ProChef of the Year

The Croft

Whatever you need, is now in Peru Peruvian exports to the world

106 BBC Good Food Middle East November 2015

+971 4 339 1400 | ankit@shalidubai.com

PRO CHEF

The road goes ever south On a recent four-cities-in-one-week tour with three vans full of Dubai-based Italian chefs and food writers, Dave Reeder had an eye-opening tour from local artisan flavours to Michelin starred dishes. As the tour heads towards Naples, the excitement grows.

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PRO CHEF

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PRO CHEF

W

hat do you do when your restaurant is closed for the summer for a refurbishment? Executive Chef of BiCE Mare Dubai, Francesco Guarracino had an ambitious plan when faced with this dilemma and decided to take his brigade on an Italian road trip meeting local producers by day and eating in Michelin-starred restarants by night. Here is week two of three.

The initial plan was to visit chefs who would be here later in the year for the Italian Cuisine World Summit with it the involvement of Summit organiser Rosario Scarpato and a link up with the 5th Italian Cuisine in the World Forum. A simple road trip had taken on a global perspective!

Executive Chef of BiCE Mare Dubai, Francesco Guarracino had an ambitious plan when faced with this dilemma and decided to take his brigade on an Italian road trip meeting local producers by day and eating in Michelin starred restarants by night. Here is week two of three.

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Day four South from Florence, we travelled for some three and a half hours before reaching Urbisaglia and La Murola - a family run company with about 250 hectares in the Marche Region. The lands have been held by family for two centuries after it acquired them from the estate of the historic Abbazia di Fiastra and its wines are produced from a combination of old indigenous grape varieties and selected clones that have been specially cultivated. If you want wines that speak of their origin and terroir, they are certainly here and it was certainly hard to load us up into the campers again and hit the road once more!

An hour or so saw us in our stop for the night in Senigallia, home of the Michelin-starred Ristorante Ullassi, where Mauro Uliassi cooks great regional seafood dishes - the cooking is precise and elegant and, unsually in much of Italy, really quite contemporary. A great wine list, comfortable surroundings and excellent food saw us unwilling to leave the stylish restaurant for another night in the camper vans after the excellent preparation of exquisite local ingredients.

PRO CHEF

PRO CHEF

Day five A short run first thing in the morning saw us reach Caseificio Trionfi Honorati in Ancona for a breakfast tasting of the Caseificio Trionfi Honorati’s cheeses.

Formed in 1930, the farm has focused on dairy for the past decade and now produces more than 30 types of cheese, including fresh and semi-mature for connoisseurs such as Castelmagno and Gorgonzola from pure buffalo milk. Its best cheese, however, was the Mozzarella made using traditional methods, albeit helped by modern technology.

On to Macerata and the Salumificio Monterotti Fabrizio for a selection of salamis and other prepared meats before hitting the road again towards Rome and, what promised for many of us to be, the high spot of the trip: dinner at Heinz Beck’s La Pergola!

The only Michelin 3-star establishment in Rome, La Pergola is stunning, from the 60,000 bottle wine cellar to the exemplary service. Attention to detail is everywhere - a water menu with 29 choices, anyone? Olive oils and balsamic vinegars are sourced from the best suppliers in Italy and the ambience of the room makes a meal special even before you sit down, from the vermeil plates to the Hotel’s art treasures such as a rare Aubusson tapestry, Sèvres porcelain, a 200 year old bronze candelabra and an imposing collection of hand-blown glass by Emile Gallé. However, perhaps its greatest treasure lies beyond the panoramic windows where Rome spreads itself beneath you and the Dome of St Peter’s is close enough to touch. And the food? With such a setting, it could easily be overwhelmed but La Pergola holds its reputation as one of the best restaurants in Italy with ease - a truly great dining experience made even greater thanks to the opportunity of a guided tour of the kitchen by Chef Beck himself.

“I want,” Beck claims, “to transmit emotions through a balance of aromas, flavours and colours.” He certainly achieves that and the whole experience is enhanced by the stunning collection of wines, curated

by Marco Reitano who has been awarded the Oscar del Vino, as the Best Italian Sommelier.

Following dinner, we slip back into our bunks in the transport and sleep to wake the next morning in Sorrento, Chef Guarracino’s home territory!

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PRO CHEF

Day six Waking to glorious sunshine, Chef Guarracino herds most of the party onto small fishing boats and they head out into the sparkling waters whilst a few of us stay behind for a leisurely breakfast, awaiting the return of the fishermen with their catch of small Mediterranean fish that we’ll enjoy later.

If it’s late morning, it must be time for a wine tasting and so we shift to It Turuziello where Benedetto De Gregorio serves up salami and his own wine, with glorious views over the water far beneath us. And so to lunch at local favourite Ristorante Lo Stuzzichino for a leisurely meal with local ingredients, before we’re on the move again for a tasting of the local speciality Limoncello at the Giardini di Viviano.

Have we eaten and drunk enough? Clearly not, for ahead of us lies an evening at Don Alfonso’s restaurant. The menu, created by the father and son team of Alfonso and Ernesto references the local landscape and its history in their very seasonal menu. Everything is precise and beautifully presented, although the dining room and staff are far from stuffy and rigid. A glorious celebration of the local landscape and ingredients.

The next day, sadly, I left the party to continue south to Sicily whilst I returned to Rome via train and then on to the airport and a flight back to Dubai.

My impressions of Italy? Of course, I have been before but this trip was special, with the added bonus of talking to producers, understanding how flavour and tradition emerges from the land and seeing how Italian cuisine is on a continual evolution that always references its past. The respect for ingredients was an eye opener when we are so used to seeing Italian food as the simple go-to choice of so many outlets. It may be simple, but done properly it is also sublime…

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PRO CHEF

Celebrating

the crème de la crème French cream is an ingredient that is often overlooked and forms a key component to thousands of recipes, including the Tarte Tropézienne, which was celebrated last month by Centre National Interprofessionnel de l’Economie Laitière (CNIEL) in partnership with the European Union for its 60th birthday.

T

he crème de la crème of media, industry and pastry professionals enjoyed a lavish evening at VIDA Downtown Hotel last month for the 60th birthday celebrations of the Tarte Tropézienne. Pastry chef Alexandre Micka from the South of France created the popular brioche-sandwiched cream dessert that was baptised by none other than Brigitte Bardot who apparently suggested its name while starring in “Et Dieu Crea la Femme” (And God Created Woman) in Saint Tropez. In attendance were five renowned pastry chefs: Chef Ludovic Audaux (Al Habtoor City Complex), Chef Izu Ani (La Serre), Chef Spencer Lee Black (Vida Hotels & Resorts), Chef David Croiser (Wonder Bakery) and Chef Sébastien Gaudard (La Pâtisserie des Martyrs, Paris).

Hospitality Business Middle East spoke to both Chef Ludovic Audaux and Chef Sébastien Gaudard.

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Renowned French pastry chef and baker, Chef Sébastien Gaudard opened his Patisserie des Martyrs in 2011, which features a vast selection of sumptuous pastries. Chef Ludovic Audaux hails from France, but now lives and works in Dubai as the Complex Executive Pastry Chef for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and Al Habtoor City.

HBME: Why is French cream the world’s leading variety?

Audaux: Utilising the best ingredients is a vital step in creating the best product, and this the case with French dairy cream. It is a dairy cream with exceptional qualities and embodies a tradition and an authenticity with no equivalent in the world for me. It is difficult for me to imagine a pastry recipe without it because it is used in 70% of everything we make. It has a multiplicity of roles: it improves taste, texture, binding and

even presentation. It is also a natural flavour enhancer, revealing all aromas without dominating other ingredients. It is just essential for me!

Gaudard: Despite the arrival of vegetablebased cream substitutes, it is still hard to work with another ingredient that has the same organoleptic characteristics as dairy cream. It is a vital ingredient because its quality has a real impact on the quality and taste of a dessert.

HBME: How do you believe the future of French pastry cooking is evolving?

Gaudard: I think it is important to remember what our forefathers achieved before us, although there is still plenty to invent as well as many things to rediscover.

In fact, I get a lot of inspiration from old books. In my opinion, I think tomorrow’s

PRO CHEF

because it’s an interesting material to work with and is extremely satisfying. I like making a rhubarb meringue tart because it reminds me of the desserts I used to make with my grandmother Yvonne.

Audaux: I normally like to try new recipes, textures and flavour profiles that are not pastry related when I am not working! At home, I tend to mostly make savoury dishes for my family and I, but I always stress the importance of making fresh and natural ingredients because it just improves the entire recipe. patisseries will be more authentic and real, with less artificiality and more consideration of new eating habits – whether these come from allergies or intolerances or obesity issues – but still providing the concept of pleasure. I’d like to see a patisserie that takes the quantity of ingredients more seriously that are eaten responsibly – for my part, I can’t imagine giving up some ingredients but I will use them in different ways and in smaller quantities, perhaps.

Audaux: I believe that the industry is moving towards a bolder way of thinking about desserts and pastry, experimenting with a wide variety of ingredients. More attention and care is also being put into sourcing quality ingredients that are healthy and natural, with less preservatives and trans-fat. We, as chefs, are starting to use more natural and organic ingredients that add a lot of flavour and quality to our

products, all while being more conscious of our guests’ eating habits.

HBME: Chef Ludovic, as a pastry chef in the region, do you adapt your recipes due to the high prevalence of diabetes in the region?

Audaux: Yes, definitely. I am conscious of any dietary restrictions of my guests and adapt this philosophy across the pastries I serve at The St. Regis hotel. For example, I’ve developed a gluten-free section for breakfast, encompassing different pastries with gluten-free flour, honey and special jams. When guests inform us of special health restrictions, we are always happy to accommodate as much as possible.

HBME: What food and desserts do you, personally, enjoy making?

Gaudard: I like desserts based on cream

HBME: What drew you to pastry, as opposed to any other variation of cooking?

Gaudard: It was passed on to me by my parents who ran a patisserie in Lorraine.

I love the idea of mixing flour, milk, eggs, butter, sugar and salt and then offering customers a sublime Tarte Tropézienne.

You use very simple ingredients to create a dessert that, in the end, becomes an appetising culinary treat.

Audaux: My dad is a chef, so there is a tradition and love for food in my family. For as long as I can remember, I have always been around food and been influenced by it. So much so, that when I used to help my father with catering parties, I would always pay a lot of attention to the desserts and pastries he was serving. Making a great éclair and a religieuse is what really sparked my interest in pastry. After that I went on to pastry school in Paris, and the rest is history!

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PRO CHEF

Chantilly swan

By Sébastien Gaudard

Ingredients

Method

Choux (cream puff) pastry dough • 250g milk • 250g water • 10g sugar • 10g sea salt • 220g butter • 280g T55 flour • 500g eggs (10-11 eggs)

Choux pastry dough Boil the milk, water, salt, sugar and butter. Turn off the heat, add the flour and mix with a spatula.

Dry out the paste over a medium heat, then pour into a bowl and gradually add the eggs, mixing vigorously. When the choux pastry is cold, pipe onto a buttered baking sheet.

Whipped cream • 240g 30% liquid cream • 10g caster sugar • The seeds from one vanilla bean

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For the head and neck of the swan, pipe 12 shapes that resemble the number ‘2’ that are 4 cm high. For the body, pipe 12 shapes that resemble the ‘acorn’ (a round side and a pointed side). If you still have choux pastry, use it for sculpting additional parts for extra detailing. The rest of it will be used to make Nun Puffs. Cook at

190C, opening the oven gradually when the puffs have finished rising.

Whipped cream Dissolve the granulated sugar in the cream. Add the vanilla seeds. Beat with a whisk to create soft peaks.

Assemble Once the choux pastry has been baked and allowed to cool, cut the top of the pastry 2/3 for the base and 1/2 for the lid) using a knife. Garnish the base with Chantilly using a pastry bag and a star tip.

Cut the cover lengthwise to represent the wings.

Sprinkle the neck and the wings with icing sugar.

Place the neck in the cream, before finally you have the wings. To decorate this dessert, you can add some strawberries, blueberries and currants.

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PRO CHEF

A taste of the north Norway’s rich seafaring tradition and a historic passion for the sea makes Norway a world leader in providing the finest seafood. For thousands of years, the ice-cold arctic waters and crystal-clear fjords of Norway have influenced the rich fishing heritage carried forth by generations of Norwegians who make it their living. Norwegian chef Daniél Rougé Madsen shows what can be done with it

N

orway’s rich seafaring tradition and a historic passion for the sea makes Norway a world leader in providing the finest seafood. For thousands of years, the ice-cold arctic waters and crystal-clear fjords of Norway have influenced the rich fishing heritage carried forth by generations of Norwegians who make it their living. This same passion for the sea and respect for nature helped Norway earn an international reputation for purveying the finest, freshest seafood.

A deep respect for nature and cultural pride in being the best is what fuels the Norwegian seafood

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industries’ continued efforts to improve its already strict standards of excellence and safety applied to harvesting from the sea. This guarantees consumers enjoy fresh, delicately flavoured seafood from Norway year-round.

The Norwegian Seafood Council is the Norwegian seafood industry’s organisation for joint market development. It works together with the Norwegian fisheries and aquaculture industry to develop additional markets for Norwegian seafood through market insights, market development and reputational risk management.

PRO CHEF

Norwegian prawn ‘roll’ with cream cheese, watercress and beetroot Ingredients • 1 beetroot, boiled • 200g Norwegian prawns • 200g cream cheese (eg Philadelphia) • 2 tbls watercress, chopped • 1 tbls chives, chopped • 1⁄2 lemon • 1 sheet nori • dried raspberries • dill • baby cress

Method With a mandolin slice thinly the beetroot.

In a bowl mix together chopped prawns, cream cheese, watercress and chives.

Flavour with lemon and salt. Place the mixture in clingfilm and make 1cm diameter rolls. Place them all in the fridge.

Portion to desired sizes. Discard the plastic and roll them in beetroot sheets. Make small strips of nori sheets and place three strips around each roll. Cut of the ends with a very sharp knife.

Decorate each roll with prawns and salmon caviar, avocado skin, shaved avocado and yellow dok kem.

Cured Norwegian salmon, pine smoked mayonnaise and Jerusalem artichoke and truffle purée Ingredients • 250g fresh Norwegian salmon loin, back piece salt • 120g salt • 80g sugar • 100g walnuts, grated • 5g black truffle, grated • 4 egg yolks • 1tsp mustard • 5dl sunflower oil • pine needles for smoking

• 400g Jerusalem artichoke, peeled milk • 5dl milk • 3dl chicken stock • half a garlic clove • 1 bay leaf • 1 stem thyme • 2 tbls butter • black truffle • white supreme truffle oil • black squid ink

Method Mix together salt and sugar, Cover the fish with the mixture and cover with cling film. Let this cure for eight hours then wash off the salt with water and wipe with a paper towel.

Roll tight in cling film. The next day portion in desired sizes. Remove cling film. Sprinkle with walnut and truffle.

Cold smoke the egg yolks and oil by any means convenient for you, in a smoker or oven with a pan. Place the yolks in a mixer with mustard. Add the smoked oil little by little in the mixer bowl. When you have a thick mayonnaise, flavour with salt.

In a casserole boil the roots in milk, chicken stock, garlic, bay leaf and thyme. When boiled, drain the liquid in to a container. To the Jerusalem artichokes add butter and then some of the milk liquid, until you have a smooth purée. Flavour with fresh truffle, truffle oil and salt. Stir in the ink until you have a dark grey/black purée.

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PRO CHEF

Quinoa crab salad Ingredients • 50g crab meat • 30g mayonnaise • 5g chilli garlic paste • 30g cucumber, diced • 70g quinoa • 5ml olive oil • 5ml lemon juice • salt and pepper to taste • coriander leaves for garnish Method Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a saucepan.

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender and water has been absorbed, for around 15 to 20 minutes.

Set quinoa aside to cool completely.

Transfer the quinoa to a serving bowl and stir in the lemon juice, olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper.

Mix all the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper Add the crab mix on top of the quinoa and garnish with coriander leaves.

On the counter Sushi Counter is a casual dining chain with eight locations in Dubai and two in Abu Dhabi which aims to reinvent traditional Japanese dishes. New collections are launched each year, Here, Chef Yannick Lohou, Executive Chef of Sushi Counter, offers some current favourites.

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PRO CHEF

Salmon ceviche

Ingredients • 80g raw salmon • 40g ceviche salsa • 40g cucumber, diced • 40g cherry tomato, diced • 10g fresh mango, thinly sliced • 20g red onion, thinly sliced • 30ml lime (skin intact), thinly sliced • salt and pepper to taste • coriander leaves for garnish Method Rinse raw salmon and cut it into chunks. Place in a medium sized bowl along with cucumber, red onion, lime, mango and cherry tomato.

Pour ceviche salsa over all the ingredients in the bowl.

Season the dish with salt and pepper. For the final touches add sliced onion and coriander leaves on top for garnish then refrigerate it for 30 minutes.

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Ceviche salsa

Ingredients • 50g red onion, finely chopped • 5g garlic, finely chopped • 20g coriander, finely chopped • 100g mango, diced small • 3 pcs cherry tomato, diced small • 60ml soy sauce • 70ml lime or lemon juice • salt and pepper to taste Method Combine all the ingredients in a large, non-reactive (stainless steel, glass or plastic) bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix gently and transfer the ceviche salsa to a sealable container.

Atim Suyatim Executive Chef AFHM Hospitality - Dubai

R O F Y ONL S L A N O I S S E F PRO Utensils and uniforms for Chefs E xc l u s i ve l y d i s t r i b u te d i n UA E by R ES TO FA I R R AK L LC

R AS AL KHAIMAH | DUBAI | ABU DHABI

www.restofair.ae

PRO CHEF

A cup of something?

HH Saeed Humaid Al-Tayer, Chairman and CEO of Meydan Group, inaugurated the International Coffee & Tea Festival (ICTF), the region’s most sought after event for the specialty coffee and tea industry, in Dubai. The show had a count of over 1,000 pre-registered visitors from the region, largely from Saudi Arabia.

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he inaugural day saw the launch of a special seminar titled ‘Coffee & Tea in Business’ which has proven to be a much sought after feature at the show. The presentations were bespoke for aspiring entrepreneurs and existing café owners who are interested in taking their business to the next level.

Another definite crowd-puller at ICTF 2015 was the UAE National Coffee Championships, extremely popular with all the professionals working in the industry and featured the Barista, Latte Art, and Cup Tasters Championships.

Professional baristas enticed judges as well as visitors alike with their excellent skills, fine craftsmanship, and art of coffee-making.

Anselm Godinho, who heads the ICTF’s organising team, said: “The

PRO CHEF

“The enthusiasm for the coffee and tea industry has been riding high and is reflected by the tremendous response received from both visitors and exhibitors for ICTF 2015.”

Anselm Godinho Head, ICTF organising team

enthusiasm for the coffee and tea industry has been riding high and is reflected by the tremendous response received from both visitors and exhibitors for ICTF 2015. Our newlylaunched ‘Coffee and Tea in Business’ focus became an instant hit among café operators and owners as well as aspiring entrepreneurs as it addressed niche topics pertinent to the growth of cafés and the coffee and tea industry in general. We are upbeat that the festival will continue to offer beneficial insights, bring value to the industry in the UAE and the region and instigate plans for future growth.”

Olga Mirtova, Marketing Manager, La Marquise International, said, “La Marquise is happy to return once again to the International Coffee and Tea Festival. We love the show and have

been participating since its first edition in 2009. We believe that the ICTF is a good platform to meet all coffee and tea professionals from the Middle East and beyond. The international coffee commodity is growing Year-on-Year and has demonstrated a continuing interest to the coffee business worldwide. Thank you to the ICTF organisers for their consistent efforts to bring the coffee community together here in the Middle East.”

The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA)-certified Coffee Training Programs were much in demand on the opening day and were fully booked for the entire duration of the event. Workshops on topics such as Coffee Preparation, Coffee Grading, and Coffee Roasting were held.

ICTF is supported by SCAA and World Coffee Events (WCE).

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PRO CHEF

The eggs factor:

At loose in Abu Dhabi Sharon Garrett is Area Director of Marketing & Communications for Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas - Abu Dhabi Cluster.

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his list does not include the freezer which has Carrefour frozen veggies, Watties green peas and enough meat to open a small butcher shop, plus plenty of ice and lemon juice ice cubes for cooking. No ice cream surprisingly. But Carrefour pains au chocolat, which I just discovered and are pretty darn good. Some crumbed fish for emergency dinners and my fave IKEA portioned salmon fillets, plus sausages. All a far cry from my single days, which was Champagne, eggs and cheese! *Cheese. Many different ones such as Romano, English Cheddar, Edam, French Brie and an Aussie fruit and nut one plus small Babybel ones for my work lunches.

Mozzarella – my husband loves the stuff so with fresh basil leaves from our garden, ripe tomato slices and a drizzle of olive oil and some freshly milled peppercorns. It’s heaven!

We also love Bega grated cheese. I love the selection of cheese available at Carrefour.

What’s in my fridge...

• Eggs • Full fat milk • Grain mustard (Maille brand) • Mayonnaise (Noor) • About 4kgs of salami and hams that I purchased in Prague a few weeks ago- deli-fresh and suction wrapped.

• Omega mussels from New Zealand - husband promises to make a seafood chowder...

• Tim Tams – Arnotts’ classic biscuits.

• Whittakers Berry Biscuit chocolate and Whittakers White Chocolate – because it’s from New Zealand, my husband loves the white one.

• Broccoli • Spring onions • Celery • Carrots and baby carrots for my work lunches • Cherry tomatoes for my work lunches and a quiet salad • Vine ripened tomatoes

• Basil pesto for emergency pasta - Sacla UK • Tonic water - Schweppes • Chili relish - homemade by a family member and packs a punch!

• Branston Pickle • Butter - at the moment it’s Kerry Gold • Philadelphia cream cheese - great on grainy toast and you never know when you might need to whip up a chilled cheesecake!

• Natural plain yoghurt (Activia) • Sour cream • Cream from Elle & Vire • Half-eaten small tin of corn kernels • Half-eaten dog food - for the dog, not me!

• Small loaf of the low-carb, protein seed bread from Modern Bakery • Veuve Clicquot Champagne – you never know when you need to celebrate something…Or just because…

• New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region – a favourite since my visit doing cellar door tastings. Villa Maria, St Clair.

Shopping tips: • Create your meal plan before you go to the shops.

• Make a list and try and group by area in the supermarket - dairy, dry ingredients, fruit and veg, etc.

• Leave your husband at home - mine is easily distracted, otherwise we always buy twice as much as we need!

• Check the use-by date. Many retailers here sell at full price right up until the date.

• Buy one ingredient that you haven’t used before and get creative.

In Abu Dhabi we love the Lulu market for a big shop at Mushriff Mall. We use the Springbok butchery for meat but also monitor our nearby supermarkets for great deals — especially for BBQs. I love buying chutneys, jams and relishes at places like MORE or Al Fanr Café. The Jones the Grocer Cheese Room at Al Raha Gardens is awesome so quite often you can find me there. No specialty stores that I can think of.

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PRO CHEF

A suite flight A plane once used as the transport for top bosses of the German Democratic Republic government has been converted to a luxury suite for couples

Even though the cockpit is still intact, you won’t be going anywhere.

A 1960 Ilyushin 18 has been converted to a single luxury suite for a couple. The plane is 40 metres long and now comes equipped with a little more luxury than its former owners enjoyed: a jacuzzi, shower, infrared sauna, mini bar, three flat-screen TVs, Blu-ray DVD/entertainment combo, plus a pantry with coffee/tea-making facilities, oven/microwave and so on.

All the comforts of home except you’re sleeping on a plane!

There’s even air conditioning to guarantee a good night’s sleep.

Just one problem: the plane is grounded

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so, even though the cockpit is still intact, you won’t be going anywhere.

The plane flew dignitaries including Erich Honecker during its early life as a political transport for government leaders.

Converted to commercial airline use in 1964, it flew up to 120 passengers and four crew in less comfort with the East-German airline Interflug until 1986, to destinations such as Cuba, China and Vietnam as well as Soviet bloc Russia.

Post German unification, the plane served as a restaurant for 15 years until it was acquired in 2007 and converted to a hotel.

ENTER NOW SHOWCASE YOUR CULINARY TALENT

The Taste New Zealand Chef Competition 2016 is about to kick off, with UAE-based professional chefs invited to prepare dishes using a range of fresh New Zealand ingredients.

Taste New Zealand 2016 will run in three heats: seafood, meat and pastry, with ingredients chosen by a panel of chefs. The three heats will run next year on the following dates: •

5th March - Seafood

•

7th May - Meat

•

9th September - Pastry

For a chance to secure a spot in one of the heats, professional chefs can visit www.UAEChefcompNZ.com and submit a recipe. The recipe must be original and use at least one New Zealand ingredient. You can choose to focus on an individual heat or submit recipes online for all three! A shortlist of chefs will then be invited to take part in live cook-offs using ingredients from a black box of New Zealand produce available in the United Arab Emirates.

After what is sure to be fierce competition showcasing the very best of New Zealand products, one of the three heat winners will be crowned the Taste New Zealand 2016 champion. The overall winner will be announced at the Pro Chef Awards 2016 and will win a return trip to New Zealand!

The Taste New Zealand 2016 champion will enjoy a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit scenic New Zealand, meet local producers and sample world-class food and beverages.

For more information and to enter, visit www.UAEChefcompNZ.com Get your submissions in before the 31st January 2016. For any queries, contact tnz2016@cpidubai.com