The man bringing BIG changes to Al Ain’s Culinary Landscape

INTERVIEW

The man bringing BIG changes to Al Ain’s Culinary Landscape

CHEF NICK WALSH Resort Executive Chef at Al Ain Equestrian Shooting and Golf Club

Wendy Peach

The Al Ain Equestrian Shooting and Golf Club’s 3 culinary outlets have a new face. Nick Walsh, the man behind the menu is shaking things up in the kitchen and has patrons literally eating out of his hand. No stranger to Al Ain, Nick headed up the Etihad kitchen for 5 years preparing upwards of 40 000 meals a day. This massive undertaking saw Nick leading a veritable army of chefs and food preparation staff numbering over a hundred. Most recently Nick was the vision behind the Foxglove, an English Pub style Bistro at the Soho Garden located within the Meydan complex in Dubai.

AESGC resort manager Tom Buchanan describes Nick as the perfect man for the job. “We have had our eye on Chef Nick for sometime now, and I am delighted we were finally able to woo him away from the big city. His varied experience and hypercritical attention to detail is what will take the clubs’ outlets to the next level. We foresee our F&B offerings becoming a destination in their own right and being stand out’s within the Al Ain restaurant landscape”

Q: How are you settling in so far?

“Coming back to Al Ain for me has been like coming home. People assume Al Ain is a sleepy little village but that is not the case at all. There is so much more to the city once you scratch the surface so I am really pleased to be back.”

Having creative control over 3 distinct F&B concepts is a huge undertaking, but an incredibly exciting challenge. I have a team of 17 chefs and 15 stewards to bring the changes into reality, and most importantly, the unwavering support of the resort management. Being able to marry my creativity with their vision is a match made in heaven”. In addition to the retail outlets, I also oversee the staff canteen which prepares 3 meals a day for over 300 employees so there is never a dull moment, and certainly no time to rest – at least for the foreseeable future.”

Q: Have you always had a passion for food?

“Absolutely. There has never been anything else. I have loved food for as long as I can remember. I peeled carrots and potatoes for 2 years just to get a shot at working in a professional kitchen. My culinary career started over 30 years ago working in a prestigious hotel in the North west of England where I was placed on a management training course for 2 years which gave me a good understanding of the hotel and hospitality industry. I then moved to London to improve my cooking knowledge and learn my trade, once there I gained my city and guilds 706/1 and 706/2 which has stood me in good stead for my future in the industry. My grandfather was a talented chef himself, so he was definitely a huge influence on my career path.

Q: What are some of your career highlights to date?

I opened my own Bistro pub back in the UK in 1990 but wanted to pursue my desire to travel the world so joined Royal Caribbean cruises as executive sous chef. I then moved to Abu Dhabi where I was offered the position of executive chef for Etihad Airways to oversee the running of the main production kitchen. All menus for each class were reviewed and improved pushing the airline to a 5 star rating. I have appeared in a National Geographic documentary for mega food aboard the largest ship in the world and also had the honour of working on the world’s largest private yacht MY Leander. Cooking for the super rich added a whole new dimension to my understanding of how people relate to food in different contexts.

Chef Nick was part of the National Geographic documentary Mega Food

Q: What is your culinary vision for the Resort?

“1. Be the best, 2. Be sustainable, 3. Develop my team” “Ultimately we want to be the best restaurant in Al Ain. That’s the goal. I think that is the ultimate dream for any chef, … to be the best. We want people talking about us. The Resort is already known for its outstanding internationally recognized golfing, shooting, equestrian and rugby facilities. It's time that the culinary options on offer match up. I will be transforming one outlet at a time, crafting individual menus that marry the venue concept with the visitor demographic.”

“My biggest passion is quality ingredients. You can’t have great flavour without great ingredients”. A prime example of this is the new pizza menu. “Simple, fresh ingredients prepared well. You can’t go wrong with that.” What used to be a rather drab and tasteless offering has been transformed into a gourmet treat that would look right at home on the best 5-star menu.

The new pizza lineup is made with classic fresh ingredients sourced directly from Italy. Hand made with special Caputo flour, the new pizzas are deliciously crisp and bursting with taste. Each pizza is prepared from scratch before being baked to perfection on the new specially imported Italian pizza oven. Priced between AED 35-00 and AED 45-00 each, they are a must-try item on the new menu. Currently available at The Palm Greens, they will soon be a regular fixture on the Rugby Club menu as well. Among some of the other changes are Beef burgers made from certified US Beef and quality sausages and bacon that will soon take up their rightful place on the breakfast menu.

The new pizza menu will soon be available at the Rugby Club as well as Palm Greens Restaurant.

2. The second part of Nick’s philosophy is sustainability. “We all have a responsibility to take more care now. Both as business’ and as human beings. My first move in line with the UAE sustainability vision, is phasing out single use plastics where possible. I have just placed an order for our new paper carry out bags and we will phase out the thick plastic bags currently in stock. Sourcing local ingredients in a bid to ultimately create a “farm to fork” style eco system within the city is also part of my goal, but that will be a long term project.

3. “The third thing I feel extremely passionate about are the people I work with. I take the development of my team extremely seriously as they are what will ultimately dictate the success or failure of any kitchen. Training my team is a priority and I have a great staff here who are ready and willing to take on board whatever direction I choose to take them in.”

Q: What can patrons expect moving forward?

This is a marathon, not a sprint and change will take time, but the results are already speaking for themselves” We had incredible feedback from diners at the special set Valentine’s menu which saw a change from “club food” to more elegant offerings including Lobster Thermidor and Beef Bordelaise. Key too, will obviously be to still offer value for money. Changing the menu will not suddenly see us doubling the price. Great ingredients, great taste, great value. That’s the goal.

For now I am spending my time making incremental changes, and getting to know the visitor demographic of each outlet so I can craft a menu that will meet their needs, wants and out perform on their expectations. We are aiming to launch at least the new core menu for each outlet after April once racing season finishes.

The Palm Greens Restaurant is located at the AESGC resort on the Tawam Rd Al Ain.