caterer middle east

Serving the region’s catering professionals June 2010 • Vol 06 • Issue 06

An ITP Business Publication | Licensed by Dubai Media City

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b

ContentsVolume 6 Issue 06

June 2010 Caterer Middle East 01

05 NewsRegion aims to be culinary destination; inadequate training at the root of service problems; calls for more F&B creativity08 Events evolutionHow the downturn has breathed fresh life into the event planning industry18 Regional insightTop Middle East F&B professionals offer advice and views on the regional market22 RoundtableExperts discuss the issues affecting F&B recruitment and how to overcome them 30 Local growthAs regional farms blossom, why aren’t more chefs taking advantage of these home-grown goodies?

37 Ingredient focusThe delights of dairy continue to appeal to the local market44 The Hotel ShowReviewing this year’s instal-ment of the hospitality event46 Coffee morningGive a kick-start to your day with the latest coffee machine launches49 Product showcaseThe best new F&B items com-ing onto the Middle East market55 Caterer on cameraOur gallery of the month’s most excit-ing F&B events — including the glitzy Arabian Travel Market parties

30

ContentsJune 2010

22

Cover story

37

55

18

For the latest news and stories go to www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b

49

46

Web contentswww.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b

Caterer Middle East June 2010 www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b02

Online

For the latest news and stories go to www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b

How to make fresh basil pesto

On camera

Carluccio’s Dubai Mall chef Giulio Brignolareveals how to make fresh basil pesto in the second of our Italian recipe video specials.

Nominations open for 2010 Caterer AwardsThe search is on to find the region’s food and beverage elite, in Caterer Middle East magazine’s second annual F&B trade awards. Recognising champions from all areas of the industry, the Caterer Middle East Awards 2010 are open to professionals across the region, with the lucky winners to be announced at a glittering live ceremony in Dubai this September.These accolades — judged by a panel of independent industry experts — will recognise the top performers in 15 categories, including Kitchen Hero of the Year, Bartender of the Year, Waiter of the Year, Restaurant of the Year and the coveted Chef of the Year title.

Hotels with biteHot new properties get their teeth into the market

Editor’s pick

Most popularWorld’s 50 best restaurants revealed

Shortlists confirmed for Caterer supplier awards

Opera star and celeb chef open restaurant in Qatar

1.2.3.

Features

Sustainable seafood Arabian knightsWhy chefs are championing truly traditional flavours

Michelin-starred outlet to open at Emirates Palace

Delicious deals and piping-hot promotions

4.5.

The online home of

The region’s love of fish is impacting global stocks

191-CATERER 205x275.indd 1191-CATERER 205x275.indd 1 15-03-2010 15:59:4815-03-2010 15:59:48

coffee wakes up the world

WMF 2000 SThe new

At busy times you can prepare all the coffee specialities madewith milk quickly and automatically, at the touch of a button.You can also offer your clients that individually made ‘baristafeeling’, by creating foam and heating milk in a jug placed underneath.

In addition, you have a choice of three grades of milk foam:

‘Superfine’ With this extremely dense foam with a shiny, creamyconsistency, even tricky latte art creations turn out well (with thenecessary skill!).

‘Fine’ This the normal quality for Cappuccino, etc.

‘Standard’ This is for a voluminous milk foam for extra-large quantities and layered products. Typical product: latte macchiato.

The WMF 2000 S is the answer to a medium demand with adaily capacity of up to 200 cups.

Sh. Zayed RoadDubai - UAEPhone +971 4 3433478Fax +971 4 [email protected]

... Like a Barista


News June 2010


aspect,” he asserted. “London, Paris, all these places, they have the hardware, some incredible-looking outlets and impressive chefs. But in many instances the lack of service quality can be a prob-lem. This isn’t the case throughout, but you pay a fortune to get decent service,” he asserted.

“Here we have a hospitality culture, we have fantastic staff — and that’s a real bonus for us.”

The Middle East’s ‘hospitality culture’ continues to have a positive impact on the F&B industry’s progress, added Fairmont Bab Al Bahr’s director of F&B, Bastien Breuer.

“Unlike North America and Europe, where hotel restaurants are not equated well to stand-alone restaurants, the opposite is true here,” he pointed out. “You’re attracting top talent to hotel restau-rants, combined with extensive colleague training and award winning design teams.”

Kempinski Nile Hotel Cairo’s director of F&B, Raoul Duclos, said there were no limits to what concepts might come online in the region, since “in terms of investment, the Middle East certainly has more resources than Europe, for example”.

“There is a real desire for innovation here,” he continued. “What seems impossible elsewhere is a must in the Middle East.

“Added to that, there is a real desire to try new experiences and deliver new ways of eating, not only from the guests’ point of view but also from forward-thinking investors.”

Gunning for gastro-hub statusAmbitious approach to F&B will turn region into top culinary destinationAmbition, vision and resources are just some of the reasons the Middle East is set to become one of the world’s great culinary destinations, according to industry professionals.

And while Dubai is currently leading the regional pack in terms of F&B, other cities are also making their mark, as Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach director of F&B Simone Stanco pointed out.

“I think the F&B scene in Dubai is very success-ful and has a lot of potential; it’s true that more can happen in other areas of the region, but a lot of places are moving forward,” he asserted.

Rotana corporate vice president of F&B Helmut Arthold agreed: “Dubai is definitely the centre for food and beverage in this region right now, but that’s not to say others are not keen to make their own mark — particularly the other emirates, such as Abu Dhabi, which has progressed hugely over the past couple of years.

“Doha, ‘the small Dubai’ I call it, is also seeing a lot of development,” he added.

Lebanon, Jordan and Syria were also marked out as future foodie havens, by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) vice president operations for the Gulf, Pascal Gauvin.

“The trend in Beirut for restaurants, bars and nightspots is individual and incredible; it’s prob-ably one of the best places for nightlife in the world,” he observed. “The creativity and design you see there didn’t exist five years ago, so it’s come a long way and it’s doing something very impressive and setting trends.

“There are also some great new things coming up in Amman and Damascus — people travel more nowadays, they have experienced interna-tional life, and as a result they are developing forward-thinking concepts,” he noted.

“Overall, I think the MENA region is really catching up with the rest of the world, at a great pace.”

According to Rotana’s Arthold, the Middle East already stands out as a top gastro-destination.

“The key draw we have here is the service

P6 Personnel problemsStaffi ng and service are still matters of concern for the region’s outlets

P6 Outside-the-box outlets, pleaseOperators need to look into more innovative con-cepts for new launches, say F&B professionals

P6 Online opinionsOur monthly web poll reveals your predictions for the next big F&B trend

P7 Get surfi ng for F&B suppliers A new website is bring-ing top end products to industry professionals

P7 The best laid plansExperts advise region’s events planners: always expect the unexpected

Headlinegrabbers


News, features, surveys, interviews, comments, power lists, jobs, picture galleries and more...

LOG ON TO:

For all the latest...

Story of the month

Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach’s Simone Stanco.

NewsJune 2010


Training still insuffi cient for F&B staffIf operators cannot get staff with experience of their concept, they must take time to train, say experts

The issue of Middle East service standards and F&B personnel is still provoking debate amongst industry professionals.

Speaking in a panel session at The Hotel Show in Dubai last month, Thomas Klein International (TKI) managing partner Daniel During said he felt themed outlets should source their staff from the appropri-ate country, but that if this was not possible, proper training became even more vital.

“If you can’t offer authenticity, at least offer training so that the staff you do have understand the product and can represent it properly,” he argued.

Fellow panel-member Lionel Boyce, executive chef at Desert Palm Dubai, added: “A lot of the staff in outlets here are Filipino or Indian, they don’t know what food they’re

Industry calls for innovative launchesMiddle East operators should make the most of the region’s “landscape of op-portunity” to explore more innovative F&B options, say industry professionals.

Salalah Marriott Resort di-rector of operations Hesham Dawood asserted: “I would

like to see more innova-tive ways of presenting a traditional concept; ‘out-of-the-box’ ideas. I also would like to see more risk-taking when it comes to designing and decorating restaurants.”

Pointing out the raft of new hotel and F&B open-

ings coming up in the region over the next few years, Raoul Duclos — director of F&B at the new Kempinski Nile Hotel Cairo — claimed the Middle East was “where it is all going to happen”.

“The good thing is that a lot of countries here have not yet set their standard, so we can create everything from scratch,” he asserted.

“It is honestly a real land-scape of opportunity.”

At Radisson Blu Hotel, Abu Dhabi Yas Island, ex-ecutive assistant manager of F&B Tim Van Veen said he also hoped the future held “more innovative concepts”.

“I am positive that, for the restaurant scene, the best is yet to come,” he concluded.

Desert Palm Dubai’s Lionel Boyce.

Healthy food: regional awareness is rising following worries about diabetes and obesity.

Back to basics: rediscovering good, simple food made with top ingredients.

Tapas: the sharing theme has really caught on in the west and will be a hit here next.

Value: consumers are more savvy and spend-conscious; prices will reflect this.

Organic food: it’s more expensive, but now people are recognising its value.

30%

18%

0%

28%

What will be the region’s next big F&B trend?

24%

Osmanly restaurant at the new Kempinski Nile Hotel Cairo.

serving and don’t care. And the problem is not nationality, it’s about good training.

“In my eyes we haven’t achieved good training here yet,” Boyce continued. “It’s because of this lack of training that half the staff in restaurants here don’t know what they are serving — if you don’t invest in your staff, they won’t invest in the job.”

Commenting on the idea that themed restaurants should recruit staff from the cor-responding country, Boyce pointed out that this was not always possible.

“We have always found it hard to recruit certain expats into mid-range positions in the kitchen,” he admitted.

“The chef industry here pays the top dogs the right money, but from there down it totally falls apart.”

News

THE MAKERS OF THE ORIGINAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE I WWW.VICTORINOX.COM

Victorinox goes HACCP

New product website targets F&B industryA new website has launched, exclusively targeting food and beverage industry professionals.

Named ‘PSSSST!’, the site (www.psssst.net) showcases the latest luxury F&B concepts to hit the market.

Commenting on the motiva-tion behind the site’s launch, promotion manager Birgit Leleu

explained: “Innovation linked to F&B can be found in tableware, food preparation, photography, books, entertainment, trends, concepts and many more subjects — yet there was not one platform that was uniting those products and services.”

In June, PSSSST! will add new features including a Design Directory, E-Book store, Discussion Forum, and a Food Photographers gallery.

Leleu also revealed the brand was considering “training sessions for hoteliers, inspiring them to think creatively”.

Party planners must stay on the ballEvents professionals have em-phasised the need for constant vigilance and communication.

In brief

perfect world our events plan-ning team would receive all the details way in advance, without any last-minute changes. But then what fun would that be?

“It is managing the dynam-ics of events in this changing environment that makes it so interesting — and which makes personalised service all the more relevant and important.”

Dusit Thani Dubai director of sales and marketing Leon Salinel expanded: “We should always be looking for ways to continuously improve the standards of the services and facilities offered to clients.

“This can be from the event room set-up or menus, to the sequence of service. But the success of a client’s event should always be the main goal.” Royal Majilis lawn, Emirates Golf Club.

Emirates Golf Club director of food and beverage Russell Hanson said unpredictability was “the nature of the business”, adding that last-minute changes and requests from clients were a common occurrence.

“However you have to be flexible and try to meet any demands,” he asserted.

JW Marriott Hotel Dubai director — event management Martijn Dekker agreed: “In a

A pourer from Aldo Bakker, on PSSSST!

News analysisJune 2010

08

“Some cost-conscious clients look for a yearly

deal with us instead of a one-off association”

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&bCaterer Middle East June 2010

Accustomed to the Middle East’s glittering parties, glamorous cor-porate launches and unlimited budgets, the regional events industry had a rude awakening when the financial slump hit.

Thanks to reduced company budgets and more cautious private spending, events planners saw a definite drop in de-mand — as noted by Dusit Thani Dubai director of sales and marketing Leon Salinel.

“Definitely, there was a slow-down in enquiries dur-ing the economic downturn,” he admitted.

However industry professionals agree that the events market is now recuperating and evolving, bringing in more customers with whole new set of demands and ushering in a more confident events scene.

Russell Hanson, director of F&B at Emirates Golf Club, explained: “There is much more competition in the market now, which is actually a healthy trend as it makes everyone more resourceful and also helps put the focus on innovation and creativity.

“Customers are looking at added value — and also now they are

An events evolutionAfter a tough couple of years following on from the global economic downturn, increasing consumer and corporate confidence is proving a boon for the Middle East events industry

coming to us directly, rather than going through third parties as they did previously,” he said.

Dusit’s Salinel added that the expectation of high standards had remained the same. “But today consumers in this region have a

very large range of venue choices, across all price spectrums, so it’s not only the rates that matter, but the experience that will be delivered,” he explained.

Emirates Golf Club’s Hanson added that today’s customers were “looking for a lot more value for their money”.

“They are planning better with their budgets, less last-minute requests are coming in — in a nutshell, they are spending more efficiently and we’re working with them to meet their needs based on these new requirements,” he explained.

“Although there might be less money in a budget, the event doesn’t necessary need to be less impressive.”

JW Marriott Hotel Dubai director — event management Martijn Dekker added that flexibility had become increasingly important.

The 2009 Airshow Gala Dinner at Emirates Golf Club.




“Today’s client needs support and under-standing; our event planning team goes to great lengths to be more flexible in terms of adapting menus, extending cut-off dates, being more lenient with cancel-lation policies, lowering guarantees and providing more value and service at the same competitive rates,” he explained.

Some customers are looking for even more, noted The Address Hotels and Resorts’ area director of catering and conference services, Alma Au Yeung.

“Some cost-conscious clients look for a yearly deal instead of one-off association with us,” she explained.

“The positive side is they become more loyal to the brand, and during this period we can support each other.”

And with the events industry going from strength to strength as corporate and consumer spending gains more con-fidence, new trends are coming online.

Emirates Golf Club’s Hanson noted: “People are looking for fresh new ideas in event planning, looking for more cre-ativity when it comes to presentation and more value for money.

“Clients are also more careful — they are using time and money more wisely,” he added.

“We appreciate and welcome such changes, as greater planning and detail from the client help us to really tailor an event to specific needs.”

Naturally, food and beverage is still playing a major role in the success of events, and — looking to stand out from the growing competition — operators are keen to shine on the F&B front.

As The Address’ Au Yeung noted: “When it comes to F&B, attention to de-tail makes all the difference — right from the choice of beverages to the canapés.”

JW Marriott’s Dekker added that it was vital for the menu to “fit perfectly with the guest profile, theme and budget”.

“Our clients know that with Marriott hotels, quality is never compromised and creative solutions can always be found,” he asserted.

“For example, at an Argentinean Tango Gala, we arranged for our Lat-in American chefs around the world to provide the recipes. And for a tra-ditional local wedding we hosted re-cently, our chefs cooked local dishes together with the wedding family in our own kitchen.”

Naturally there are pitfalls in the events planning world, but according to

“Our conference services and catering department is

divided into two sections: catering services the social

segments, such as birthday parties and weddings as well

as non-residential meetings. The conference department

handles residential meetings.

“Our meeting centre comprises fi ve meetings rooms

and an executive boardroom. We also have the Al Wasl

Ballroom for larger meetings and social events.”

Leon Salinel, director of sales and marketing,

Dusit Thani Dubai

“In terms of locations, Emirates Golf Club has the

Royal Majlis, a Bedouin-tent-shaped building with

capacity for 70 guests with outdoor space on the

Royal Majlis Lawn for 500.

“We then have The Clubhouse Terrace with magnifi cent

views of The Majlis Course’s 9th and 18th greens, for up

to 500 guests; The Poolside set amid tropical palm trees

and lush landscaping; and my favourite, The Lawns. This

is not only the Club’s largest venue, with a capacity of up

to 3000, but also the largest open ground in Dubai.”

Russell Hanson, director of food and beverage,

Emirates Golf Club

“The JW Marriott Hotel Dubai is an all-round event

specialist. With 34 meeting spaces that total over

31,000 square feet of event space, it is one of the

largest venues for meetings, conferences, exhibi-

tions, weddings and festive events.

“We also operate an extensive outside catering

operation, covering everything from small private

gatherings to corporate openings and even large

festivals and concerts.”

Martijn Dekker, director — event management,

JW Marriott Hotel Dubai

“Our catering and conference services team

provides a one-stop-shop for guests. From day one,

we work as a partner with the event organiser to

create tailor-made packages, set up to meet the

client’s needs.

“Our goal is to deliver a memorable experience to

all guests and a professional adviser to the event

organiser throughout the event process.”

Alma Au Yeung, area director of

catering and conference services,

The Address Hotels and Resorts

PROPERTY PORTFOLIOS

Emirates Golf Club’s Russell Hanson. The Address’ Alma Au Yeung.


Schaerer Coffee Art Plus Because milk inspires the coffee worldSchaerer’s automatic espresso machines encompass everything that is important in today’s demanding world of coffee including professional milk preparation in all its variations – from fully automatic to manual.

www.schaerer.com

SWISS MADE

Dusit’s Salinel, these challenges only serve to heighten a planner’s sense of achievement when it all goes off smoothly.

“We definitely welcome a challenge, seeing it as an opportunity to wow our guests,” he said. “These are the things that make event plan-ning fun and exciting.

“Obviously you have to understand the nature of the market in the region, namely what possibilities are available for the event, as well as the nature of the clients themselves.

“Combine this with a good understanding of the required proce-dures in terms of licenses and permissions, and there are really no major difficulties to event planning.”

Emirates Golf Club’s Hanson commented: “Overall, to make an event a success, the most important factor is understanding your cli-ent’s needs and to truly give them their added value for money.”

However it takes time to learn the ‘tricks of the trade’ with regards to operating in this region, as JW Marriott’s Dekker noted.

“I think if one is new to the region, then planning events is not al-ways so easy. Dubai enforces a high standard of hygiene regulations and conformity,” he pointed out.

“Official permission is needed for most activities — such as live cooking approval, staff certifications, entertainment licences, smok-ing permits, and more.”

But as The Address’ Au Yeung noted, those heading up events opera-tions remain upbeat in the face of any difficulty: “We turn every chal-lenge into positive opportunity, and in that sense, planning an event here is no different from any other part of the world.”

The Royal Majilis at Emirates Golf Club.

“I once had to fi nd a parrot capable of being trained how to say ‘good evening

your highness’ to a Princess, who was having a special welcome dinner held

in her honour. We managed to do this in fi ve days.”

Russell Hanson, director of food and beverage, Emirates Golf Club

INDUSTRY ANECDOTE

Behind everyexcellent dessert

is an excellentcream.

Nouv

eau

Mon

de D

DB N

ante

s P

2921

2 R

CS B

334

024

528

- ©

Tho

mas

Duv

al.

“Red fruit delight with creamy whippedcream and strawberry elixir”

By Laurent Jeannin,Head Pastry Chef,

Hotel Le Bristol, Paris

Président Whipping Cream (35.1% fat)Product made in France

Excellent holding quality, even after 48 hours.

High whipping rate makes light and airy whipped cream.

Perfect for dessert toppings.

An even texture for hot dishes.

Used by top French chefs.

HittheTop

A o c s J i C ̀ 225 300 i dd 1 20/05/10 9 11 31

of cleaning products. You relied on our world-class innovation and service to make

the most challenging needs. You looked to our leadership in making a cleaner, healthier future for the world.

Now, we’re simplifying our name under one powerful brand—Diversey—to better

As Diversey, you can continue to expect us to deliver very best products, services and partnership. And you can count on us to do even more to deliver real, sustainable value.

We’re Diversey, and we’re leading the world toward a cleaner, healthier future.

A cleaner, healthier future.

For further information please contact: Diversey Gulf FZE P.O. Box 61485, Jebel Ali Free ZoneDubai, United Arab Emirates +9714 8819470 tel +9714 8819488 fax


Editor’s commentVolume 6 Issue 06

June 2010 Caterer Middle East 13To subscribe please visit www.itp.com/subscriptions

Published by and Copyright © 2010ITP Business Publishing,a division of theITP Publishing Group Ltd.Registered in the B.V.I. under Company number 1402846.

Audited by: BPA Worldwide Average Qualified Circulation 5,811 (Jul - Dec 2009)

Registered at Dubai Media CityPO Box 500024, Dubai, UAETel: +971 (0)4 210 8000Fax: +971 (0)4 210 8080Offices in Dubai & London

ITP Business Publishing CEO Walid AkawiManaging Director Neil DaviesDeputy Managing Director Matthew SouthwellEditorial Director David InghamVP Sales Wayne LoweryPublishing Director Diarmuid O’Malley

Editorial

Editor Lucy TaylorTel: +971 4 210 8493 email: [email protected] writer Harriet SinclairTel: +971 4 210 8394 email: [email protected]

Advertising

Publishing Director Diarmuid O’MalleyTel: +971 4 210 8568 email: [email protected] Director Sarah WorthTel: +971 4 210 8595 email: [email protected]

Int. Sales Manager, Hospitality & Catering Middle East & IndiaAmanda Stewart GSM: +44 7908 117 333email: [email protected] Skype: amandajanestewart

Studio

Group Art Editor Dan PrescottDesigner Lucy McMurray

Photography

Director of Photography Sevag DavidianChief Photographer Khatuna KhutsishviliSenior Photographers G-nie Arambulo, Efraim Evidor, Thanos LazopoulosStaff Photographers Isidora Bojovic, George Dipin, Lyubov Galushko, Jovana Obradovic, Ruel Pableo, Rajesh Raghav

Production & Distribution

Group Production Manager Kyle SmithDeputy Production Manager, ITP Business Matthew GrantManaging Picture Editor Patrick LittlejohnImage Editor Emmalyn RoblesDistribution Manager Karima AshwellDistribution Executive Nada Al Alami

Circulation

Head of Circulations & Database Gaurav Gulati

Marketing

Head of Marketing Daniel Fewtrell

ITP Digital

Director Peter Conmy

ITP Group

Chairman Andrew NeilManaging Director Robert SerafinFinance Director Toby Jay Spencer-DaviesBoard of Directors K M Jamieson, Mike Bayman, Walid Akawi, Neil Davies, Rob Corder, Mary Serafin

Circulation Customer Service Tel: +971 4 210 8000

Certain images in this issue are available for purchase. Please contact [email protected] for further details or visit www.itpimages.com.

Printed by Color LinesControlled Distribution by Blue Truck

The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review.

In the past, chefs have got themselves a reputation as a slightly temperamental lot.

Admittedly, this stereotype has been exacerbated over the years by the (no doubt exaggerated) media portrayal of high-profile and highly-strung kitchen characters such as Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White.

But in this line of work, should an artistic temperament really come as a surprise?

This kind of fiery attitude and perfectionist streak is, to an extent, understandable in someone who ‘creates’ for a living.

But today — all over the world in fact, but most particularly in the Middle East — chefs are no longer the caricatures of fiery foodies they once were.

Instead, they are more amenable and adaptable than ever.This is of course a good thing in many ways; but I think a lot of the flexibility

displayed by chefs in this region comes down to the demanding clientele.If a loyal customer wants chips when they are not on the menu, they get them; if an

important client wants a different sauce with their steak, the chef makes it.This flies in the face of old-school chefs who created their food as they wanted it

eaten, and who would happily throw a customer out on their ear if they didn’t like it.But working in a region where hospitality is key and the guest is always number

one, what else can you do?Today, chefs and restaurants increasingly understand the need to be flexible; to bal-

ance the customer’s needs with their own integrity in order to sustain business.All the same, a little artistic temperament is part of what made the great chefs of

the past so great.On a recent trip to Dubai, renowned Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli told Caterer: “At

Locanda Locatelli [in London], the buck stops with me: if a customer isn’t happy, I deal with the situation. I tell them to go or sort it out.

“But here [at Ronda Locatelli in Atlantis, The Palm], if there’s a guy who is staying in the Royal Suite, paying a lot of money, you’ve got to listen to them to an extent — and that can really deflate the importance of the restaurant.

“There is a slight problem with the Dubai service industry,” he continued. “There’s this idea that [restaurants and chefs] will do whatever you want, but I don’t agree with that. That diminishes character.”

Let us hope the region’s determination to provide the customer with whatever they want does not completely eradicate that individuality of spirit that so often comes with a great creative mind.

Keep your character

Lucy Taylor, Editor

Comment F&B column


I have one core belief when it comes to food and beverage marketing: don’t advertise.

Restaurants that are good at what they do don’t need to — people will come because of their reputation.

You may agree or disagree with the above, but let me explain my reasons for this view: restaurants that offer good food, a great ex-perience and stand out from the crowd will generate enough good word of mouth.

An example of this is the old Soup Kitchen International in New York, which even before TV show Seinfeld shot it to fame always had queues of people standing at the door, although it never advertised.

People were willing to queue because they knew it served the best soup in town.

So word of mouth can work: but how about when you first start? People need to know you’re there, after all.

What you need to do is generate talk about your opening before it happens. However people — and the press — will only talk about you if you can bring some-

A happy marriage. Ensuring the relationship between you and your diners is a healthy one

DuringDaniel

Daniel During is managing partner of Thomas Klein

International, a food and beverage consultancy fi rm

that has been based in Dubai since 2001.

thing new to the table. You can’t expect your restaurant to stand out from the crowd if it replicates what everyone else is doing.

So, you bring something unique, you make enough noise about it, you get people to try it, they love it, they come back.

The question then is how to ensure they keep coming back; just what is the secret to keeping your clientele loyal?

As with a marriage, you need to keep the relationship fresh, interesting and continu-ously reinforce the reasons you’re together.

Obviously, ‘window shopping’ is inevi-table. Your customer will always be eyeing other restaurants and may well flirt with something new, but your job is to make sure that they always come back to you.

The important thing is to know your competition. You can only be better if know what you’re up against.

After that, there are a few guidelines you can follow to keep loyal diners returning:

Stay relevantThe odd random promotion can add spark to a relationship, but the key to sustain-ability is to remain continuously relevant to your returning diners.

Remember, you can only stay relevant to a customer if you know them; trying to offer many different things to many different people will just dilute your identity. Don’t try to make everyone happy; you can’t. Instead, focus on your target customers and offer them what they truly want.

Use creative PR strategiesPress releases are great, but you need to

actively come up with a truly news-worthy angle if you want media attention. Clever PR strategies create constant ‘news’ about your brand, and if executed properly you won’t have to spend money on advertising.

Employ social mediaSocial media has become a powerful way to actively communicate with your current customers and their friends — and their friends’ friends — thereby helping you to get new customers in.

Social media targets a younger audience, generally under 35, so make sure you com-municate what is relevant to them and not just what’s interesting to your F&B manager.

Launch loyalty programmesThere are two ways to use loyalty pro-grammes. The first is to reward existing loyal customers. If you’re doing things properly, you won’t need a programme to know who these customers are. The second way is to use them to ‘loyalise’ new custom-ers — as airlines do.

If you decide to launch a loyalty pro-gramme when you already have a customer base, you may want to look at enrolling your existing loyal customers into a higher level than your new customers. They need to know they are already special to you.

Build up brand ambassadorsEmpower your loyal customers to advertise and promote your restaurant. Bonding with your customer is key — they should feel like they are doing their friends a favour by promoting you.

Do you have a healthy relationship with your clientele?

CommentDesigner column


In the restaurant and bar universe, ambience — or atmosphere, whatever you wish to call it — is the very soul and personality of an outlet.

It is the attractor, the essence of what makes a customer feel comfortable and at ease. It is also what encourages them to come back and have some more.

But the true importance of this elusive ‘ambience’ is a hard sell to any operator.

When you ask the dreaded question of what they are aiming for in terms of atmosphere, you get one of two replies.

The first and most common is the blank stare of incomprehension. The second is either “people will come for the food” or “I’m spending mega bucks on developing the place, surely that’s enough” — both statements as daft as each other.

Equally ridiculous is the designer who believes a certain look or edgy style will be enough to pull in the punters.

Food for the soul. For diners, it’s not always about the outlet’s service, style or food; it’sabout the ambience and how they feel there

Quite frankly, it’s all rubbish. Malls and streets are littered with beautiful, empty and often closed-down remnants of such belief systems.

If only good venue design was as easy as designing something physical, what an incredibly easy world it would be — but it takes more than that.

So the big question has to be, what are the elements that deliver ambience? What keeps us engaged, interested and loyal to a particular place?

If it was a set number of things, every-one would be doing it, and by now you’d probably be able to buy an App for it too.

No, ambience is the great intangible; the thing that can make the man in the street compete with — and even beat — those firms who have bottomless budgets and teams of advisors.

Ambience is a sensory affair — or an affair with the senses, more to the point.

Ambience is about setting the mood and tone. It’s about getting a place warm, fill-ing it with life and allowing it to be itself.

Although there are no hard-and-fast rules, there are a few things you can do to get you close to this haven.

Here’s a little pre-flight check for you and your outlet:

Music: • is it appropriate in tempo, volume and content? Aroma:• how does the place smell? What aromas is it giving off? Are they good? Temperature: • is the temperature right? Too cold or too hot and you’ve blown it.Staff: • are they upbeat and liberated, confident to talk and interact with your customers?Management:• in the mood or just in a mood? Lighting:• classroom or bedroom?

This checklist seems like common sense — and once you know what you’re doing, it is. But just look at how many places clearly don’t give even one of these pointers consideration.

People are, on the whole, too close to their businesses. Many would argue they have to be, but in reality it stops you looking at things in an objective manner.

Sometimes going to your place as a cus-tomer, perhaps with a friend to give their feedback, can really open your eyes to both the good and bad in your operation.

But remember: if you do decide to do it, take someone with taste and personality!

KeaneAidan

Have you set the right tone in your outlet?

Aidan Keane is the founder of specialist leisure and

retail design fi rm Keane. For more information, visit:

www.keanebrands.com

T H E D I G I TA L H O M E F O R H O S P I TA L I T Y P R O F E S S I O N A L S I N T H E M I D D L E E A S T

| BREAKING NEWS| EXPERT COMMENT & ANALYSIS| INTERVIEWS OF LEADING INDUSTRY NAMES

| LATEST INDUSTRY EVENTS| TOPICAL ENEWSLETTERS| COMPREHENSIVE DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS, COMPANIES & SERVICES

FOR ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT:D i a r m u i d O ’ M a l l e yPublishing DirectorTel: +971 4 210 8568E-mail: [email protected]

ITP BUSINESS PUBLISHING CO. LTD.Al Hilal Building

PO Box 500024, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesTel: +971 4 210 8000, Fax: +971 4 210 8080,

Email: [email protected], www.itp.com/subscriptions

S a r a h W o r t hCommercial DirectorTel: +971 4 210 8595E-mail: [email protected]

100% made of new zealand��

www.silverfernfarms.co.nz

��

�� !��"�#$%

&%'(�)�*+�,-,*�.�..�/��$0(�)�*+�,-,*�.*..%1$2'(��3�4�(��

www.countryhill.ae

PeopleInterview


Then we come to the last brand, Centro, which has been recently launched. We have actually just opened the second Centro, in Dubai’s Al Barsha area.

Each Centro property will have a modern, trendy bar, a lifestyle buffet and a deli. Although the outlets at each property have the same con-cept, we custom-design each outlet, so it’s not just a case of copying and pasting.

There is no room service, no mini-bar, but we have the 24-hour deli, so you can go and fetch yourself a coffee, a sandwich, a newspaper. It’s very much a life-style concept, letting the guest take control of how and when they eat, with quick service

Tell us about the role F&B plays in your regional properties.Rotana rebranded itself not long ago with the Rotana Hotels and Resorts, Rayhaan Hotels and Resorts, then Arjaan and Centro properties, which makes for many diverse F&B options.

The outlets we put into these properties obviously vary from brand to brand, as each one has a distinct identity.

Rotana Hotels has the largest number of restaurants; these are very diverse to attract different diners, and include speciality out-lets and link-ups with international chefs.

Then if we jump to Rayhaan, for which we have two inaugurations to come, you have to be very particular about the styles of out-lets you build into these properties, as they are alcohol-free. The Arjaan properties are pretty straightforward, with an all-day din-ing concept and lobby lounge. Again in the GCC properties, no alcohol is served.

Regional insightTop players from the regional hospitality industry met up with Caterer Middle East at this year’sATM, to discuss the status of the Middle East market and share some top tips for F&B success

“I think operators are coming back

to more honest pricing in F&B”

and good quality products. All the amenities a businessman needs, but without the staff hovering around you at every turn!

Many top-level properties have recently tied up with indepen-dent brands or celebrity chefs. Is that something Rotana would explore further in future?We have done that to an ex-tent, through our ties with

Blue Elephant, Trader Vic’s and Benihana. But F&B is by nature very trendy and very fast, so you have to keep an eye on those out-lets and make sure you’re still in the right timeframe and that they’re still relevant.

HELMUT ARTHOLDCorporate vice president of F&B operations, Rotana

Rotana’s Arthold believes F&B is at the heart of any hotel.


PeopleInterview


“A few years ago you could get

away with just good food; today, you need more”

So we are always looking for new part-ners — in fact, soon we will introduce our Chinese restaurant.

Being a Middle Eastern company we ap-preciate that we may not have the exper-tise to develop an authentic Chinese res-taurant ourselves, so we have been looking at high-end operators in Singapore and Hong Kong who run incredible brands, and have formed a partnership with an operator, which we feel will benefit both of us. You can expect to see the first restau-rant in Doha in the Oryx Rotana Hotel.

At the same time, there are renovation programmes coming up in some of our hotels that have been operating for many years — for example, the established Al Bustan Rotana, where we are now looking at existing outlets which have done very well for the past few years but are ready for a new F&B look.

Right now we are in discussions to de-cide on the new F&B vision for this hotel.

In this market, where there is so much competition, how important is F&B to a hotel’s success?We believe food and beverage is at the very heart of a hotel. There is a saying: food and beverage gives you the reputation, rooms give you money in your pocket!

You really do need well-organised F&B, particularly in a big hotel, for guests to en-joy their stay.

I think nowadays operators are coming back to more honest pricing in F&B, which is the way it should be. That is the key to proving yourself to your customers and driving loyalty. You must also recognise the value of your employees, and how impor-tant the service they deliver is.

The designer aspect is also much more important nowadays — guests today want to be wowed the moment they step through the restaurant door, and they like to see show elements too. If you have great food but it is presented in a boring way in a dull setting, the guests will not be excited.

PASCAL GAUVINVice president operations for Gulf, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)

IHG’s Gauvin believes in retaining operational control.

What kind of role does F&B play across your regional portfolio?We have 23 properties across the GCC and Lebanon, with several brands: Inter-Continental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Staybridge Suites, which debuted last year. In this region we operate around 50-60 restaurants — 320 outlets across the whole Middle East and Africa

So you can see F&B is a very important part of our busi-ness; our F&B revenue for the MENA region represents 42% of our total revenue.

A lot of customers today seem attracted by familiarity; would you consider doing an in-house brand across your properties?We don’t want to do an in-house brand, sim-ply because we want every single customer to have a different and unique experience in each hotel.

But we can have associations — for ex-ample in Dubai we have the Belgian Beer Café, which is quite well known. And there are other places in the Middle East where it might work for us to replicate that experi-ence; for example, we have one open in Abu Dhabi now and we are talking about Doha.

Because we have 320 restaurants, which is a huge data base, we can choose a template for a new property by speciality, by average cheque, or by concept.

Say the owner wants a French café style outlet, we can show them the data for Bistro Madeleine at the InterContinental Dubai

Festival City — the number of covers per day, the average cheque, the menu, customer comments, profitability. So we can base the idea on that concept, but take it to another level suited to the particular destination.

Or alternatively, we can choose to associ-ate ourselves with a chef or a brand. But what we prefer to do is handle the opera-tions ourselves and operate for a brand or with a brand, because we want to keep the service consistent throughout the property.

For example, look at Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire; it is impossible for us to have Mi-chelin-star knowhow and keep up with such trends constantly. But by forming this part-nership with Pierre Gagnaire, we can offer guests a taste of what he is doing in Paris,

and that truly is a unique din-ing experience.

But throughout all that, we still operate the restaurant our-selves — we know our custom-ers, and we want to offer them the standard of service they expect from our hotels. So it’s a combination that works well.

We operate 100% of the restaurants in this region, and 80% are our own concepts.

PeopleInterview


SIMON LAZARUSHilton Worldwide area director of F&B, Middle East and Africa

“One thing you must ensure is that the outlet is relevant to the market”

What role does F&B play in the hospitality industry today?F&B is moving forwards significantly; 20 years ago it was viewed as merely a support to a hotel, now it’s turned into a real busi-ness driver. People will come and stay based on the quality of your F&B — more so in the Middle East than other regions, I think, because the F&B scene is more focused on hotels here, due to licensing laws.

How do you ensure a concept stands out from all the competition?We do thorough research in any market we’re going into — generally months before we go in. We look at the demographics, get market studies done, look at the competi-tion. Plus I also look outside the geographi-cal region for inspiration — to Hong Kong or Singapore, for example.

But one thing you must ensure is that the outlet is relevant to that particular market.

What F&B trends are coming through at the moment?I see a move towards traceability; people are much more interested in where their food comes from.

If you look at menus, particularly in North America and Europe, they all detail their sources, whether it’s for beef or vegetables. Now that’s influencing this region — and

people are paying much more attention to the carbon footprint of their food as well.

I also see a move towards more solid F&B concepts; people are going for what they know, what is familiar to them, rather than these high-fashion restaurants.

The attraction of the familiar is evident in the numerous hotel tie-ups with popular brands and celebrity chefs; is that something Hilton is looking to develop further?That is one of the directions we’re pursuing.We’ve had a long relationship with Gordon Ramsay and with BiCE — also Trader Vic’s in the UK, which is now signed on to open in Doha with us as well.

We’ve also just signed two new brands. I can’t tell you who they are, but they will

launch in the UAE very soon.

What are your F&B plans for the future?We’re doing a lot of research and planning right now.

Hilton just formed The Hil-ton Restaurant Group, which is based in the States, solely focusing on coming up with regional and global concepts.

They’re putting a lot into market study. I’m working with them to devise concepts

which are pan-regional in their appeal.What we realised fairly early is that a pub

that works here won’t necessarily work any-where else, so you have to take the location into account, but we are basically trying to keep up with restaurateurs, who have really left hoteliers behind.

So will we soon be seeing an in-house F&B brand from Hilton?Yes, that’s one of the things we’re working on. There will be several concepts, unique to Hilton, which will pop up worldwide — but again we’re very aware of where we put them. There will be announcements about that shortly. It’s exciting times for Hilton F&B!

What is the secret to making an outlet successful? Today a restaurant is not all about food — it’s also about décor, experience, ambience, the people who go there, service, music, consis-tency of the product. People are must more sophisticated and educated than they used to be.

A few years ago you could get away with just good food; today you have to give more.

The Middle East is a demanding market and it’s essential to offer value for money. Customers have to be comfortable with what they’re paying, so you really have to set things at the right price.

So have those overcharging started to fall away, since the downturn?Absolutely — they cannot operate like that in this climate. People will go once and not go back.

What are your plans for the future?I want to make sure we have profitable opera-tions, which please our customers and deliver the brand promise.

Operating a hotel means a wide spectrum of F&B, from restaurants to banqueting to room service, so you’ve got to deliver on all fronts.

Hilton’s Lazarus says new launches are on the horizon.

RoundtableF&B recruitment

What is the most diffi cult F&B role to fi ll?CD Kotze: I’d say any leadership position. It’s sometimes difficult to find someone who’s aligned with the company values and your values as a leader, who is also going to be able to communicate what you want to achieve on the ground on a daily basis.

Marianna Couvaras: I would agree — a general manager for an outlet is probably the hardest person to recruit, both skills-wise and calibre-wise.

You expect that person to have both front-of-house and back-of-house knowledge, be a good manager, be a good leader, be able to motivate, be able to market the brand and have business acumen on top of all that. So that’s quite a tough role to fill.

Caterer Middle East met up with recruitment and F&B industry professionals atthe elegant Rive Gauche restaurant in The Address Dubai Marina, to consider the challenges affecting hiring in the region — and how to break through them

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b22 Caterer Middle East June 2010

Ziwa Htun: Personally I think you can find people to fill most roles, but it’s a difficult task to find people with real talent; people who can really charm a customer, who have a real passion for service.

Because you can bring someone in who sounds good on paper, but when you get them here maybe they don’t have that natural talent or ability, or are simply not suited to the role.

Samer Abiad: I have found it difficult finding speciality chefs, be-cause they are very particular: they have special techniques or skills that you cannot find just anywhere, and nowadays these qualified chefs have a whole world of opportunity open to them.

Vivek Singh: If you go round Dubai, and look in 50 restaurants

Roundtable F&B recruitment

23June 2010 Caterer Middle East www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b

for a bright, talented restaurant manager, that’s a difficult thing to find too. The young breed of up-and-coming restaurant managers and speciality chefs are mostly working in other parts of the world, Europe and the US, and it’s difficult to get them here.

Why is that?Kotze: I think because Dubai’s so transient, it’s difficult for people to build up a strong reputation in such a small amount of time.

Singh: But we are lucky, in the hospitality industry here; we are at least allowed to hire from any part of the world we wish, whereas many countries actually have restrictions about that.

Couvaras: Absolutely — we can source talent from anywhere and we are really lucky in that respect.

It might take longer to get the guys in, and we might have to ac-commodate them, but each country has its challenges.

Kotze: I think probably the most difficult thing to do is not only

find a person, but also to get them to stay; people often come over here with the mindset that there’ll stay for a finite amount of time.

Singh: From an HR perspective I agree that there is attrition — which can be healthy for a business anyway. But many people do not actually leave the region; they change jobs after a couple of years, but stay in the Middle East.

Personally, I think the main issue we all face is that the truly tal-ented people only make up something like the top 1% of applicants — and nowadays there are a lot of us looking for them.

TAKING PART (from left to right)• Ziwa Htun, HR director, Traders Hotel Dubai

• CD Kotze, F&B manager, Al Manzil & Qamardeen Hotels

• Samer Abiad, assistant director of food and beverage, Al Bustan Rotana

• Marianna Couvaras, head of HRD — Middle East and London, The Meat Co

• Vivek Singh, HR director, The Address Dubai Marina



Where do you source people from nowadays?Htun: When we are looking, the first thing we do is look internally to fill the roles. We encourage internal transfers; within the Middle East properties we share our vacancies every week.

But in our traditional feeder markets, say in the Philippines, pay is getting higher and service charges are getting higher, which of course means people will think twice about leaving their own country.

Singh: I don’t entirely agree with this issue of tradi-tional feeder markets ‘catching up’ with this part of the world. Because if you look at India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines — all the previous feeder markets — then yes, they have improved. But the compensation is still far behind this region in terms of not only salary but also benefits, medical coverage and accommodation.

I think we still have an advantage here regarding not only our employment opportunities and compensation, but also our benefits and the potential to grow here.

Kotze: But to an extent we’ve had to change our way of recruiting in certain countries, because their economic growth and develop-ment means there is no longer the same available recruitment pool.

We specifically don’t recruit in one place, however, we recruit across the board; so if you look at it that way it’s actually a bit of a

positive, because you have to spread your net so much wider. At the same time you have to be creative where you recruit, and find out what is that would attract people there to come and work in Dubai. Because what is attractive to a 23-year-old South African is differ-ent to what you’d sell somebody from Indonesia, for example. You can’t take a blanket approach.

Couvaras: I feel this area has become quite stagnant; when you go into F&B or retail outlets, you seem the same faces everywhere.

We just opened a restaurant in Kuwait, and some-one wrote in and said that it was nice to see fresh faces and attitudes and people who weren’t saying ‘yes ma’m’ and ‘yes sir’ all the time. The industry is looking for different types of people nowadays, and I think it’s important to have diversity and start pulling people from different countries.

Singh: But going back to the earlier point, I do agree; when you travel as a recruiter, it’s a very difficult job. Because if you look at a server in a certain country, say Myanmar, they will ask for X salary, X benefits, you offer him the contract and he will sign it with 200% joy. But if I make the same offer to a youngster in Cape Town, they will turn it down. That’s the reality; it happens. Needs are different, and lifestyles are different.

24

The Address’ Vivek Singh puts his point to the table.

“Sometimes it’s OK for people

to leave, if they’re not loyal to

your concept”

Roundtable F&B recruitment

Couvaras: Looking at another approach, we feel that often the best staff we can get come through our own staff.

It’s through word of mouth that we source the best; our staff know the brand, they know our culture, they know what we’re looking for — and they advertise the best for us as well.

Prior to the downturn, there seemed to be a lot of staff poaching going on; has that stopped now?Kotze: Not exactly; there is always a certain percentage of your staff who will not be 100% loyal to you, because we are a people industry — everybody’s got to work with you from their heart.

So sometimes it’s OK for people to leave, if they’re not loyal to your concept, or your leadership, or your customers.

It can be better to let that person go and find somebody to replace them who does believe in your brand and your style of service.

But if you’re losing 50% of your staff, it’s probably time to look at yourself and consider what you’re doing wrong.

Singh: I think that trend of coming in and offering someone a huge amount of money to jump ship has really petered out.

The industry learnt its lesson from the downturn; it might hap-pen as a one-off, but nowhere near the scale before the crisis.

Kotze: It’s important that you build people up within your brand, for openings in the future. So when those openings come along, you’re not so desperate to find someone that you end up shoving an overpaid, under-qualified person into a role they can’t handle.

Traders Hotel’s Ziwa Htun and Southern Sun’s CD Kotze.


Couvaras: Our strategy is to employ from the back door and push everyone up. It’s easier to find a kitchen porter or a runner or a table-setter than to find a manager with all the required skills. So we work to develop people in-house for those roles.

It’s harder and more time-consuming, but they do become more loyal to the brand, and feel that you’ve invested in them and you’re taking their career seriously.

Is the promise of career security and progression the main factor in staff retention nowadays, rather than the salary on offer?Kotze: It’s important you’re run by your people not your payroll.

Abiad: When we’re doing the annual performance reviews, everyone is looking for a pay rise; but they’re also looking for a more training.

We try to offer lots of incentives as well, to keep our staff happy, because there are so many F&B outlets and hotels around offering competitive salaries.

Htun: The key is taking risks; you have to take some risks and invest in bringing your staff up to the next level. Only then will people stay and grow with your operation.[L-R] Ziwa Htun, CD Kotze, Marianna Couvaras and Vivek Singh.

European Sales Office Tel: +44 (0) 1753-858-188 [email protected]

clearwater is your lobster destination

For the perfect combination of product and promotional support

• diner promotions• point of sale materials

• culinary consulting• menu solutions

• staff education and incentives• management of live lobster logistics

Start your summer promotion now!

Ask how Clearwater can help with innovative and ongoing support:

Live Lobster• full-meated • consistent quality & supply • year round availability

Split Lobster• portion cost control• consistent quality• convenience• great plate coverage Claw and Knuckle Meat• appetizer development opportunities• smaller portions• entry price point• creative freedom

3 Great Summer Promotions

Premium HardShell FreshTM Live Lobster is full-meated and unrivalled for taste and quality.

Nova Scotia Prime Split Lobster is a great alternative with frozen 'chef-ready' convenience and excellent plate coverage.

Nova Scotia Prime Claw and Knuckle Meat offers a creative twist for inspired appetizers.

1

2

3

Your summer lobster promotion will...

• drive traffic

• increase profits

• increase employee satisfaction

• enhance customer experience



Muslin Lemon WrapsUnusual Bamboo skewersWood and Bamboo dishes

Unique Catering DisposablesUnique Catering Disposables

JSD Products (UK) Ltd.Tel: 0044 (0)1727 841111 • Fax: 0044 (0)1727 866169

[email protected] www.jsdproducts.co.uk

‘fast door-to-door service’

What changes would you like to see in the re-cruitment industry in future? Abiad: Today people are more into material stuff — there is still too much focus on the pay packet, and not the opportunity itself. It would be good to see a shake-up on that front.

Couvaras: I’d like to see better recruitment agencies operating in this region, particularly for the F&B industry.

I struggle to find the right quality of candidate from these firms, but it would be great if we could rely on them and reduce our time spent searching.

Kotze: It’s a bit far-fetched, but I’d like to see a bit more appre-ciation of what these people we’re bringing in actually do.

It is a tough environment, because this region has a demanding clientele — partly because they’re used to average service. But if they come in and immediately start demanding things, that can have a negative impact on the server.

Htun: I think one of the main issues today is the hours associ-ated with F&B job; it puts people off taking it up as a career. So I think we need to address the issue of work-life balance more.

I have seen this happen recently in some operations here actu-ally, where they are giving chefs or other F&B staff a two-day weekend, or offering more activities for staff to enjoy in their spare time.

And I think this is an area we need to develop further, so we don’t put off potential F&B talent in future.

The Meat Co’s Marianna Couvaras discusses recruitment issues with The Address’ Vivek Singh.

��

�� !�� "��!�� # ��

��

Industry insightThe growth of local produce





have raised their profile over the past couple of years, and buyers have responded.

“Since the resort operation started in January 2008, we have seen the availability of locally grown items increase — and at the

same time local demand has increased, which means the sup-ply has become more varied.

“For example, two years ago locally grown mangos made up 10% of what was available on the market, while 90% were imported. Today, local farmers are producing over 20%,” Alex says.

However Kempinski Ajman executive chef Didier Gusching — a firm believer in the environmental, financial and taste benefits of growing and buying local pro-duce — believes more chefs need to wake up to the advantages of sourcing locally.

“It is exciting to see producers pushing the limits and producing some of the finest ingredients available today in the region,” he comments.

“But what’s on offer will automatically improve and evolve if we show more interest and increase demand.

“Most of us are not even looking for local products — we sometimes focus on

Using locally-grown produce is a practice that has long been admired in culinary hubs around the world.

Drawing on the very best of local produce, renowned chefs and restaurateurs have emphasised the freshness and traceabil-ity of their food as a major selling-point on their menus.

At first glance, the Middle East might look like it could not support such initiatives: covered in sand, with scorchingly hot summers, the immediate impression is of a fairly hostile environment.

Indeed, the assumption that there is a dearth of local produce here is sustained by the region’s status as a major importer (around 80% of Dubai’s foodstuffs are imported, according to Dubai Municipality).

But Middle East farmers beg to differ. In the UAE, Salata Farms uses hydroponic technology in order to grow fresh produce all year round, resulting in an array of salads, vegetables and berries.

Meanwhile farming organisations Abu Dhabi Organic Farms and Mazaraa employ the ‘Full Cycle of Organic Farming’ in their farm-ing methods, using the waste of their own livestock as compost for the produce grown there.

The groups’ owner and founder, Khaled Butti Al Shamsi, explains: “I did extensive studies to start this operation and used the assistance of many professionals internationally known in the field to progress with my passion for healthier farming. Finally we became the first internationally certified local organic farming producers.”

Another firm driving demand for local goods is Nassar Al Refaee Trading Company (NRTC), an im-porter and exporter of fresh fruits and vegetables that boasts more than 35 years’ experience supplying the region with quality products from the UAE and the Middle East, as well as further afield.

Managing director Mohammad Nas-sar Al Rifai explains: “NRTC leases farms in Liwa to grow vegetables such as cucumbers, capsicums, tomatoes and various salads and herbs. We follow good agricultural practices to grow seasonal produce and to meet local demand.”

So the producers are there — but is the region’s F&B industry making the most of its local suppliers?

According to Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay sous chef

Sam Alex, regional

farmers

Baker & Spice’s Yael Mejia.

To be honest, we haven’t tried to source locally; we rely on what suppliers offer us.

We can’t find any decent local suppliers.

We are themed outlet — we need to use authentic produce from that particular country.

It doesn’t taste as good as the high-quality fresh goods we import.

It’s more expensive to buy locally.

We do; we rely on the region’s farms for the majority of our fresh produce.

Source: www.hoteliermiddleeast.com

34%

26%

20%

POLLWhy do your restaurants not serve locally-grown produce?

13%

7%

0%

Pepper plants.[Salata Farms]



the least expensive imported items rather than favour quality. This approach drives quality down.

“And this is the true importance of local produce,” he continues. “If chefs here embrace this fairly cheap but high quality alternative, they will keep costs in line and dishes will taste how they should!”

Since her arrival in Dubai, Yael Mejia, chief executive of Foodcraft Solutions and brand consultant for Baker & Spice — whose Dubai outlet, located in Souk Al Bahar, recently hosted the UAE’s first Farmers’ Market — has been shocked by the F&B industry’s ap-proach to home-grown produce.

“It’s depressing seeing how few chefs here draw on local resources,” she says. “OK, maybe you used to have to import things in this region; but so what? The world is a different place today — global warming, carbon foot-prints, these things are real. What is it that people can’t be bothered about, why isn’t it their responsibility?

“At Baker & Spice, our suppliers are the local farms; whatever they grow, we use,” she explains.

“And the fact they can’t guarantee one item to us for 365 days of the year, that to us is an exciting notion. It means we need to think, on a daily basis, about what we’re doing; to reinvent the food, rather than being slaves to a menu that is writ-ten in stone and has to be fulfilled come what may.

i i

Caulifl ower growing.[Salata Farms]

Marriott’s Christian Biesbrouck.


www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b June 2010 Caterer Middle East 33

“To me, that makes our lives far more interesting, challenging and exciting; every day is a different adventure.”

Kempinski’s Gusching is similarly regionally-minded: “If you look, you can find virtually everything nearby — rocket and most salads, onions, shallots, sweet potato, cauliflower, carrots, papaya, tomatoes, aubergines, figs, oranges; many things can be grown in this region and they are all good.”

At Oman’s Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay, the menus reflect what is commonly available in the local market — notably fresh seafood — as well as produce from the resort’s own organic garden.

“Some products are always imported, such as Wagyu beef, because they are simply not available here,” notes Alex.

“Occasionally, depending on seasons, we may have to import some vegetables and fruits. However most of the time we receive around 70% of our usage from local suppliers.”

Courtyard by Marriott executive chef Christian Biesbrouck explains that in addition to the property’s own kitchen garden, its supplier partners ensure “many of our items come from neighbour-ing countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iran and Syria”.

However Biesbrouck notes that the menus are “very diverse”, which means products must be sourced from all over the world.

According to Neil Wilkinson, sous chef at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, the top pri-ority is always quality.

“Whether local or im-ported, fresh produce

must be of the highest quality to comple-ment dishes,” he asserts.

“We do prefer using quality local produce and keeping food miles to a minimum, but there are many instances when quality and availability mean we do import produce.”

Meanwhile Okku Restaurant and Lounge founder Markus Thesleff emphasises that the brand “strongly believes in supporting local producers”, but says the Japanese outlet does not currently purchase produce from the local area.

“We have tried — especially for organic produce, which is extreme-ly high on our wish list — but there does not seem to be any supply, and when there is it is neither consistent nor HACCP-approved. Therefore technically, it is not supposed to find its way into DTCM-regulated or five-star hotel supply chains,” he explains.

“We have been in contact with Nazwa Organic Farm, but they simply don’t have the quantities available; so right now we are still looking around to see what alternatives there are.”

In addition to the taste benefits associated with local fresh produce — as Kempinski’s Gusching notes, “there can be nothing better than the flavour and fragrance of freshly harvested fruits or vegetables which have been naturally ripened to perfection, rather than picked months in advance and kept in chillers” — there are the pecuniary and environmental benefits to think of.

Salata Farms managing director Thomas Schwarz explains: “Local production enables chefs to buy fresher produce, year round, at better prices than imports, while also lowering our carbon footprint.”

WDYo

p

Tomato vines.[Salata Farms]

Baker & Spice at Dubai’s Souk Al Bahar.


Marriott’s Biesbrouck claims that while some local produce is competitively priced, it can be expensive — and that quality and consistency are also issues. “In future, it would be good to see this farming done on a greater commercial scale, where the quality is maintained and the costs come down,” he asserts.

+SPEED

Highlighting the environmental benefits of locally grown goods, Kempinski’s Gusching says: “The point we are trying to make is that many things can be grown all around the region and that they offer a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to importing.

“Challenges remain however with a problem of volume and quality control,” he admits. “The next step will be to push producers to un-derstand the needs of the best establishments in term of consistency, calibration and ripeness.

“Furthermore, aside from a handful of great farms, there are still many examples of usage of taste enhancers or irrigation from con-taminated water,” Gusching adds.

“But I believe this will be corrected very soon, thanks to the grow-ing involvement of the governments to assist producers in learning and understanding what can be achieved.”

However Baker & Spice’s Mejia remains concerned that, despite the region’s high profile F&B industry, environmental concerns don’t seem to factor into the equation for many Middle East purchasers.

“There are a few chefs here that are making an effort, but it’s aston-ishing how few,” she asserts.

“And I find the fact that this region’s produce is being flown to Europe during the growing season and the equivalent thereof flown back here, totally ridiculous,” Mejia adds.

“Tomatoes and cucumbers grown here are far superior in every way

thcea“togthc

Baker & Spice, Souk Al Bahar.Bushes of basil.[Salata Farms]





to imported versions. But when you walk into supermarkets, what you see are perfect-looking tomatoes which are water-logged, have no flavour, and basically do not deliver on any level.

“What they do have is staying power; they will sit happily looking very glorious on a shelf for two weeks.

“So essentially, we’re sending superior products to Europe and getting an inferior product flown back here which costs the earth — firstly in your pocket, and secondly in terms of the environment.

“There is no justification in importing produce if it is being grown well nearby. And it’s not a matter of money; it’s a matter of either ignorance or simply not being bothered,” she insists.

“For chefs and purchasers to just carry on business as usual, as if nothing is happening to this world, is immoral — I don’t know how else to put it.”

Considering why so many outlets still rely on imported produce, Kempinski’s Gusching points out that when a new chef coming here asks colleagues about where he can find fresh ingredients, the answer is invariably “that everything can be found through the network of suppliers that bring in anything you want”.

“The current system is dominated by strong import-ers that do an amazing job in bringing quality products from around the world. They have been here for many years, have a good logistical set-up and offer a constant and fairly reliable service,” he observes.

“Furthermore, most head chefs are not Middle East nationals and feel comfortable with products they know.”

However Gushing believes that, as local resources improve, chefs need to start making an effort.“It is true that picking up the phone is much easier

than waking up early to go to the mar-ket, but this is what our job is all

about: fresh ingredients and taste,” he says.

Abu Dhabi Organic Farms and Mazaraa’s Al Shamsi believes more education for the region’s F&B operators could make a big difference.

“From a survey we did across people from various backgrounds, cultures and educational levels, we found that imported fruits and vegetables were perceived to be better than locally grown options. And that is simply due to a lack of understanding regarding the benefits of local purchase,” he asserts.

NRTC’s Al Rifai agrees that the lack of restaurant managers or chefs purchasing local or regional produce “could be because of a lack of awareness about what is available”.

“I hope events such as the Farmers’ Market change that percep-tion,” he says. “Although I also don’t think there is enough supply at the moment to meet local consumption demands.”

This is a valid point; indeed, Salata’s Schwarz says keeping up with demand is the firm’s biggest challenge — although he adds it’s “a nice problem to have”.

“We are responding to this by expanding our capac-ity, details of which will be announced later in the year,” Schwarz reveals.

It seems that there is still work to be done by the re-gion’s farmers, regarding the volume and consistency of produce. But at the same time, there is more going on in the world of local farming than half the buyers

in this region would believe possible.Indeed, when asked in Caterer’s online poll this month about

whether they used locally-grown produce, a majority of 34% admit-ted they had never looked into local options, instead relying on what their suppliers offered them.

Baker & Spice’s Mejia hopes that when the outlet’s Farmers’ Mar-kets start up again, at the beginning of the autumn growing season, chefs will be first in the queue.

“If the restaurants here want to talk the talk about offering the best and being environmentally aware, they need to walk the walk as well,” she concludes.

“It’s not a matter of

money; it’s either ignorance or not being bothered”

T H E D I G I TA L H O M E F O R H O S P I TA L I T Y P R O F E S S I O N A L S I N T H E M I D D L E E A S T

| BREAKING NEWS| EXPERT COMMENT & ANALYSIS| INTERVIEWS OF LEADING INDUSTRY NAMES

| LATEST INDUSTRY EVENTS| TOPICAL ENEWSLETTERS| COMPREHENSIVE DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS, COMPANIES & SERVICES

FOR ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT:D i a r m u i d O ’ M a l l e yPublishing DirectorTel: +971 4 210 8568E-mail: [email protected]

ITP BUSINESS PUBLISHING CO. LTD.Al Hilal Building

PO Box 500024, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesTel: +971 4 210 8000, Fax: +971 4 210 8080,

Email: [email protected], www.itp.com/subscriptions

S a r a h W o r t hCommercial DirectorTel: +971 4 210 8595E-mail: [email protected]


Ingredient focusDairy


The growing health trend has not quashed consumer enthusiasm for dairy goods, but chefs and suppliers still face issues in their quest to further the dairy market

The delights of dairy

Be it milk, cream, butter or cheese, it is hard to get through the day without coming across some kind of dairy produce.

Such foodstuffs have been a staple part of our daily con-sumption over the centuries, and despite radically changing dietary patterns, the same is true today — as Mövenpick Resort Tala Bay Aqaba sous chef Rami Zain points out.

“We use dairy products in all our meals; our use probably exceeds 80% — they are a necessity,” he states.

Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club sous chef Neil Wilkinson agrees: “I would say about 50-60% of people in the Middle East consume dairy products at least once a day, maybe twice.”

Dairy suppliers can also vouch for the products’ success in this region.

Paddy Darcy, Middle East regional manager for Pritchitts

— a Lakeland Dairies company and manufacturer of high quality, super-pasteurised long-life dairy and related goods — comments: “Dairy ingredients are extremely popular across the Middle East, with locally-sourced produce and European and southern hemisphere producers all competing in an extremely tough market.”

And “demand is growing across the GCC”, according to Classic Fine Foods Emirates general manager Thomas Leroy.

However one trend F&B professionals have flagged up recently is that of health awareness.

The region’s governments have become increasingly involved in promoting healthy eating, and now consumer spending is recovering after the financial downturn, health-conscious eating seems to be the next focal point for foodies.

Ingredient focusDairy


But contrary to what may have been expected, given the fat content prevalent in many dairy items, this rising nutritional awareness is actually sustaining demand for such goods.

Mövenpick’s Zain asserts: “All dairy products contain cal-cium, which helps children grow and contains iron to build up the immune system.”

Dubai Creek’s Wilkinson adds that the health trend has not prompted any move away from dairy items, but more interest in how they are used. “We still use about 40% dairy items on our menus; but we incorporate these into a range of dishes, so customers have a choice of healthy options.”

But at same time, suppliers have seen the health trend taking off — and they claim executive chefs are being more careful with what dairy items they purchase as a result.

Pritchitts’ Darcy notes: “Executive chefs are moving towards products with lower fats, especially trans-fats. This reflects the fact that more and more restaurants are preparing healthy options.

“However it is fair to say this trend has not yet taken hold in the Middle East in the same way it has in other regions, such as Europe,” he adds.

Lactalis International overseas general manager Francois-Xavier Rougagnou agrees: “We have recently witnessed a great deal of ‘Eat Healthy’ awareness campaigns right across the Middle East, in which the main message is to cut down on your fat intake.

“As suppliers, it is our role to work with customer demands; so to satisfy this trend, President Brand introduced a light option, the ‘0% Fat’ line.

“This range has captured a decent share of regional sales, proving that consumers are becoming more concerned with the fat content of their dairy foodstuffs,” he observes.

The other key trend relates to the type of dairy chefs are purchasing, with an increased demand for unusual or region-al-specific dairy goods, such as specialist cheeses or creams.

Noting that many dairy items have a short shelf-life, Möv-enpick’s Zain says improved transport has helped this market along significantly, bringing many more unusual dairy items into the region.

Lactalis’ Rougagnou puts the increased demand for more exotic items down to the growing restaurant scene.

“As more international restaurants come into to the region, for example from France, we are receiving requests for specific types of products that are authentically from their country of origin,” he explains.

But chefs are still experiencing problems when it comes to fulfilling their dairy demands.

“Availability from suppliers is still an issue,” says Möven-pick’s Zain.

“We use a lot of dairy products in our cooking, and getting the items delivered on time is somehow a challenge despite the fact that it is all available in the market nowadays.”

Dubai Creek’s Wilkinson agrees, explaining: “The main problem area with regards to availability is imported cheese. You don’t know from one week to the next if you are going to receive it.

“The cost of the cheese itself can also fluctuate depending on timing and where it is imported from.”

Pritchitts’ Darcy agrees that “the main challenge for any exporter is ensuring the continuity of supply”.

“However we have excellent distribution partners in the GCC and they help to ensure that there is a continuous sup-ply of all our products,” he asserts.

But other dairy suppliers are still encountering challenges in bringing goods to the Middle East.

Lactalis’ Rougagnou explains: “In the wide range of cheese that Lactalis produces, some are made out of raw milk — and there are countries in the GCC that do not al-low import of such products, while other places will enforce tough regulations for getting the product into the market.

“So overall, these regualtory differences make importing such products a real challenge.”

Labelling can also be problematic, according to Classic Fine Foods’ Leroy.

“Production in any company must be stopped in order to produce UAE products,” he asserts. “This has a direct impact on price, availability and consistency.”

It seems that dairy products will continue to enjoy a strong standing in the Middle East — albeit in a lighter format, if the health trend really takes hold.

But before the market can advance and offer more diverse items, suppliers may want to see some of the ongoing im-port issues addressed.

WEBSITENOWLIVE

For nomination enquiries please contact:

S e l i n a D e n m a nTel: +971 4 210 8502

Email: [email protected]

For sponsorship opportunities please contact:L e i g h R o c h e

Tel: +971 4 210 8679Email: [email protected]

For table bookings and further enquiries please contact:

A n n i e C h i n o yTel: +971 4 210 8353

Email: [email protected]

www.constructionweekonline.com/cidawards

T U E S D AY 9th NOV2010Dubai, UAE

M E D I A P A R T N E R

For a chance to have your achievements recognized at this year’s awards or to book your place at the gala dinner, please visit:


Supplier newsJune 2010


GCC customs rules causing suppliers strifeAustralian meat supplier highlights need for customs and labelling issues to be addressed

Middle East customs and product label-ling regulations are continuing to raise issues for importers, according to Austra-lian meat supplier Stockyard.

David Clark, general manager of mar-keting for the firm — which provides high quality grain-fed beef across the region, including in the UAE through Country Hill International — explained: “Differ-ent customs clearance and product label-ling requirements into the Middle East add unnecessary expense and additional workload for exporters and importers.

“Coordinating supply and demand brings up challenges when working with a perishable product with a long lead time in production,” he added.

“Increasing supply rapidly through periods of high demand is difficult — al-though communication right through the supply chain can greatly assist in smooth-ing the bumps.”

Speaking to Caterer Middle East earlier this year, Dubai Municipality’s Food Control Department director, Khalid

Supplier news

Stockyard’s Wagyu striploin: plans to harmonise GCC customs laws could make importing such foodstuffs simpler.

Ninth record year for HobartWare washer manufacturer Hobart has declared 2009 its ninth record year in a row.

The company’s upward turnover trend reached €163.5 million (AED 755.1 mil-lion) and international turnover figures rose to US $1.4 billion.

Hobart Europe vice president Ralf Hübner said: “Our innovative products combine economics and ecology at a top level of quality.

“We’ve continuously developed our machines according to customer

Food giant Nestlé is expecting more than 10% growth in the Middle East during 2010 and is building four new factories in the region — one of which will be in Dubai.

Chairman and chief executive of Nestlé Middle East, Yves Manghardt, said he was confident about prospects this year, follow-ing “a tough year with low growth” in 2009.

The Middle East is currently responsible for just 1.4% of Nestlé’s global turnover of US $101.4 billion (AED 372.4 billion).

Nestlé expands in Middle East

Mohammed Sharif Al-Awadhi, revealed the region was working towards unifying import and export regulations.

“It’s our goal to harmonise food safety and import and export systems for the

requirements, and happily our efforts have paid off.”

The Offenburg-based company has expanded in every business division in Germany and international markets, adding a number of new ware washing machines to its range in recent years, despite the global economic crisis.

The company was also awarded a number of national and international awards over the past year — including winning the TOP 11 seal of quality for the third time running.

GCC, with one set of procedures and regulations,” he revealed.

“If we can do that, and all the systems in the GCC are one, things will run a great deal more smoothly.”

Supplier newsJune 2010


SSSSSSuSuSuSuSuuSSuuuuSuuSSSuSSSupppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppllililiiiiliiiiliililiiiiiiiilililiiliiililililillillliieeeerereereerererrerrrrereeereeeeeerrreerrreeee nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn nnnnnnn nnnnnnn nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnneeeeewewewewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeewwwweewweeeeweeweewweeeeewwweeeeewweewewwwwewwwweewwweeeeeeeeeeeeeweeeeeeeeeweeeeeeweewwwwweewwwweeeeeeeweeeeeweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewweeeeeeeeeeeeeweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssJJJJuuuunununJJuunJuuJJuJunJJJuunuJJJuuuuuu eeeeeeeeeeeee 2e 2e 222eee 2eee 2eeee 2eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 2eeeeeeee 2eeeee 2eeeeeeee 2eeeeeeeee 2eeeeee 2eeeee 222eee 22222eeeee 22222e 2222222eeeeeeeee 2222eeee 22200101111111100000000000000000000010100000000001110000000000 0000000010000010000000000 00000000000001000000111000000000 0000011100001110000001110000010001110000001111011000

World Barista Championship Bronze Sponsor

International Bartenders Association World Wide Champion

Discover ultimate recipes on www.monin.com

[email protected] / Tel : +971 4 344 2464

Great fruity drinks, so easy to makeJust add Le Fruit, no need to add sugar or anything else. Especially designed for professionals, Le Fruit de MONIN has the true taste and texture of fruit for great fruity drinks !

Brazil Trade Middle Eastrecords millions in dealsThe first ever edition of Brazil Trade Middle East recorded US $52 million in deals either closed during the event or to be consum-mated within the next 12 months.

The event — which was organised by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex Brazil) and ran from May 9-11 at the InterContinental Hotel Dubai Festival City — saw around 560 business meetings held over three days.

The event was inaugurated by the Brazilian Ambassador to the Middle East, His Excellency Raul Campos e Castro.

Commenting on the event, Apex-Brazil business director Mauri-cio Borges noted: “Brazil Trade Middle East underscored the need to heighten trade relations between Brazil and the Arab region, especially as we are witnessing signs of a steady shift towards global economic recovery.

“From 2003 to 2009, the trade flow between Brazil and the group of countries comprising Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon jumped from US $2.54 billion to US $6.89 billion.

“Brazil Trade Middle East provides an opportunity for us to not only further strengthen our commercial ties with this part of the world but also to fully express our appreciation for the support of our Arab partners,” he asserted.

Apex-Brazil business director Mauricio Borges.

Show reviewThe Hotel Show

Caterer Middle East June 2010 www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b44 CaCaCaCaCCaCaCCaCaCaCaCaCaCaCaCaCaCaCCaCaCaCaCaCaCaCaCCCaCaCaaaCaCaCaCaaCaCatetetetetetetetetetetetetetetetteteeetteteteettetetetetettetteterrererrererererereeeerrrereeerrrrererrereeeeeeeeeeererreereereererreeeereeeeeeereeeeerr r r rrrr rrrrr MiMMiMMiMiMiMiMMMMMMMMMMiMiMMiMMiMMiMiMiMiMiMMMMMMMiMiiMiMiiMiMMMiMMMMMMiMMiMMiMiMiiMiMiMiiiMiMiMMMMMMiMiMiMMiMiiiiiMiMMiMMMMiiiiMiiMMMiMiMiMMMMMMMiiiMiiMiMMMMiMiMiMMMMiiMiMMMMMMMiMMiMiiiiMiMMiMMMMiiMiMMMMMMiMiiiiiMMMMiiMiMiiiMMMMMMMiMiMiiMMiMMMMMMMMMiMMiMiMiiiiMMMMMMMiiiiiMMMMMMiiiiiMMMiiiiMMMiiiMMMMiiMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMiiMMiiiidddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddlllelelellelelelellllllllllllelllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllle E EE E E aasaasssssssssssssssssssssssassssssssssssssssssstttttttttttttttttttttt J J JJJJunununununnunnunnnneee eeeeeee 202020020000202220101010101010110100114444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444

“We are absolutely

delighted by the quality of visitors we have had to

the stand”

Caterer Middle East June 2010

Last month saw the Dubai Exhibition Cen-tre play host to annual hospitality trade event The Hotel Show, which ran from May 18-20 and featured international suppliers exhibit-ing products for the hotel and F&B industries.

Though it was a smaller af-fair than last year’s offering, participants were keen to dis-miss the idea that less people meant less business.

“Traffic-wise it was a bit on the low side, but quality-wise it was right up there. So we are absolutely delighted by the quality of visitors that we have had to the stand, and the contacts that we’ve made,” said Martin Vella, international busi-ness development manager of Eagle K-wear.

Justin Posner, managing director of JM Posner, also had a successful show and main-tained he’d had some promising leads.

“There was not a huge volume of people

here compared to Gulfood, but I do believe that the people who have come along are actually people who do want to buy something, which makes a difference,” he

pointed out.“Getting the

right people coming

The Hotel Show 2010Talking to exhibitors at the 2010 edition of the region’s established Hotel Show, Harriet Sinclairfinds that the annual hospitality trade event has returned with less people, but more promise

along is what you want, because it’s not about volume, it’s about quality.”

This opinion was shared by Meeting Point Group managing director Sufyan Al Muhais-

en, who said that the positive response at the show meant he would be returning next year.

“This is our first time at The Hotel Show and we have had some good leads. We will definitely be coming back next time,” he confirmed.

But although exhibitors found some quality customers, people were by no means under the illusion that business in the

region was back to full strength.EuroCave export area manager Florence

Bonnier commented: “Honestly, I think we are in the middle of the recession. Of course the food and beverage industry has been af-fected, as there as less people in hotels so this impacts on us as well.

“But we are launching new products — such at So wine devices, which we think will be popular. But these things take time in this marketplace,” she observed.

Also emphasising that the economic crisis was not yet over was Bentley managing di-rector Mark Okkerse.

“If you had asked me three months ago, I would have said ‘what crisis’, as we were de-livering orders from 2008. But now, things have changed,” he said.

“Having said that, we are still developing new products like the eco-kettle, which en-courages people to use less energy — and that remains attractive in a downturn,” Ok-kerse asserted.

According to Boncafé Middle East market-ing and PR manager Sally Francis, develop-

Eagle K-wear’s Martin Vella.

A chocolate fountain from JM Posner.

83%of 2009 visitors considered placing

an order as a result of the show

Meeting Point’s Sufyan Al Muhaisen.

Show reviewThe Hotel Show


ing new products and concentrating on the needs of existing customers has remained key to any company’s survival.

“Obviously there was a downturn with new hotel openings, everything slowed down — but we found that we’ve just had to concentrate on our existing clients, looking at things like our new in-room solutions,” she explained. “And even in a recession, coffee sales remained pretty good.”

Nespresso senior business development executive Vinod Alexander Chacko agreed, underlining the growing strength

of the coffee market in the region.“For Nespresso, business has remained much the same [during the downturn] and even

continued to grow,” he said.“You have expats here who can’t start their

morning without Nespresso; when we open our boutique in Dubai Mall each morn-ing, there are people queuing up to buy our products!”After a full three days of launches, enqui-

ries and trading, the overall verdict was that although traffic had

been slower than in previ-ous years, the quality of stand enquiries had been higher. Hopefully these quality visitors have sowed the seeds for fresh business opportunities to take root.

Boncafé’s Sally Francis: concentrating on customers. Coffee machine provider Nespresso says it has seen business grow since the fi nancial downturn.

EuroCave’s Florence Bonnier.

Work Smarter.

Smarter Recycling.

RECYCLING SOLUTIONSFOR WASTE MANAGEMENT

Sort and segregate multiple waste streams Improve productivity and help reduce labor costs Encourage compliance

Learn more about our solutions call: +971 4 2923411 or e-mail: [email protected]/green

F&B essentials Coffee machines

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b46 Caterer Middle East June 2010

WMF 2000 SThe WMF 2000 S prepares coffee specialities with milk at the touch of a button. There are three grades of milk foam available: ‘superfine’, dense foam with a creamy consisten-cy; ‘fine’, suitable for cappuc-cino making; and ‘standard’, for extra-large quantities. The WMF 2000 S is suitable for medium demand, with a daily capacity of up to 200 cups.

La MarquiseTel: +971 4 343 3478Fax: +971 4 343 3498Email: [email protected]

International coffee company’s 43rd training centre is the first for Middle East

Lavazza opens fi rst Dubai training centre

Coffee company Lavazza has opened its first training centre in the Middle East, off Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road.

Officially launched on May 12, the centre is the company’s 43rd training centre worldwide.

Providing Lavazza coffee training to clientele “from housewives to coffee profession-als”, the new centre marks the beginning of the brand’s plans for regional growth.

Lavazza director of training worldwide Marcello Aran-cangeli said: “The UAE is an important market for Lavazza, and our newest training centre demonstrates our long term commitment to growing the coffee sector in this area.”

The firm’s business develop-ment manager Middle East Fadi Haddad added: “We see huge

The team: Keith Cox, Ruth Kirwan, Daniel Modaffari and Fadi Haddad open the fi rst Lavazza training centre in region.

Kalina System Nestlé Professional has introduced the new Kalina system which is ideal for front-of-house use. Kalina features a high dispensing capacity, makes eight dif-ferent types of hot beverag-es from a variety of Nestlé vending products, has an overheat protector and also come with an auto-clean and rinse facility.

Nestlé ProfessionalTel: +971 4 408 8100Fax: +971 4 341 0159Web: www.nestleprofessional.com

potential in the Middle East market, it’s booming everywhere — from Dubai to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Lebanon. So yes, we have good plans.”

The Lavazza course covers a range of subjects, from the

providing them with new coffee-making techniques, as well as taste training.

The company said it had hopes of expanding and opening more Middle East Lavazza training centres in the near future.

coffee crop and production pro-cesses to the equipment needed for making a proper espresso, and participants are encouraged to be innovative and creative.

Each year Lavazza trains over 25,000 baristas internationally,


Dates for the diaryCalendar

June 3-6Dafood 2010Daegu, KoreaGlobal exhibiton for food and

beverage industry professionals.

www.dafood.co.kr/eng

June 9-11Interfood AstanaAstana, Kazakhstan An opportunity to view new

products and developments

from leading Kazakhstani and

international food producers.

www.astanafood.kz/en

June 15-16Bar 10London, United Kingdom The 10th instalment of the

renowned bar supplies exhibition

will play host to leading

international brands as well as

unique, specialist suppliers from

all sectors of the industry.

www.barshow.co.uk

June 23-25 11th Annual World Barista ChampionshipLondon, United KingdomAn annual championship event

that serves as the culmination of

local and regional events around

the globe.

www.worldbaristachampionship.com

June 23-26 Food Taipei 2010Taipei, Taiwan

The 20th Taipei International

Food Show unites Asian F&B

suppliers with thousands of

purchasers from around the world.

www.foodtaipei.com.tw

June 23-27 Malaysia International Halal ShowcaseKuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThe largest annual gathering

of halal industry players and

entrepreneurs from all over the

world, facilitating the sourcing

and selling of quality halal goods

from across the globe.

www.halal.com.my

June 24-27Expo Gateway Middle East

Gaziantep, Turkey The 5th international Expo

Gateway Middle East invites trade

visitors and the general public

to interact with leading players

across multiple sectors, including

agriculture, food and machinery,

and retail.

www.forumfuar.com

June 30-July 2The 8th International Hospitality Equipment & Supplies Fair Guangzhou, China Asia’s largest mid-year hospitality

supplies exhibition attracts trade

professionals from the F&B and

hospitality industries.

www.hosfair.com

DATES FOR THE DIARY... June 2010

knives . ancillary items . sharpening steels . grinding machinesFriedr. Dick GmbH & Co. KG · Postfach 1173 · D-73777 Deizisau

[email protected] · www.dick.de

Traditionsmarke der Profis

■ Simply draw blade through rods for a perfect edge everytime

■ Sharpening rods with wear resistingand super hard special coating

■ Fast and safe operation

■ Easy and safe to operate

■ Precision and safety

■ Resistant sharpening wheels thanks to diamonds and hard ceramics

✶

✶

Your System ProviderCutting, Sharpening, Grinding

■ High quality steel – laser-tested cutting edge

■ Soft, abrasion proof and non-slip plastic handle

■ Ergonomic handle, perfect in volume

+ +

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W


SupplierProduct showcase


French brand Qui est Paul offers modern design furniture. The company works with interna-tional young designers to deliver original and innovative models, available in 13 different colours.

Qui est PaulTel: +33 545 708 910 Fax: +33 545 663 439Email: [email protected]: www.qui-est-paul.com

Every month Caterer Middle East brings you the best and brightest new F&B products

New products

Vito

Earth Glass Loto and Ninfea Relax

Qui est Paul

Vito keeps oil in optimal condition and decreases consumption by removing harmful carbon, micro-particles and suspended sedi-ments. This increases the lifetime of the oil by up to 50%, which

means less frequent changes, lower consumption and smaller stock requirements.

SYS Systemfiltration GmbHTel: +49 746 196 2890Email: [email protected]: www.systemfiltration.com

This eco-friendly stone-look mosaic with glass features — which integrates slate, basalt or limestone with wood or other ma-terials — has multiple uses, from sink backing to wall decoration.

ONIX Cerámica SLTel: +34 964 776 287 Email: [email protected]: www.onixmosaic.com

This collection of lounge arm-chairs and wide tables comes in a range of sizes, in white and coffee colours. Made up of glass, aluminium and polypropylene, the collection is centred on cre-ative experimentation, solidity, style and practicality, and was

created in collaboration with designer Raffaello Galiotto.

Nardi Tel: +39 44 442 2100Fax: +39 44 442 2150Email: [email protected] Web: www.nardigarden.it

602 SeriesThe 602 series from Precision gives a choice of upright cabinets with the doors on either the wide or narrow side. Standard features include stainless steel interior and exte-rior, iCool ‘smart’ energy saving controls, 600 litres of storage and a removable shelving system.

PrecisionTel: +44 1842 753 994Fax: +44 1842 766 636Email: [email protected]: www.precision-refrigeration.co.uk

SupplierProduct showcase


Eagle K-wear has styles to cover the whole range of uniform categories across hospitality operations.

The firm’s collections feature work wear, hotel and restaurant uniforms, school uniforms and healthcare, sportswear and leisure outfits.

Eagle K-wearTel: +356 21 442 329 Fax: +356 21 445 575Email: [email protected]: www.eaglek-wear.com

Outdoor rugsThis new collection of outdoor rugs, features fabrics designed by Patricia Urquiola exclusively for Kettal. Made of Chenilletex and protected by a layer of non-slip PVC, they are available in four colours: Kernel Red or Brown, and Paddock Red or Brown. Kettal Rugs measure 300x200cm.

Kettal SATel: +34 93 487 9090Fax: +34 93 487 9066Email: [email protected] Web: www.kettal.com

Eagle K-wear Company Limited

Bespoke Design ServiceIn addition to the ranges available from stock in the Simon Jersey catalogue, A Ronai is now able to offer customers a bespoke design and manufacturing service, ensuring all departments in your busi-ness get relevant, attractive and practical uniform solutions.

A RonaiTel: +971 4 341 4409Fax: +971 4 341 4457Email: [email protected]: www.ronai.co.uk

DetpakProviding a range of packaging solutions, Detpak has recently launched the Rebbit range. This line boasts the same ap-pearance as existing product counterparts, but has the added benefit of being completely compostable.

The initial collection consists of Ripple-Wrap Hot Cups, Retail Bags, Sandwich Wedges and Bakery Bags, with plans to extend to include other products in the near future. DetpakTel: +971 4 886 4311Fax: +971 4 886 4312Email: [email protected]: www.detpak.com

Indel BIndel B mini-bars come with different types of cooling systems. The Drink Plus range has a traditional absorption cooling system while the K Plus line is equipped with a low energy consumption compressor cooling system.

Drink Plus and K Plus both have internal aluminium shelves and transparent balconies, and are avail-able with a triple glass door.

Indel BTel: +39 0541 848 711Fax: +39 0541 848 000Email: [email protected]: www.indelb.com

Distributors & supplies directory

DistributorsDistributors

SuppliersSuppliers

ABC BakingTel: 009714 885 3788Email: [email protected]

B.A.K. (Oman)Tel: +968 - 2459 1065 Fax : +968 - 2459 6270 Email: [email protected]

Baqer MohebiTel: +971 4 396 9777Email: [email protected](Marketing & distribution of food & non food FMCG, food ingredients & Cuban Cigars)

BEVERAGES

BoncafeTel: +971 4 2828742Email: [email protected]

FrankeTel: +41 6 2787 3607www.franke-cs.com

LavazzaTel: +971 50 5959385Fax: +971 4 3211274Email: [email protected]

Marco BeveragesTel: 01933 666 488Email: [email protected]

MoninTel: +971 50 940 0918Email: [email protected]

Nestlé ProfessionalTel: +971 4 408 8100Email: [email protected]

SchaererTel: +41 318 585111Email: [email protected]

COOKING

ConvothermTel: +49 884 7670Email: [email protected]

MKNTel: +49 5 3 318 9207Email: [email protected]

Country Hill InternationalTel: +971 4 347 0200Email: [email protected]

Emf Emirates Tel: +971 4 2861166 Fax: +971 4 2863080 Email: [email protected]

Horeca Trade LlcTel: +971 4 3403330Email: [email protected]

www.horecatrade.com

Lactalis InternationalTel: +971 4 3298061Email: [email protected]

La MarquiseTel: +971 4 343 3478Email: [email protected]

NTDETel: +9714 - 285 2222

Fax : +9714 - 222 2900Email: [email protected] www.ntde.ae

Shura TradingTel: +971 2 6730 565 Email: [email protected]

TSSCTel: +971 4 343 1100Email: [email protected](Catering/kitchen equipment, chocolate/coffee equipment, FMCG, refrigeration)

FOODSTUFF

Al DiyafaTel: 009714 369 2888Email: [email protected]

Bakemart LlcTel: +971 4 2675406Email: [email protected]

Clearwater SeafoodsTel: 001 902 443 0550Email: [email protected]

CSM Deutschland GmbHTel: +49 421 3502 387Email: [email protected]

Giles & PosnerTel: +44 1923 234040Fax: +44 1923 245151 Email: [email protected]

LambwestonTel: +971 50 6447837Email: [email protected]

Nestlé ProfessionalTel: +971 4 408 8100Email: [email protected]

PritchittsTel: 02082907020Email: [email protected]

QuraishTel: +966 2 6532441Email: [email protected]

Tulsidas LalchandTel: +971 4 3533736 Email: [email protected]

Unilever FoodsolutionsTel: +971 4 881 5552Email: [email protected]

HYGIENE

Johnson Diversey Gulf FzeTel: +971 4 881 9470www.johnsondiversey.com

MGK/TemptrakTel: 009714 [email protected].

Newell RubbermaidTel: +971 4 292 3444Email: [email protected]

RESTAURANT/HOTEL SUPPLIES

Churchill China Tel: +44 1782 524371Email: [email protected]

www.churchillchina.com

Dalebrook Supplies LtdTel: 0044 1376 510101Email: [email protected]://www.dalebrookonline.com

Duni ABTel: +46 40 10 62 00Fax: +46 40 39 66 30Email: [email protected]

Impulse EnterprisesTel: 001 954 9579917Email: [email protected]

JSD ProductsTel: +44 1727 841111Email: [email protected] www.jsdproducts.co.uk

ProcurioTel: 009714 334 1040Email: [email protected]

Royal HostTel: +966 2 2522289Email: [email protected]

Villeroy and BochTel: +352 46821208Email: [email protected]

CATERING EQUIPMENT

Electrolux ProfessionalTel: +39 0434380304Email: [email protected]

Koma Middle EastTel: 9714 887 3334Email: [email protected] Robot CoupeTel: 0033 143 988833Email: [email protected]

KNIVES

DickTel: +49 7 153 8170Email: [email protected]

Victorinox AGTel: +41 41 818 12 64Email: [email protected] www.victorinox.com

AppointmentsJune 2010

Tapas bar Seville’s at Wafi Centre, has welcomed a new management duo.

Sous chef Carles Colomé Grau started his career in Barcelona at age 17, and worked in London prior to his move to Dubai. His new menu features a variety of tapas and regional specialities.

New restaurant manager Jaime Castaneda, a graduate of the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, has worked for a variety of well-know restaurants, including La Veranda in the Ritz-Carlton Marbella.

Naresh Jag-tiani has been appointed as the regional manager, foodservice at Coffee Planet.

Jagtiani began his career in Kuwait at Zana Trading, following which he joined the MH Alshaya Company as business alliance manager for the Starbucks brand.

The new role will see him in charge of further developing the corporate and hospitality businesses at Coffee Planet.

Jagtiani commented: “What Coffee Planet has achieved in the last five years is immense.

“They have found a way to build a successful business in a very competitive market.”

Emmanuel Pauliat has been appoint-ed to the role of executive chef at Crowne Plaza Dubai,

on Sheikh Zayed Road.The French national began

his career in 1991 at Auberge de la Terriere in France, and after 12 years of hard work in the kitchen, in 2005 he joined the IHG family at the Inter-continental Muscat, Oman.

Excited about joining one of the group’s flagship regional properties, Pauliat aims to win over Dubai diners through his expert fusion of Arabic and French cuisine.

AppointmentsRenaissance Dubai Hotel has promoted its former executive chef Andreas Kurfürst to

director of food and beverage.Kurfürst started his career in

Dubai in 1990, and joined the Renaissance Dubai in 2003. He is also the vice president of the Emirates Culinary Guild.

Taking on the role of executive chef is Amgad Zaki, who has served as the hotel’s executive sous chef for more than three years.

Made with professional pride

NEW! Sweet Potato FriesNatural sweetness, a smooth texture and a crispy bite.

www.lambweston.com

KSA: Al Munajem Cold Stores +966 147 55555 and Al Diyafa Co. for catering Services +966 265 58872. Kuwait: Al Yasra Food Co. +96522249100. UAE: Horeca Trade 800-3210 (Toll free). Oman: Al Khan Foodstuff LLC +968 24794488. Bahrain: Fine Foods 00973 17729300. Egypt: Al Motaheda Distribution & Supply +201 22375693. Qatar: Ali Bin Ali & Partners +974 4895666. Jordan: GTC +962 6 4129650. Lebanon: I. Hakim Dowek & Sons s.a.l. +961 (0)5 456680.


Last biteInterview


On CameraThe Caterer snappers were out and about at this month’s F&B events; were you caught on camera?Tm

The Westin Dubai launched Spice Emporium’s new menu with ‘Flavours of Thailand’, showcasingchef Khampun Plangthaisong’s traditional dishes.

The Address Dubai Marina kicked off the 2010 Arabian Travel Market in style, with the official show launch party on the first evening.

g ng’s traditional dishes.

Caterer

Last biteGallery

T2offThe Unilever Chef of the Year

competition saw young chefs in cook-off

at Emirates Academy of Hospitality...

...Management. The winner, Ruben Rebuffo from Hilton Jumeirah, will represent the region at the finals in South Africa this September.

ATM Party

The Westin’s Tolga Sezer Lacin, Nazlee

Tayob and Shaun Parsons enjoy the evening.A ‘smoking’ array of snacks impressed the guests.

Last biteInterview


...well as a delicious range of dishes from outlets at the Dubai hotel and the capital’s Fairmont Bab Al Bahr.

www hoteliermiddleeast com/f&b

The Al Badia Golf Club, managed by

InterContinental Hotels Group, hosted a dazzling

‘White Party’ at its new outdoor events venue.

Last biteInterview

Last biteGallery

6

...frth

The Fairmont party, held in the 30-room

penthouse suite, wowed guests with opulent

setting and authentic entertainment, as...

Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates showed

off its snowy side with a Swiss-themed winter

wonderland at the diverse Sezzam restaurant.

Raffles Dubai gave guests a warm

welcome to its glamorous gathering at

the hotel’s Fire & Ice restaurant.

The post-show shindig at Mosaiaco in Jumeirah Emirates Towers featured first-rate food, as well as some jazzy entertainment.

The Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach event demonstrated the skills of chefs at The Talk, with an impressive array of delicacies.

ATM Pa

rty

ATM Party

ATM Party

ATM P

arty

ATM P

arty ATM Par

ty

caterer middle east - june 2010

Documents

caterer middle east

middle east market55

comfbcaterer middle

fb recruitment

caterer awardsthe search

year title

exciting fb events