< PreviousPublished by and © 2019 ITP MEDIA GROUP FZ-LLC PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 (0)4 444 3000 Web: www.itp.com Offi ces in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, London & Mumbai ITP Media Group CEO Ali Akawi Managing Director Alex Reeve Group Editorial Director Greg Wilson Editorial Editor Simon Ritchie Tel: +971 4 444 3550 email: simon.ritchie@itp.com Advertising Sales Manager Emma Barnett Tel: +971 4 444 3115 email: emma.barnett@itp.com International Sales Manager Amanda Stewart GSM: +44 7908 117 333 email: amanda.stewart@itp.com ITP Live General Manager Ahmad Bashour Tel: +971 4 444 3549, email: ahmad.bashour@itp.com Studio Assistant Designer Rita Ghantous Photography Senior Photographers Efraim Evidor, Adel Rashid Staff Photographers Aasiya Jagadeesh, Ajith Narendra, Fritz John Asuro, Yuliya Petrovich, Jessica Samson Cover Photo: Aasiya Jagadeesh Production & Distribution Group Production & Distribution Director Kyle Smith Production Manager Basel Al Kassem Production Coordinator Mahendra Pawar Senior Image Editor Emmalyn Robles Circulation Head of Circulation Vanessa D'Souza Circulation Executive Loreta Regencia Marketing Director of Awards and Marketing Daniel Fewtrell Events Manager, Business Events Teri Dunstan ITP Group CEO Ali Akawi CFO Toby Jay Spencer-Davies 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. GENDER EQUALITY: CLOSER THAN EVER? EDITOR’S LETTER Simon Ritchie DATES FOR THE DIARY... As a millennial it’s easy to naively think the battle for equality has been won. Growing up in a school system where girls were encouraged just as much as the boys, and where university students are majority fe- male (my university class was 75% women, no that’s not why I chose it), there didn’t seem to be any obstacles for the women I knew to achieve everything they wanted in life. Like us boys, they just had to go out and take it. But at the recent Hotelier Middle East Great GM Debate, Swiss-Belhotel’s Laurent Voivenel said some owners of hotels would rather not hire women GMs because they don’t feel they can get angry and be themselves in front of them. Is this an issue with restaurant owners also? Do we have fewer female head chefs than we should have because of outdated views? In the past few weeks the industry was abuzz with alleged comments from Marco Pierre White suggesting women were too emo- tional for the kitchen and couldn’t handle the pressure. An attitude more befi tting the dark ages than the 21st century. I was disappointed to read these comments from such a highly re- garded chef, and was delighted when I spoke with White in person and he assured me they were ridiculous and untrue — in fact he had praised women as being better than men in the kitchen. Unfortunately for White it’s true that a lie can be halfway round the world before the truth gets its shoes on, so many people will have now written him off as a Neanderthal. The question is that though White may not hold these views, how many men, particularly of an older generation, still do? I wanted to speak with women who have reached positions of power in the industry, who now lead teams and have the confi- dence of their restaurant owners. How did they get there? How much of a challenge was it? What obstacles did they have to overcome along the way? I found so much positivity, along with some awful stories of sexism, but most of all I found a group of women who believed in themselves and had the courage and talent to make it to the top. Now that they are in fantastic jobs in the in- dustry, they have the chance to be role models for the next generation of young women get- ting involved in F&B, and all spoke to me about their desire to help others get into the posi- tions they are in. We are about to launch the search for the next Caterer Middle East Power 50 (stay tuned to the website for more information on that), I wonder if we’ll see more women than last year? I hope so. Simon Ritchie, editor Email: simon.ritchie@itp.com Tel: +971 4 444 3550 Twitter/Instagram: CatererME Facebook: CatererMiddleEast OCTOBER 18-22 HOST MILANO Fieramilano, Milan host.fi eramilano.it OCTOBER 23 Hotelier Middle East Awards Dubai www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/awards OCTOBER 29-31 Gulfood Manufacturing DWTC, Dubai www.gulfoodmanufacturing.com DECEMBER 9-11 SIAL Middle East ADNEC, Abu Dhabi www.sialme.com MEDIA Editor’s Comment Volume 15 Issue 10 Caterer Middle East | October 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com 10/TM DUBAI - UAE, P.O. Box 74476 T: 800 LMIAE E: info@lmi.ae www.lmi.ae ABU DHABI - UAE, P.O. Box 35921 T: +971 2 6587487 E: auh.salesco@lmi.ae MUSCAT - OMAN, P.O. Box 89 T: +968 2 4299277 E: admin@lmi.om www.lmi.omNews and Comment Samantha Wood Caterer Middle East | October 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com 12/ As anyone working in the hospitality or F&B industry knows, service charge and tipping are in fact two diff erent practices. The challenge we have is that the average diner is largely unaware and lumps these two components together. Here in the UAE, restaurants who implement service charge, either add this to the bill at the end, or include it in the total. In both these cases, most establish- ments will use these funds for ‘team- building’ activities, breakages, or the like. It’s not often that staff see these dirhams added to their salary or distributed in cash. So unless one tips, ideally with cash, employees do not benefi t. I urge all hotels and restaurants to Personally, if the service impresses, I will always tip in cash — but I appreciate I might be the exception. We all know that staff jump ship to busier restaurants to earn higher tips, so with more disclosure, establishments are more likely to retain their better talent and reduce turnover. This leads in nicely to the endless din- ners restaurants are comping in the age of infl uencer and media marketing. I hear feedback from owners and operators that rarely do these guests on freebies leave a tip – a fact that astounds me. Etiquette dic- tates that if someone extends an invitation to his or her house for dinner, one takes a gift of some kind. So surely the same gesture should apply in a restaurant? A tip as a gift. And that amount really should equate to a minimum 10% of the estimated total bill. It’s also a small gesture towards the long, arduous and, sometimes, thank- less hours operations teams have to work. Believe me, I know, my father has dedi- cated his whole life to this industry. Needless to say, for any of the scenarios discussed here, one typically only tips if the service impresses, but I should hope, if one is invited, the team is on high alert and ready to wow. After all, the myth, and I emphasise myth, says ‘tip’ is an acronym for ‘to insure promptness’. I would argue that should read ‘ensure’. Do what you wish with this random tale. Let’s conclude with the controversial splitting of tips. In reality who gets more? Front-of-house or kitchen? Provided sala- ries are on a par (which we know is not the case, but that’s a subject for another comment piece), then tips should be split equally — in the same vein that both food and service are equal pre-requisites to an excellent dining experience. In reality though, waiting staff earn less, so it’s only fair their proportion of tips should be higher. Agree or disagree? Samantha Wood is a food writer, consult- ant and event organiser with 25 years of experience. Wood is also the founder of impartial restaurant review website www. foodiva.net and the curator of dining experiences. She can be contacted on every social media channel or by email on samantha@foodiva.net disclose their service charge policy on presentation of the bill, either by clarify- ing clearly in print or in person, so that the diner can make an informed decision. My objective here is to highlight the issue of lack of transparency. Consumers are unaware of this practice and are paying a service charge, thinking it’s a tip that will get distributed amongst the staff . Alas, that’s not the case. I urge all hotels and res- taurants to disclose their service charge policy on presentation of the bill, either by clarifying clearly in print or in person, so that the diner can make an informed decision. My rule of thumb is to ask the waiter what happens to the service charge, so I can decide on tipping, and how much. SAMANTHA WOOD THE CONUNDRUMS OF SERVICE CHARGE AND TIPPINGSURPRIS INGLY INGENIOUS 29 October - 31 October 2019 AUSTRIAN PAVILION Dubai World Trade Centre Ingredients: Sheikh Saeed Hall 1 | Processing: Hall 3 C3-50 AHT Cooling Systems | www.aht.at Cooler and freezers for the food retail sector and industry D3-49 Alpine Engineering | www.alpine.co.at Equipment for the pharmaceutical and food stuffs industries C3-35 Berndorf Band | www.berndorfband-group.com Steel belts and belt systems S-B80 Christl Gewürze | www.christl.cc Development of custom made nitrite curing salt blends same as spice mixtures D3-47 Fruittech | www.fruittech.at Development, design, production and distribution of food machines S-B82 MOGUNTIA Food | www.moguntia.com Food service: soups, sauces, kitchen aids, desserts. Food ingredients: spices, additives, compounds, flavours, marinades C3-46 PET Technologies | www.pet-eu.com Blow molding equipment and blow molds D3-39 Resom | www.resom.com Automatic leakage and materials fatigue testing of plate and tube heat exchangers C3-42 voran Maschinen | www.voran.at Fruit processing systems D3-36 z-moulds | www.z-moulds.com Caps and Closures for the packaging industry S-B76 Zaltech International | www.zaltech.com Spice and flavourings mixtures For more information: Austrian Trade Commission, Abu Dhabi T +971 2 64 33 988 F +971 2 64 33 455 E abudhabi@advantageaustria.org W www.advantageaustria.org/ae Gulfood Manufacturing 2019 www.advantageaustria.org The Austrian ExhibitorsMercado Andaluz is the fi rst Spanish restaurant in Amman, Jor- dan. We have a selection of famous tapas and paellas, which are accompanied by sangrias to transmit a special atmosphere to our customers, transporting them to the Rambla de Barcelona and the Plaza Mayor in Madrid. At Mercado Andaluz, our prices are very reasonable. We have opted for fresh quality products with competitive prices, working closely with our suppliers to make a thorough analysis of the cost of our recipes to give our clients the best bet. With great Spanish infl uence, we make the Andalusian market an attractive restaurant for our local customers and for the expatri- ate community in Amman. We give unquestionable quality in our products and services, working day by day to maintain the best standards for our customers. What is unique about Mercado Andaluz and how does it compare to its competitors in the market? How is the pricing strategy justified? How has Mercado Andaluz adapted to bringing in new customers in a competitive market? What diff ers us from others is our authentic Spanish culinary tasting, created by our Valencian chef, as well as the passionate service from St. Regis’s hosts; not to mention that the restaurant is located in the best address in Amman and this all makes it a perfect combination to compete with ourselves. Our pricing strategy is all about helping our Jordanian luminaries save on fl ight tickets so they do not have to travel to Spain for a taste of authentic Spanish cuisine. They can get it on their doorstep at Mercado Andaluz. We also understand our strengths and limitations such as our Spanish authenticity and aggressive price point strategy. Also, we constantly develop and understand our customers’ needs, and by promoting Marriot Bonvoy membership benefi ts and adapting dif- ferent menus, we create an ambiance to meet cultural expectations. AMMANDALUCIA Juan Sobero, chef de cuisine Khalid Bseiso, hotel manager At the newly opened St. Regis Amman, Mercado Andaluz is causing a stir. The concept’s chef de cuisine and the hotel manager tell us why The biggest challenge is to introduce a completely new market of Spanish cuisine to Amman, always evolve in creating new authentic Spanish dishes by keeping it interesting and satisfying our custom- ers’ taste buds. What are the biggest challenges you face? Launching this exciting concept in the summer with limited outdoor spacing was challenging. However, this experience will help better our future as we have a big surprise for our luminaries when we launch the large outdoor space next season. What does the future of Mercado Andaluz look like? For Mercado Andaluz, the future looks promising. We are work- ing on many events to gather families and friends for a Spanish brunch, lunch or dinner. My crystal ball says that an exciting brunch, brand new outdoor space for winter and real flamenco entertainment are on the way soon! HEAD TO HEAD Head-to-Head St. Regis Amman Caterer Middle East | October 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com 14/M AD E IN GER M A N Y QU ALITY ADAA RMR Q I AM DELIGHTED TO BE PART OF THE HYATT TEAM. IT PROMISES TO BE AN EXCITING JOURNEY AS WE ENSURE OUR RESTAURANTS OFFER THE MOST AUTHENTIC AND QUALITY- ORIENTED CONCEPTS" NUGZAR MAKARIDZE ALEXANDRA FILALI AND IMAD OBEID General managers, La Petite Maison UAE Following the departure of Frank Serroul, former general man- ager of both Dubai and Abu Dhabi branches of La Petite Maison, to manage La Petite Maison Miami, two new GMs have been appointed in his place. Coming from an established career working with other fi ne dining outlets in the UAE, Alexandra Filali takes over the well-es- tablished La Petite Maison outlet in Gate Village DIFC. With successful roles at high profi le London and Abu Dhabi establish- ments, similarly, Imad Obeid is ready to lead the Abu Dhabi La Petite Maison venue, located at the Galleria. La Petite Maison global operations director Nicolas Budzyn- ski commented: “The team and I are delighted to welcome Alexandra and Imad to the La Petite Maison family. We are entering an exciting new period for the UAE outlets and I am sure that they will both help to maintain and enhance LPM’s reputation, delivering world-class service and exceptional guest experiences at both restaurants. The brand has grown and evolved over the past 2.5 years with the opening of our three new international locations in Miami, Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong. We have some exciting news and projects on the way, and we are glad to welcome fresh eyes to support our new initiative and our global expansion.” MOVERS & SHAKERS MURRY LANE Chef de cuisine, Bleu Blanc Former QE2 head chef Murry Lane has taken over from Alexandre Szkaradkie- wicz as head chef at Bleu Blanc by David Myers. Lane moves to the Renaissance Down- town Hotel Dubai concept following a five year spell in Dubai which has seen him work at La Brasserie at Atlantis and Barrel 12 at Palm Jumeirah before joining QE2 for its pre-opening. Speaking to Caterer Middle East, Lane said: “Being appointed chef de cuisine at a well-established restaurant such as Bleu Blanc is probably one of the biggest challenges but also greatest opportunities I have encountered in my career. I am excited about joining the talented Bleu Blanc family to maintain and improve the great F&B offering team that already exists while also bringing my personality as a chef to the brand.” UK-born chef Lane will now head the kitchen at the Southern French farmhouse inspired restaurant headlined by ‘gypsy chef’ David Myers. Previous head chef Szkaradkiewicz left the role to be- come executive sous chef at Emirates Flight Catering. NUGZAR MAKARIDZE Director of restaurants,Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel & Residences Emirates Pearl. Nugzar Makaridze has been appointed as director of restaurants at Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel & Residences Emirates Pearl. Makaridze oversees the portfolio of restaurants and food and beverage options at the 5-star prop- erty, including the grand opening of Lexx bar and re-launch of main restaurant Sahha. “Nugzar brings considerable experience with major luxury brands in the hospitality industry,” said general manager Julien Gonzalvez. “I trust that his skills, commitment and pas- sion for providing the highest standards of service to guests will be an asset to Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel & Residences Emirates Pearl.” Makaridze, who joined the hotel in August, previously worked at Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts as the restaurant gen- eral manager of one of its concepts at its property in Dubai. His experience also includes an F&B managerial position at Waldorf Astoria’s luxury steak house restaurant in RAK, a member of the reopening team for Café Russe restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton, Moscow, and managing an Italian concept restaurant at Rixos President Astana in the Kazakh capital, including a two-month stint replacing the F&B director. Of Georgian-Greek parentage, Makaridze began his hospi- tality career in Moscow. He is a graduate of the Sochi State University of Hospitality Management. People Appointments Caterer Middle East | October 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com 16/What attracted you to the position of chef de cuisine at Sayad Restaurant? I love to work with fresh seafood and Sayad, being the signature restaurant of Emirates Palace, is the seafood restaurant in one of the most exclusive hotels in the world so it’s a big challenge and an oppor- tunity for me to be able to showcase all my experience and creativity. How have your past experiences lent themselves to your expertise in this role? I have always liked fishing. Since my childhood, I went with my father and we caught different types of fish and we then cooked them. I like seafood and this reminds me of great memories of my childhood. Seafood is an important part of the food scene nowadays. I have always worked in seafood restaurants and, with time, I gathered great knowledge and I guess it became my specialty. What are you most looking for- ward to as part of this new role? To simply maintain the quality of food, the menu selection, and, more importantly, making sure that our guests are happy while enjoying my creations. How do you intend to increase the popularity of Sayad Restaurant? At fi rst I changed the whole menu which Johannes Tafel, chef de cuisine, Sayad Restaurant THE BIG CLIMB includes my favourite dishes with a modern twist. Then I am in the process of creating new promotions for the coming month. I will also reopen our show kitchen which will create an ambiance of warmth at the restau- rant. And as well I like to focus on creating a personal relationship with our guests. I think this is important and always a nice touch. What is your favourite thing about the brand? Through the unique architecture of the building, the individual and personalised experiences we extend to our guest, and the amenities we offer, we create lifetime expe- riences which are treasured and shared by our guests. Johannes Tafel Sayad Restaurant. Vegetable Preparation Machines Exclusive Cuts : Brunoise and Waffl e Free demonstration : international@robot-coupe.com www.robot-coupe.com www.caterermiddleeast.com /17 October 2019 | Caterer Middle East www.caterermiddleeast.com 18/ BACK IN THE KITCHEN countries, there isn’t much Ruggiero hasn’t seen or done in the industry. And yet, when we meet, Ruggiero tells me a story barely a few weeks old of an F&B operator in the UAE asking her if she was only invited to an event because she was a woman. “This happens a lot,” she says. It’s one of the reasons why she moved to the USA when she was younger, tired of the at- titudes in her home country of Italy that meant she wasn’t given opportunities she felt she deserved. America was different. “They don’t think of you as a woman, and this is what I learned — I never think of myself as a woman chef, I’m a chef.” Unfortunately, not everyone she has met in her career agreed. With one example in Egypt standing out. On Rug- giero’s first day in a hotel kitchen, she asked one of her junior colleagues to cook a steak. “He looked at me and said ‘cook it by yourself’.” Unsurprisingly, Ruggiero blew up at the chef, demanding he do his job. “The next day the GM called me and said ‘what’s going on, you’ve just arrived and we have the first resignation’. They called the guy and he said ‘I will never accept orders from a woman’.” Ultimately, the insubordinate chef was brought back into the fold, but Ruggiero says this type of attitude is common in many cultures, particularly Arabic, Indian, Pakistan, and Sri Lankan, all of whom culturally view the woman's role as that of a caregiver. Head chef at MasterChef, the TV Expe- rience in Dubai, Margarita Vaamonde- Beggs also tells me that she’s had a few occasions with “men having an issue with women” in her kitchen, but believes respect is something that is earned. But doesn’t that put women on the back foot in the kitchen, having to prove themselves to men, when the ‘head chef ’ printed on their apron should do that already? “I have never thought that I am the boss and you have to do everything that I say,” explains Vaamonde-Beggs. “My main strategy is to be in the kitchen with my team, working shoulder to shoulder with them and show them that I am sup- porting them.” Vaamonde-Beggs’s passion for cook- ing started when she was so young she Chef is a gender-neutral word, so why when you google it are only three of the fi rst 20 images of women? Get back in the kitchen is an insult regularly aimed at girls and women by a certain type of man, yet why do they never encourage them into profes- sional kitchens? Of the restaurants making up The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, only five are helmed by women. The reasons for all these issues go back decades, with deeply-ingrained beliefs about what either gender can or can’t do still aff ecting us in the 21st century. “The times they are a changin’”, Bob Dylan said in 1964, which may have been slightly premature in this regard, but as I meet more and more female chefs in the industry during my time at Caterer Middle East, I thought it was time to see just how much they have changed. Mariangela Ruggiero is the execu- tive chef at Radisson Blue Dubai Media City. With almost 20 years of experi- ence starting back in 2001 in Milan and including a spell at the three Michelin- starred Alinea in Chicago before opening her own restaurants in several Long seen as the cooks at home, why have female chefs struggled to reach high positions in professional kitchens? Simon Ritchie spoke with four Dubai-based chefs about their experiences Caterer Middle East | October 2019 Interview Gender Equalitywww.caterermiddleeast.com /19 October 2019 | Caterer Middle East Next >