< PreviousCaterer Middle East | October 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com 20/ “couldn’t even reach the stove” and her excitement proved infectious, even en- couraging her mother, who had no love for the kitchen, to enjoy it more. Vaamonde-Beggs graduated from uni- versity in her home country of Venezue- la with a degree in fine arts, but a friend gave her a first chance in a professional kitchen and she never looked back. Having a female friend as a pastry chef alongside her in her first kitchen was beneficial, admits Vaamonde-Beggs. “It was a really good help to be in a kitchen where I was not the only woman. Kitch- ens are a very manly environment but in this kitchen there was not very harsh behaviour between men and women, and it was a head chef who was really open and everybody tried to teach me as much as I could. “There have been occasions where I have been the only woman in the kitchen and it’s just different.” Like Ruggiero, Vaamonde-Beggs found it dependent on the nationalities of the people involved and the country they were working in, with attitudes chang- ing from place to place. She says: “The first time I came to Dubai I was in a kitchen where I was the only woman. It was as difficult for me as it was for my colleagues, because they also didn’t know how to interact with me. For them it was like should we help her? Should we do this for her? They also had this feeling of awkwardness.” Another chef to benefit from having a woman alongside her in the kitchen when she began her career is Australian chef Candice Walker, the chef de cuisine at Qwerty in Dubai’s Media One hotel. Despite originally wanting to be a po- lice officer, Walker found herself in the kitchen from the age of 14 and one of her first head chefs was a woman. “She was a big role model at the start of my career,” says Walker. “I really looked up to her and she really pushed me. I stayed with her for four years and ended up being her sous chef. I kind of bypassed all the guys who were in the kitchen because I really pushed myself and dedicated myself to the food and the cooking techniques.” Walker moved on from that kitchen to gain a wider breadth of experience, and ran into one head chef who “was pretty hard going, pretty rough” but she doesn’t believe that sexism was the root of his behaviour. “I ended up leaving there because he was pretty hard to me, but not only me, all the guys in the kitchen, stewarding, everyone — it was just the type of guy he was. But it made me a lot faster and I used to come in an hour earlier just so I could fi nish my prep on time,” she tells me. “ld ’th tht”d hifltlk dt hd hllh dtl Margarita Vaamonde-Beggs is head chef at MasterChef, the TV Experience in Dubai. Candice Walker is chef de cuisine at Qwerty at Media One Hotel in Dubai. IF I COULD GIVE ADVICE TO THE NEW GENERATION I WOULD SAY: KEEP COOKING, KEEP LEARNING, KEEP CUTTING YOURSELF, KEEP BURNING YOURSELF, CARRY THE BIG POT, DON’T LET ANYBODY DO ANYTHING FOR YOU. TRY AND DO AS MUCH AS YOU CAN BY YOURSELF." MARGARITA VAAMONDE-BEGGSwww.caterermiddleeast.com /21 October 2019 | Caterer Middle East When she went to resign, however, the owners noticed her talents and instead promoted her to their other restaurant. The quarrelsome head chef ended up be- ing fired for his treatment of the staff. While the experience wasn’t a fun one, Walker took many positives from having such a demanding and belligerent boss. She says: “It definitely changed my style. I never want to treat my chefs like that. I want to train them in a way that’s constructive and doesn’t make them feel bad about how they’re doing. If they are doing something wrong I’ll correct them in a constructive way, not in a horrible way, and try to build them up to be bet- ter chefs.” While most of the chefs I speak with suffered under demanding bosses, that appears to be a trait of the restaurant in- dustry regardless of gender. Last month’s cover star Tom Arnel spoke of the physi- cal and mental abuse he received in the kitchen of a fine dining establishment, and most of the women I speak with don’t believe they were treated poorer because of their sex. In fact, Davisha Burrowes, recently ap- pointed complex head chef at Aloft and Element Me’aisam, disagrees completely when I ask her if she’s been treated harsher as a woman in the kitchen, but instead faced a different type of sexism. “I actually think no, I think it’s the opposite way around,” she says. “I think that sometimes they doubt you so wouldn’t expect your standard to be as high so the guys would get more of the tougher treatment and the women would be lost in the background sometimes.” An alumni of Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen at Atlantis The Palm, and Morimoto at Renaissance Downtown, Burrowes took the lack of expectation from her head chefs as a challenge. She says it “definitely gave me a drive. I like to prove people wrong so it was a definitely a force of motivation for me. Why is this person any different because we have a different gender? I can prob- ably do the same job or a better job than the person standing across from me so it definitely motivated me.” At Bread Street, Burrowes asked to be moved from to the toughest section in the kitchen, preparing the world- renowned beef wellingtons, and says she will never forget chef de cuisine Cesar Bartolini’s response of “I see you”. Hav- ing a chef who noted her talent and was willing to give her the opportunity was a watershed moment for Burrowes. While she worked with her share of ‘shouty’ chefs, Burrowes never held it against them. “Yes you would get chefs that shout at you, but truly once you spend more and more time with your chef you realise that it’s not personal, it’s all about the passion behind it. Chefs will usually be hard on you because they know that you can do better — and they just have a different way of communicat- ing that. We speak a different language.” In a world that pegs them as ‘female chefs’, as though that is inferior to just being a chef, all the women I interviewed spoke about leaving gender at the door, and simply being a chef when they walk into the kitchen. It’s something Ruggiero trains into the female staff she has working for her. Whht tihthIft Di hhBtlbd ft th thttihB Davisha Burrowes is the complex head chef at Aloft and Element Me'aisam. Mariangela Ruggiero is the executive chef at Radisson Blu Dubai Media City.Caterer Middle East | October 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com 22/ Especially if male colleagues get f lirta- tious or try to push the boundaries of a professional relationship. “Forget you are a woman otherwise they will abuse that,” she says. “When I see a girl joking with the guys in the kitchen immedi- ately I correct them. I say if you start like this you will never go anywhere. Of course we joke, but there is a place. You put yourself on their level but there is a wall. Show what you can do, just do your job.” Having almost missed out on a job when her CV was discarded because the restaurant didn’t think a woman had what it takes to be a top chef, Vaamonde-Beggs says she feels other women may suffer under the same prejudice today so she goes out of her way to take them under consideration – but it’s not just a policy she has imple- mented for women. “It’s for everybody that maybe de- serves an opportunity. I do it with men who are dishwashing and I see their potential in the kitchen and try to bring them in and make it a profession for them. It’s trying to work with people that don’t have the same possibilities, and women are a big number from that.” Walker agrees with helping every- one who works alongside her, while understandably having a soft spot for the ladies. “I guess there is a side to me that wants to push them a little bit more. Maybe a bit of protection. But generally I try to push all my chefs.” Like Vaamonde-Beggs she added that of the “few and far between female chefs in Dubai” she will endeavour to interview them “but if they are not going to be strong enough or skilled enough, I won’t just hire them because they’re female. I’m hiring them for the skills we need for the kitchens”. For all chefs, it’s their responsibility to nurture good talent, says Burrowes. But she believes the impetus is on young fe- male chefs to look out the opportunities themselves. “You need to ask”, she says. “I would love to see them [female chefs] kicking butt,” she adds. “There are a lot currently doing it but I’d love to see more of it. More brigades with female head chefs, more female chefs stepping into the light as well.” There has always been a dearth of women at the top of the industry, as the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List and lack of female celebrity chefs on TV testifies, but Vaamonde-Beggs hopes the success of Dominique Crenn, who became the first woman to gain three Michelin stars in the USA, will inspire others to ignore the doubters and aim for the top. She says: “One of the gratifying things in my career has been people not think- ing I can do something or not believing me and showing them that yes I can do it. Don’t let anyone put you down just because of your background, your nationality, your gender, anything. “I want to see more women growing in this industry. More women that take the challenge in a positive way. We have to forget about the difference between gen- ders and all the chefs, especially women chefs, have to embrace this attitude of not feeling any different. If I could give advice to the new generation I would say: keep cooking, keep learning, keep cutting yourself, keep burning yourself, carry the big pot, don’t let anybody do anything for you. Try and do as much as you can by yourself because even if it’s hard, it’s worth it.” “Forget there are wolves outside that want to eat you, just go ahead and show that you can do it,” concludes Ruggiero. © www caterermiddleeast com All four chefs hope to inspire more women to get involved in the profession they love. Behind the scenes: from the chefs, to the photographer, to the graphic designer, to the PRs who helped organise it, this feature was created almost exclusively with women (and editor Simon Ritchie).Interview Ross Shonhan Caterer Middle East | October 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com 24/ THE NEXT BIG THING? Shonhan has only found three or four in the country's capital city. Of course, primitive doesn’t necessarily mean simple or easy. After he showcases the six foot fl ames of the warayaki, Shon- han invites me to have a shot. Despite not having any great affi nity for my eyebrows, I decide it’s better left to the master. He fires it up again. “It’s quite a unique thing and it’s very theatrical in the middle of the restaurant. It’s fun to cook on from a chef ’s point of view — it’s a little bit different.” But it’s not just for show: “It actually adds real fl avour, and like a lot of things in Japanese and Asian cooking, it just goes completely against what Western chefs are taught.” Shonhan tells me that warayaki has never been done on this scale before outside of its home country — seven tonnes of straw have been imported to feed the warayaki in its fi rst year — and it’s that which he hopes will set Netsu apart from its competitors. And Shonhan knows its competitors well, having been a head chef at both Nobu and Zuma restaurants around the world. Although he doesn’t explicitly call out his former employers, Shonhan says he is “proud to say that we have no black cod on our menu”. “I’ve cooked that, having worked in those other restaurants for a long time I just felt there’s got to be a menu that we can create that people are excited by — they must be sick of black cod! “So that was the driver, it was how do we separate ourselves from the pack? Let’s focus on the meat dishes typical in Japan. Let’s have some meat dishes that are typi- cal of a western steakhouse, so big pieces of meat on the bone. Let’s put them with Japanese sauces and condiments and really create a collision of western steakhouse and Japanese steakhouse.” I question if going against what consum- ers want is a good decision? Zuma and Nobu are institutions that still do great business in Dubai many years after open- ing, so perhaps following them wouldn’t be such a bad idea? But this is Ross Shonhan, a man who has made his reputation by be- ing ahead of the trends. In London he is known as the chef behind two chains which have successfully taken little-known Japanese dishes and Walking around the stunning Netsu venue, primitive is not the word I would use to describe it. It’s a fi rst international concept for much- lauded London-based Australian chef Ross Shonhan. The two-storey restaurant is located in the beautiful Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai, and features kabuki inspired art over the walls making it instantly recogni- sable as a Japanese restaurant. An open kitchen directly in the centre allows you to keep an eye on the chefs as they prepare your meal using the ancient Japanese art of warayaki. And it’s about that Shonhan uses the word primitive. Because, for all the fancy bells and whistles that make Netsu stand out from the crowd, in the end the food comes down to cooking fresh meat on an open fi re. “Wara means straw, yaki means grill, so it’s a straw-fi red grill,” Shonhan explains. Even in Japan, he says, warayaki is not particularly well-known. If you ask your hotel concierge in Tokyo to point you in the direction of a warayaki restaurant, chances are they will have to think twice. On his travels, experienced Japanese cook Having successfully introduced ramen and baos to a wider audience in the UK, chef Ross Shonhan spoke to Caterer Middle East editor Simon Ritchie about his new restaurant Netsu and bringing the art of wariyaki to Dubai Caterer Middle East | October 2019Ross Shonhan Interview /25 October 2019 | Caterer Middle East www.caterermiddleeast.com turned them into juggernauts. It’s hard to think now of a time when baos and ramen weren’t popular, but before Flesh & Buns and Bone Daddies opened in the UK, they weren’t part of the cultural zeitgeist like they are now. So Netsu is following suit. It’s bringing something new — warakyaki — to the mar- ket, and with it the same challenges that came with baos and ramen. “Sometimes I just want to do a restau- rant I don’t have to explain to people,” Shonhan jokes. “That is actually so simple that everyone just knows it. But the cre- ative person in me gets excited about doing diff erent stuff .” But Shonhan isn’t completely disregard- ing people’s traditional favourites, and says “if you like a California roll, or a prawn tem- pura roll makes you happy, and they make me happy when I want one, we have that. If you want something non-challenging like some fried squid or beef gyoza, we have those things. So we have comfort elements but we’re also trying to push people to discover that there’s so much more than rock shrimp and black cod and chicken yakitori — what I’d consider basic 101 of Japanese food.” But if warayaki is so exciting, why has it not been brought out of Japan before now? Shonhan says: “Like every country you have these ebbs and fl ows of regions discovering dishes. If you think of tonkotsu ramen, which is a style typical of Hakata in the south, it’s only been in the last 10 or 15 years you could fi nd tonkotsu in Tokyo. Historically, Tokyo had its own style of ra- men and it takes time for regional food to not be regional. “Look at America. You go back 20, 30 years and you couldn’t really fi nd tacos in New York, and you would think that there’s so many Mexicans in America, how could you not fi nd tacos in New York? Things are quicker now than ever before at travelling around the world, but the reality is there’s still the hangover of when things were historically quite regional.” So it will be a challenge to educate the Dubai restaurant-going public on his new take on Japanese cuisine, but Shonhan is bullish about Netsu’s chances. “I wouldn’t put my name to it if I thought it could fail,” he tells me. He wants Netsu to still be here in Mandarin Oriental, Jumeira in 10 years and is willing to put the eff ort in Interview Ross Shonhan Caterer Middle East | October 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com 26/ to make sure it’s a success. While he is based in London looking after his burgeoning casual restaurant em- pire there, he has been out to Dubai “four or fi ve times” since the back end of last year as pre-opening began to take shape. Unlike some of the licensing agreements that top chefs take with restaurants in the Middle East, this is “not a vanity project” insists Shonhan. “I think a lot of chefs sign on to things like this and are quite fl ippant about the eff ort they put into it. I’ve heard stories of plenty of chefs signing on, turning up for an opening, having a party, then fl ying back home and having no involvement. And I think that’s incredibly disingenuous and disrespectful. I wouldn’t want to be known as a guy who does stuff like that.” The reason Shonhan has made the trip this time is to launch Netsu’s new weekend lunch. Previously only open for dinner in the evenings, it will now open earlier on Friday and Saturday and Shonhan is adding a number of new dishes to entice regular customers to keep coming. “It’s a chance for us to be a little bit more playful,” he says. “The menu that we off er in the evening will still be available at lunch- time — if someone has fallen in love with the hot stone rice we’re not going to tell them if you come at lunch you can’t have it, but we’ve had some incredibly loyal customers from the beginning who have come lots and lots so we thought let’s give them a reason to come at lunch and reward them with dishes they can’t get at night time.” Fans of Shonhan’s UK concepts will be pleased to see ramen and baos making appearances on the lunch menu, as well as some intriguing sandos. He says: “The stuff we’re doing on a Friday and Saturday lunch is stuff that we believe is on the verge of being a bit interest- ing here for the market as well. What I hope is if someone comes in and wants to know where they can get what I believe is the best ramen in town then they may get a chance to read our menu and see the things we do in the evening and come back.” Netsu’s weekend off ering also stands out from the pack in Dubai as it isn’t a brunch. Located in an area of town high in Emiratis, Shonhan has deliberately aimed it at the local market, so it’s light on alcohol and high on fl avour. In a town with a fl uctuating resi- dency base, Shonhan says that they believe that makes for a “more solid foundation on which we can build our business long term”. If Netsu is to still be here in 10 years as Shon- han desires, he might be right about that. © a s F b i i w r t i f L S l o d t w h The open kitchen provides a theatrical show. Kabuki-inspired art draws you into Japan. Ross Shonhan manning the warayaki, Netsu's USP.Date A symbol of wealth and abundance in many countries within the Middle East, dates have great nutritional value especially if had with a glass of milk. Rich, complex flavours with hints of herbs and fruitiness, this date puree provides unique functionality when used with milk, yoghurt and other drinks & desserts. Take a journey to the Middle East with this great tasting date puree. MONIN Middle East & Indian Subcontinent: +971 4 452 0600squares 9cmX8cm. • Then take one square, brush the middle with a soft butter place the other sheet on top and seal the pillow with a thermo seal each side. • Then cook in oven one by one on 250°c degrees. • It takes about 40 seconds each until it pops and gets a nice golden colour. • When the pillow is ready we make a little whole and fi ll it up with pistachio cream recipe below and brush with honey and orange blossom syrup, garnish with shaved toasted Iranian pistachios and serve immediately while it is crunchy. BAKLAVA BY THE BEST THE WORLD’S 50 BEST PASTRY CHEF ALBERT ADRIA HAS DEBUTED HIS INTERPRETATION OF CLASSIC MIDDLE EAST BAKLAVA AT LONDON RESTAURANT CAKES & BUBBLES IN HOTEL CAFE ROYAL INGREDIENTS • 4 undamaged fi lo pastry sheets (30cm X 60cm) • 50g lightly melted unsalted butter52g pure pistachio paste (we use Iranian pistachios to make ours) • 120g milk • 100g white chocolate • 280g cold whipping cream • 2g salt • 40g orange blossom honey • 5g orange blossom water • 10g water (mineral) METHOD: FOR PASTRY PILLOWS: • Cut the pastry in to a FOR PISTACHIO FOAM: • In a bowl mix pistachio paste with melted white chocolate (do not overheat your chocolate). • Heat up milk in a small pot and then pour it on top of the chocolate and pistachio mix. • Add salt and cold whipping cream slowly by mixing it with hand blender. • Pour the mix in to syphon. 2 charges per syphon. FOR ORANGE BLOSSOM HONEY GLAZE: • Bring orange blossom honey, orange blossom water, and mineral water to the boil. REINVENTING THE DISH, ADRIA SERVES THE BAKLAVA AS TWO DELICATE PILLOWS OF CRUNCHY FILO PASTRY FILLED WITH A LIGHT, AIRY FOAM MADE FROM PISTACHIO AND WHITE CHOCOLATE, THEN BRUSHED WITH FLORAL ORANGE BLOSSOM HONEY AND FINISHED WITH SHAVINGS OF PISTACHIO. Dish 360° Baklava www.caterermiddleeast.com 28 / Caterer Middle East | October 201929-31 OCT 2019 Dubai World Trade Centre Food production, reinvented Register Now! gulfoodmanufacturing.com #gulfoodmanufacturing Official Media PartnersOfficial Courier Handler Official Airline Partner Supporting Media PartnersMedia PartnersOfficial Saudi Arabia Partner Official Publisher Business Pack Partners Official Knowledge Partner An event byPlatinum SponsorStrategic PartnerPowerful Co-Location WithHosted Buyer Lounge Sponsor SponsorOrganised by Official Africa Knowledge PartnerNext >