Q&A: The man behind the food at W Hotel Doha
As Ramon Salto Alvarez takes the reigns of the W Doha Hotel, the executive chef talks Catalan cooking and his dream to create a banquet for a winning Barcelona football team
His feelings on heading up W Doha’s culinary team
This property is the flagship of W worldwide and I’m looking forward to take the culinary operations to the next level.
We will be creating an entirely new menu collection for banquets, events and outside catering, we will take a new approach to the Living room (our lobby outlet), we will introduce new salads and desserts in W Café and launch a tapas menu for Wahm [the lounge which opens onto the pool].
On what he’s looking forward to bringing to the hotel
I would like to bring my passion for cooking in order to create a very solid team that performs as good as they have been doing since the opening of the property.
On his previous role setting up the first ever Missoni Hotel in Kuwait
Missoni Kuwait was the first lifestyle designer hotel in the Middle East and Rosita Missoni was heavily involved in the preopening process. It was an honour to meet and share experiences with such an iconic person. It was a great experience to open the property and to work side-by-side with celebrity chef Giorgio Locatelli.
On moving to Qatar
The country is developing fast and the diversity of the nationalities residing here is much bigger [than Kuwait], so it will be a challenge to satisfy the diverse tastes. Qatar is a happening place for culinary arts – there are many celebrity chef concepts in the pipeline and I’m looking forward to helping change the culinary scene.
His style of cooking
I’m a Catalan by birth but I left my country a long time ago and my style of cooking has a strong Mediterranean influence. I like to mix cuisines, techniques and experiences in my food. Recently I have been working on a Mediterranean tapas menus for our Wahm bar lounge that should reflect part of my culinary vision.
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Trend predictions for 2012
After going through all the molecular cooking, fusion and modern techniques, the trend will be to go back to basics. Nowadays food is all about using the best ingredients with flavour and a healthy approach. Chefs will be using baby greens, mushrooms, blue fish and sustainable products in 2012.
On the biggest challenge for chefs today
The biggest challenge is consistency – everything from training staff, assembling teams and getting the best products. We have to deliver a good experience in a consistent manner. To create a good concept is not as difficult as maintaining it at a high level for a long period of time.
The three things that have led him to success
Dedication – to work in a luxury international hotel you have to be ready to work long hours and give all you’ve got. Passion – cooking is one of the toughest careers, so without passion for the industry nobody will succeed. Family support – I’m a very family-oriented person and without the support of my brave wife and my children I wouldn’t have achieved what I have in life.
The most valuable career lesson he’s learnt
I believe in being a down-to-earth, unsophisticated person. Life showed me that you can’t underestimate anybody – respect people and you will always learn from even the most unexpected person.
On who he could cook for if he could cook for anyone in the world
Since I’m a crazy FC Barcelona fan, I would like to cook for the Champions League celebration dinner when they win the trophy in May 2012. I would create a gala dinner with Catalan cuisine, because that would reflect the roots of our culture.
Three qualities that make a great restaurant
Honesty – to provide the best meals you have to use the best produce available. Consistency – as I said before, consistency is the biggest challenge and the key to success. Team work – in the restaurant business, working alone is not possible. Every successful chef has a team to back him or her up.
On what he would be if he weren’t a chef
I played American football for nearly 10 years at international level, so I would be a professional player. Also, during my college days biology was my favorite subject, so maybe a marine biologist.