HOTELIER AWARDS 2012: Sommelier shortlist revealed

These finalists will compete for the Sommelier of the Year 2012 title in the Hotelier Middle East Awards to be held on October 31 at The Ritz-Carlton DIFC.

Below you will find extracts and testimonials from the shortlisted nominations for each of the candidates...

Maria Braun, Atlantis The Palm, Dubai

About Maria
Maria started her career as a food & beverage trainer with Hotel de la Paix (Geneva) in 2006. In 2007 she continued her internships at the ‘St Regis Mardavall Hotel in Spain and the ‘Le Meridian Hotel in Stuttgart, Germany. Maria attended the Swiss Hotel Management School in Leysin, Switzerland and graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in hospitality & events management. Due to the high standard of excellence in her studies she was awarded the ‘Outstanding Graduate’ as recognition of her work. She continued her internship at the ‘Le Mirador Kempinski’ in Switzerland as a food & beverage management trainee from 2009-2010. She joined Atlantis the Palm in Dubai as an assistant sommelier in Sea fire Steakhouse in 2010. She was also promoted to a sommelier assistant manager in Ossiano.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
Six months after joining the Seafire Team as Team leader sommelier, Maria achieved a reduction of stock holding of 17% from her joining date . She restructured the wine list presentation with introduction of dynamic towards Sommelier monthly selection based on Slow Moving categories, related to grapes varieties to enhance the sales of these categories for more than 40%, this demonstrates a great knowledge of viticulture. She revamped the WBTG selection to drive sales mix mixing premium wine and entry level in order to have a better control of beverage cost that is at the date of today below 2011 achieved and below 2012 budget. Maria created in her free time a training program for the Ossiano service team with weekly training session covering all beverages from basic wine knowledge to spirits, liqueurs and more to improve product knowledge, up-selling and Maria assisted on various occasions other departments and Events (including VIP Services as Butler and in events for the Royal family). Successfully achieved developed, implemented and trained the staff for digital menu to and improve and enhance the customer experience at the restaurant.

Testimonials for Maria

“Nominating and praising Maria is to consider a young, dynamic enthusiastic professional. A sharp eye for detail, a meticulous approach to administration and stock management, blended with a delicate approach and consideration for both internal and external guests. Maria’s knowledge and interest for the wine industry, hospitality solutions, and new technology was crucial in the process of implementing the electronic tablet menu to improve the customer experience in Ossiano. She developed the project from research to implementation. She is also very involved in supporting her team’s development through coaching and mentoring their growth and knowledge. Maria is simply one of the best young professionals that I have met during my 31 years in the beverage industry.” Jean Marc A. Vettesi, director beverage Atlantis the Palm Dubai.

“We have spent the better part of the last 1 year working together in Atlantis the Palm Dubai and it has been a true pleasure to have you as a sommelier and to know you as a friend. You not only played the part of being a sommelier but have also been a mentor for me personally. I was able to increase my knowledge of a number of things including wine and cocktail knowledge, managing people and various other tasks related to managing the bar because of your presence. You showed us the way in terms of best practices to be followed in the bar and kept us up to date with your various trainings. You taught me and my team how to remain calm in difficult situations and how to make the best out of them. You have been a source of inspiration for me and my career. I thank you for being part of our team and taking us to new heights.” Royston D’Costa and Ossiano team, Team Leader Ossiano.

Maruthanayagam Periyasamy, Radisson Blu Dubai Media City

About Maruthanayagam
Maruthanayagam Periyasamy, known as Madan, joined the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Media City in 2007. Since then he has shown incredible development in his role. Madan started his career with the hotel as Bar Commis, his passion and knowledge meant he developed and was appointed bartender before becoming Bar Captain and Sommelier at Certo in 2009. Madan is currently in charge of two outlets, Certo an award winning Italian restaurant and ICON Bar & Lounge. His overall duty is to select good quality wines from around the world in order to create a unique assortment that satisfies every guest needs and tastes whilst at the same time being profitable to the outlet. He recently launched Certo’s new wine list, which contains over 200 unique and carefully selected Italian wines, making it one of the largest selection of Italian wines in Dubai.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
Due to his passion, knowledge about wines, his outstanding customer service skills combined with his selling techniques, Madan has been able to drive the sales and exceed the required results by 21% compared to 2011 which represents AED 275,000 after launching the new wine lounge concept in ICON Lounge. The year 2011/12 has been a special year for Madan, as he successfully launched his new project at the ICON Lounge. He transformed the original ICON Lounge that was driven by beer sales, into a classy wine lounge, where he organizes monthly wine-tasting events. Those wine tasting events evolve around different topics ranging from food pairing to invitations of various wine makers from around the globe. In May, Madan hosted a wine tasting event with the wine maker of Argento in Argentina & prior to that, he had the pleasure of presenting 5 wines newly introduced in Dubai from Pascal Jolivet from France. Madan works closely with our wine suppliers to ensure that Icon Lounge is worth a stop for every wine maker who visits Dubai. In accordance with the wine tasting events Madan has created a Wine book, in which he introduced the new wine lounge concept. For the Wine book he chose a handful of Italian wines and paired them with the best dishes that Certo has to offer.

Due to the high success of the wine events, Madan established a wine club, which has already attracted more than 120 wine connoisseurs, which meet on a regular basis for wine related events. He also recently launched Certo’s new wine list, which contains over 200 wines, making it one of the largest selection of Italian wines in town. Not an easy task where Madan had to carefully select over 120 new wines to be tasted with wine professionals from our suppliers before deciding with the management team what wines deserve to be part of his new list. Madan continuously look at new wines to source the best suited for Certo & that would complement the food we produce in order to stay at the top of his game continuously sourcing new Italian wines/grapes in this ever increasing/competitive market place. Madan’s passion for wine is also carried out beyond the job. In addition to his daily work, he allocates a large portion of his week to studying for his diploma and master of wine certificate. He just recently went to the UK to do his exam. Madan’s ambition is to add his name to the currently 4000 Master wine expert in the world. He allocates a portion of his annual holidays to visit wineries & do his exams. On top of that he also dedicates his annual leave to his passion. During his vacations he visits various wine farms around the world and has done wine placements at hotels in order to even further increase his knowledge about wines.

Testimonials for Madan

“Madan is a passionate individual about wines and beverages. He takes great pride in his job as a sommelier and continues harnessing his taste for wine like a true connoisseur. His passion of wine is well known throughout the hotel, he always shares his expertise of wine with customers and colleagues, because for him everyone has to enjoy the fine cuisine with the right wine. Madan is the best sommelier that an establishment could hope for in this highly competitive market.” Adil Souate, F&B manager at Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Media City.

“Madan is friendly and a very humble individual. Due to his passion for wines, he earned himself the nickname within the team as “the wine guy”. He takes great pride in his job as a sommelier and continues harnessing his taste for wine like a true connoisseur.” Francois Galoisy, general manager, Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Media City.

Eric Eybert, The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort

About Eric
Eric joined The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort as Head Sommelier in September 2011 during the preopening phase of the resort bringing with him his extensive knowledge and passion for wine which he has gained from working in all corners of the world.
Eric began his career in 1997 at La Bastide Neuve Estate, France where he was introduced to the harvest, filtration and cellar processes. Eric then travelled the world gaining experience and knowledge from some of the most famed wine regions of the world. After some years Eric was beckoned back to France by the acclaimed Michelin Star restaurant Moulin de Mougins as Head Sommelier in 2007. It wasn’t long until the Middle East called and Eric was appointed Head Sommelier at Margaux Restaurant, a French brasserie in Dubai, in partnership with the Alain Ducasse Formation.
In 2011 Eric made the move to Bahrain where he was Sommelier in charge of Trader Vic's at the Ritz-Carlton, the busiest and most successful restaurant operation in the Kingdom. In this role, and as he was their first Sommelier, he set up the operating procedures for expert wine service and trained the staff in basic product knowledge. He also supervised the construction of new wine cellars and created the first wine society with a weekly meeting to spread the knowledge of wine on the island. In his current profile at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Eric overlooks the wine selection at all the venues with over 500 labels, one of the most extensive lists in the area.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
Eric’s achievements while at The St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort have been outstanding to date, from implementing wine dinners, to building a regular following of guests in UAE to control costs; Eric is a valuable part of the St Regis family.
The resort’s signature restaurant, 55&5th the Grill, regularly holds wine dinners and wine and cheese evening which Eric expertly organizes along with the Restaurant Manager and Chef de Cuisine. The wine and cheese evenings so far have all been fully booked with guests now asking for the venue to increase frequency.
Eric especially enjoys organizing wine experiences at 55&5th, The Grill inviting key names from the wine industry, including recognized wine makers from world over to the venue to meet and interest with guests while also sharing their expert feedback. These dinners are one-night exclusives and include a 5 or 6 course wine pairing experience, improving efficiency of the event. Eric is the biggest marketing tool for these events as his friendly and often amusing conversations with guests have them come back not only for the wine but also for another interesting conversation with Eric on his favorite subject – wine making.
The names that Eric has brought to The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort include Cos d’Estournel and Louis Roederer, amongst others. In addition to these events, Eric also works closely with the Chef de Cuisine to have a quarterly degustation menu which brings out the best flavors in the food selection with the perfect wine combination. His motto is to think outside the box and see how a wine experience can be enriched. He simply wants to share his passion and goes about it with much gusto every evening at the resorts venues.
Eric goes out of his way to ensure all staff is trained regularly to high levels, sacrificing days off and precious free time in order to dedicate time to his colleagues.

Testimonials for Eric
“If Eric was a wine, he would be in between 'new' and 'old' world - meaning the best of both. Eric has been instrumental and has led the wine program at the St. Regis, including doing all the wine purchase for the hotel. As he’s worked in different markets, he understands the differences and adapts very well. That gives him the ability to choose the right wines for all the different restaurant, as well as for banquets. He loves to train and teach - sharing his knowledge and passion is one of his main drivers. And while this might not seem overtly special as many sommeliers around that globe have this talent, Eric brings another talent that not many sommeliers have - he knows how to entertain - be it the staff or guests. Whether the wine events, just a regular night at 55&5th or Sontaya or at the resort’s bar, if Eric is around, guests can expect some words, a recommendation or just a chat. Sabering champagne is his favorite thing to do. He does not even need a saber knife - just give him a champagne glass...and simply watch.” Alex Lahmer,Ex - EAM F&B The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort.

“It is so nice to work with Eric every day as the atmosphere is always very light and humorous. He is an excellent trainer and takes pride in increasing the knowledge of his staff. I have to sit across from him every day and sometimes if I am having a bad day I find myself looking over at him and instantly feeling relaxed.” Sunisa Noonpakdee, F&B training manager, The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort.

Julian Biddulph, Opal by Gordon Ramsay, St. Regis Doha

About Julian
Julian completed his first level of Sommelier course at the age of 17. Developing a particular interest in wines, Julian continued his wine education as part of his catering management degree and achieved 98% in his final exam. Julian worked for a number of high end restaurants in the UK in the capacity of head waiters, sommelier and manager. Prior to joining The St. Regis Doha, Julian spent two academic years teaching at London’s prestigious chef school Westminster Kingsway College (ex-alumni includes Jamie Oliver and ex-teacher includes Escoffier). In this role I taught front of house skills and created a real buzz about food service and developed the fascination of the students into learning Sommelier skills. Julian joined The St. Regis Doha team in October 2011 as part of the pre-opening team.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
Julian is a great team leader and has been instrumental during the pre-opening stage of the hotel in providing training to the entire food and beverage team about wines. He has sourced 14,000 bottles of wines from around the world and implemented the largest wine selection available in Doha, with over 250 labels only available at The St. Regis Doha. Julian has also established great relationship with world-renowned wine makers such as Chateau Kirwan, offering guests exclusive wine dinners on a monthly basis. He is also launching a Sommelier’s Club, where guests can come and taste an exclusive selection of wines. This allows Julian’s team to develop their confidence in talking about wines but also to build a relationship with guests which directly translates into the number of regular guests who come to both Gordon Ramsay Doha and Opal by Gordon Ramsay restaurants. In a country where alcohol distribution is extremely controlled, Julian has challenged the system and pushed the limits to offer an unprecedented wine selection to Doha’s connoisseurs. In fact, two third of the list is exclusively available at The St. Regis Doha. Thanks to Julian’s dedication, guests can enjoy an array of reasonably priced and vintage wines. Julian has also sourced Nitrogen fuelled machines from Napa Solutions, which enable to keep wines in their optimum condition for up to six weeks. This means that guests can discover and enjoy vintage and grand cru wines such as Chateau Latour by the glass, something otherwise impossible.

Testimonials for Julian
"Julian masterfully balances value and quality when helping his guests select wines, and his enthusiasm and patience encourage novices and connoisseurs alike to taste with confidence. Above all, though, Julian demonstrates genuine hospitality in sharing his knowledge to help his guests learn more about the infinite world of wine." Brady Creel, Doha, Qatar
“Julian’s knowledge and passion for wines is undoubtedly an asset for the team and The St. Regis Doha. His extensive work during the pre-opening of the hotel to source unique labels and challenge the country’s system allows today to serve an unprecedented selection of wines to our guests.” Dejan Popadic, Executive Administrative Assistant in charge of Food and Beverage at The St. Regis Doha.

About Sarah
Hailing from Montreal, Canada, Sarah Belanger worked as a restaurant manager for five years prior to joining The Palace Downtown Dubai, as Sommelier of the property’s signature Argentinean restaurant, Asado. During her previous stint, Sarah was introduced to some of the most exquisite wines in the world, imprinting a passion to learn more about the various genres of wine and the ultimate pairings.
As a sommelier, Sarah strongly believes that her expertise helps to elevate a dining experience, bringing out a burst of flavours across all courses of a meal. Her vast knowledge of the subject and her ability to interact with visitors makes her one of the team’s most prized associates.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
One of the only South American restaurants in the UAE to be bestowed with Wine Spectator’s ‘Award of Excellence,’ for two consecutive years, Asado has thrived under Sarah’s guidance. In addition to being the only restaurant which carries the largest collection of Malbec Sarah has helped shape the offerings that Asado has in store based on the theme of the cuisine. She also helped expand the variety of wines available for visitors. With wine sales accontuning for approximately 70 per cent to Asado’s budget, Sarah’s vision helps contribute to 45 per cent of the restaurant’s profitability.
As the sommelier at Asado, Sarah’s responsibilities surpass selecting and pairing wines to training and developing the skillsets of her associates, inculcating an understanding of learning through a ‘hands-on’ approach. Through her trove of knowledge, Sarah has developed a training programme which involves associates from the food and beverage division across The Palace Downtown Dubai to enhance their knowledge and understanding of wines. In addition to linking the learning and development programme to food and beverage, Sarah is also responsible for creating and maintaining cross-department training programmes.
An integral player in The Palace’s wine appreciation classes, Sarah helps guide our patrons to appreciate the subtle nuances of wine pairing. Whether groups or individual, she provides enthusiasts with invaluable insights on the past and current trends in wine, teaching them every lesson across the spectrums – from the basics to the advanced. Sarah believes that knowing and learning about wine is an opportunity that every associate in the hotel should receive. In keeping with her belief, she began cross-training associates across all departments, providing them with basic knowledge of wines, which is important for the industry.
A team player and sportswoman, she is always ready to participate and help her colleagues in internal and external competitions, supporting them through their challenges.
A passionate and determined professional, Sarah continues to meet and surpass guests’ expectations, and aims for nothing less. A natural communicator, she builds and maintains strong rapports with regular visitors at Asado. She ensures that she executes her responsibilities with perfection and is always willing to go the extra mile whether it is for her visitors or her associates.

Testimonials for Sarah
“Sarah is a dynamic trainer who excels in sharing her extensive wine knowledge with our associates. She truly lives our company value of ‘innovation’ in the way that she educates and inspires the team to share her passion for wine. When she speaks about wine; you want to listen. Her enthusiasm for wine is contagious and I have enjoyed working with her to teach and excite our associates about this fascinating topic.” Holly Graham, learning & development manager, The Palace Downtown Dubai.
“Sarah is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, and in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing. She is responsible for the development of wine lists and for the delivery of wine service and training restaurant staff. Working with the culinary team, she pairs and suggests wines that will best complement each particular item on the menu. She also works on the floor of the restaurant and is in direct contact with restaurant patrons. Sarah is mandated with the responsibility to work within the taste preference and budget parameters of the patron. Sarah's role is broader than working only with wines, and encompasses of all aspects of the restaurant's service, with an emphasis on wines. She has a positive approach and always willing to go the extra mile. She assists us in making decisions where beverage portfolio is concerned and her recommendations always add value to our menus across the hotel. Her ability to sustain the Wine Spectator award has built up more faith in her.” Jeet Arora assistant director of F&B, The Palace Downtown Dubai.