Results discuss rising food costs, the need to find quality ingredients, the importance of training and recruiting professional staff members and the continuing debate on whether the Middle East is a culinary hub yet or not.
The fourth annual Caterer Middle East Head Chef Survey saw nearly 100 chefs across the Middle East take time out of their busy schedules and answer questions about the state of the F&B industry in the region.
The survey was conducted online through Caterer Middle East’s online home www.hoteliermiddleeast.com and was designed to allow chefs to anonymously weigh in with their thoughts of the F&B industry, discuss culinary trends, and reveal the opportunities and challenges they will face in the next year.
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We reveal the findings of the survey here, which has dished out some surprising results, and exposed what chefs really think.
Culinary Destination
Is the Middle East a dining destination yet? Has it reached a stage where it is globally competitive? Chefs in the Middle East are increasingly saying the region has become a “culinary hub” with 73.5% believing it has already gotten to that stage. The majority consensus was that the industry is competitive on a global level.
An executive chef said: “We can see the culinary experts are making their signature in the Middle East now, which have good reputation with guests. Guests know exactly what they eat, from where and from whom.”
However, some chefs were cautious in heaping this extravagant praise on the regional F&B industry with one cautioning: “I believe we still have a long way to go and need to encourage younger people in the industry to follow their dreams and try to be a little more individual; this will create excitement and more unique dining experiences.”
Some were not happy with the state of the industry at all; one bluntly said the quality of cooking is not up to the mark, with another pointedly saying: “The Middle East is closed to outside ideas and ways of eating and food, especially in Kuwait.”
As a follow-up question, 78.8% opined that the Middle East could potentially become a dining destination within the next five years. Currently the problem is that diners are “still not educated on food, rather they follow trends” according to one, while another agreed and added: “Most people in the Middle East don’t know the original taste of cuisines.”
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