Sebastian Nohse, resort executive chef, Madinat Jumeirah
ABOUT SEBASTIAN
Sebastian started his career in Germany as a apprentice at the Hotel Jaegerhof in 1993, before eventually working his way through restaurants in France, London and finally Dubai when he became Chef de Cuisine at the Burj Al Arab in 2005. Today Sebastian is the resort executive chef of the Madinat Jumeirah.
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WHY WAS HE NOMINATED?
Sebastian’s drive and passion has inspired a productive and commercially-aware team achieving an average of 10% increase in food revenue year-on-year since 2010. This was achieved by focusing on guest experience and increasing chef visibility via live cooking stations and chefs coming out of the kitchen to greet diners directly. Chef Sebastian also reviewed outgoing costs to streamline where appropriate by implementing promotions and using seasonal ingredients. For example, 15 types of tomatoes are used in the restaurants at different times of year depending on their seasonality. He has also re-launched Segreto restaurant, increasing revenue by 8% and the Customer Satisfactory Index (CSI) score by 80 points. With over 25 restaurants across the resort, the enormous task of ensuring every outlet is successful falls to Sebastian. Segreto was identified as a low performer so he spear-headed a strategy that included changing the style of menu, bringing in new key colleagues including a chef, restaurant manager and sommelier, and changing the style to make it more informal. As a result, Segreto was in the Top five performing restaurants for CSI for June 2013 in Madinat Jumeirah.
WHAT DID HIS TEAM SAY?
“I have known Sebastian since 2005 where he joined our team at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong as part of the pre-renovation team as our Executive Sous Chef. He was selected for his culinary skill as well as his aptitude for logistics and planning. Sebastian had not held a position responsible for multi-unit operations as of yet and it was a risk on my part to put him in that role, not only in an iconic property making changes that were sensitive to the community but also in an entirely different culture and way of thinking. During renovation, Sebastian systematically improved and strengthened our team each day. He embraced each challenge with a no fear approach and steeled himself to ensure the task at hand would be completed not only resulting in guest satisfaction but instilling pride in his team. His cuisine and skills grew in complexity while not going above the heads of guests and I was able to rely on him more with every passing day. He was an integral part in the success of us stripping the Hotel to a cement slab and rebuilding, opening and repositioning the hotel for the next 50 years of success in only 9 months. The team we created in a large part are still together at the Mandarin to this day. I believe this speaks for itself. Sebastian then joined me to renovate the Fontainebleau Miami Beach – another resort we stripped to cement and rebuilt, this time on the opposite side of the planet in another different culture with completely different market expectations. Again Sebastian’s tact and cuisine evolved and adjusted to the new challenge but this time in a resort three times the size, with twice the food and beverage revenue. The brigade grew to over 300 and Sebastian found his stride in providing leadership and goals to all. I have always found Sebastian to be the consummate professional, thinking about the effects of his decisions on not only the team, but on the overall guest experience and business. In my 25 years of professional experience on five of the world’s continents, I have yet to encounter another Sebastian.” Sean T. O’Connell, VP - Culinary Operations, Fontainebleau Miami Beach, USA.
WHAT DID HIS GUESTS SAY?
“We approached Chef Sebastian Nohse to create an innovative and exciting tasting experience for our annual charity gala dinner. Sebastian absorbed the brief and our theme and developed a menu that simply exceeded our expectations. Among the highlights of a luxurious menu was an interactive “Shave and Spoon” main course with fresh truffles to be sliced by each guest, as well as a ‘Russian Roulette’ grand finale, where five luscious desserts were created in unison by 40 chefs live in front of the guests. It is evident that Chef Sebastian is extremely creative and determined to break the rules in terms of flavours and presentation. The menu was truly exquisite and a real talking point for our patrons. It is rare to find a talented chef who is willing to develop and support your vision whilst adding a sprinkle of his own magic at the same time.” Tanaz Dizadji, Director, START, non-profit group bringing art programmes to disadvantaged children in the Middle East.
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