REVEALED: Caterer ME Power 50 2013 (30-21)
Welcome to the Caterer Middle East Power 50 2013. In the first edition, the list is entirely dedicated to those based in the Middle East region — we have included chefs, general managers, F&B directors, executive chefs, and restaurateurs.
Over the course of this week, (beginning December 9) HotelierMiddleEast.com will reveal the countdown of the region's top 50 most influential food and beverage professionals in the Middle East. In this third instalment of a five-part series, we will be announcing those names that did enough to make it onto this year’s list ranking in positions 30 to 21.
They have been judged on weighted categories, including: the size and scale of their operations, their level of innovation, their reputation and respect within the industry, and their longevity — how long they have been around and how much of their work will stand the test of time.
However, the rankings in the Caterer Middle East Power 50 are subjective and the opinion of the editorial team. Decisions are made on the merits noted above, and special weighting is given to those who work on ‘homegrown’ concepts and make sure the Middle East is counted on the global F&B map.
Caterer Middle East relies upon the information provided to us by these individuals and restaurant groups, and the data presented is accurate as of December 2013 to the best of our knowledge. Join us in celebrating the first batch of Caterer’s Power 50, each of whom deserves his/her place on the list.
Article continued on next page...
30. Russell Impiazzi - Culinary Director, Lafayette Gourmet, Galeries Lafayette
Bite-sized facts:
Size of team: 106
Number of years in the F&B industry: 23
Number of years in the Middle East: 17
Nationality: British
Bringing with him over 20 years of experience in the F&B industry, Russell Impiazzi has always had a passion for food, having started his culinary journey working in a hotel kitchen at the tender age of 14.
Currently heading a team of 106, who come from countries all around the world, Impiazzi has seen the country’s F&B grow and develop over the last 17 years.
His team is currently looking at another location in Abu Dhabi to open soon.
Impiazzi is also a champion of sustainability, and a video of him can be found on YouTube looking for sustainable fish in the Deira Fish Market, shunning species like hammour to cook a guilt-free meal.
Impiazzi worked at Hyatt Regency Dubai and in 1998, became part of the opening team for restaurant and spa complex at Wafi — The Pyramids, owned by His Highness Sheikh Mana Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum.
Article continued on next page...
29. Chris Lester - Executive Chef, Caprice Holdings
Bite-sized facts:
Number of years in the F&B industry: 27
Number of years in the Middle East: 8 (with breaks)
Nationality: British
An on-again, off-again relationship with the Middle East, it looks like Chris Lester keeps coming back for more. This British executive chef with Caprice Holdings first joined the Burj al Arab in June 2003, before he left for Macau in 2007.
Just one year later, he returned to open The Rivington Grill with Caprice Holdings. At the end of 2010, he became a consultant and worked on local brands including Just Falafel, Jones the Grocer, Gourmet Gulf, Rite Bite, among others. But off he went again to London for a year and returned in 2012 to re-join Caprice Holdings.
While Lester claims to have many achievements with Caprice in the last year, he says the proudest moment was the opening of Scott’s at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi. His aim for the next year is to continue to work with driving the current Caprice restaurants in conjunction with Jumeirah.
Article continued on next page...
28. Duncan Fraser-Smith - Managing Director, The Cutting Edge Agency
Bite-sized facts:
Number of years in the Middle East: 6
Number of years in the F&B industry: 20
Nationality: australian
Duncan Fraser-Smith has gone the freelance consultant way and launched The Cutting Edge Agency in early 2013. Some of his future openings under The Cutting Edge Agency wing include: Marina Bay Social by Jason Atherton, Whisky Mist, Shrimp and Vine, with InterContinental Dubai Marina; Cibaria Mediterranean and Char Steakhouse with InterContinental King Abdulla Financial District Riyadh; Roznama Seasonal in Hotel Indigo King Abdulla Financial District; and La Patisserie Par Pierre Gagnaire at InterContinental Dubai Festival City.
Prior to this, he was group director of design, food and beverage for Middle East, Africa and Asia, IHG, and his role involved creating and developing over 150 different F&B concepts for the chain. His 20 years in the hospitality industry span Asia, Australia and the Middle East.
Article continued on next page...
27. Jameel Al Nabtiti - Executive Chef, Wyndham Grand Regency Doha
Bite-sized facts:
Size of team: 80
Number of years in his current role: 10
Nationality: Jordanian
Jameel Nabtiti has been the executive chef in Regency Group for Regency Halls for almost 10 years and with Wyndham Grand Regency since November 2005. Nabtiti holds a diploma in food production.
Over the last year, with the addition of the Al Qasr ballroom, Nabtiti established a banquet kitchen by promoting associates internally also providing a boost to employee morale. This helped increase banquet revenue by QR 7 million per year.
Wyndham Grand Regency Hotel was the first hotel in Doha to be recognised with a HACCP certification for food safety management. Nabtiti spearheaded this project with the support of the GM.
He has also catered for Royal families of Qatar. On the side, he has opened several restaurants, a chain of restaurants Canzaman in Jordan, including Al Laquqet, which has the patronage of His Majesty King Hussein and King Abdallah of Jordan.
Article continued on next page...
26. Joe Barza - Owner, Joe Barza Culinary Consultancy
Bite-sized facts:
Number of years in the F&B industry: 30
Number of years in the Middle East: 19
Nationality: Lebanese
Launched in 2010, Joe Barza Culinary Consultancy is the brainchild of Lebanese chef Joe Barza, best known for his starring role in Top Chef Middle East. He was responsible for putting together an all-star cast for Salon Culinaire at Horeca Lebanon last year.
In the 12 months, Barza has been a busy bee creating the menu for the Lebanese restaurant, Marjan, at the newly opened Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah, serving as a judge at the Dubai World Hospitality Championships while hosting demos on Lebanese cuisine, consulting on the opening of Helios Lounge in Dubai, being a star chef at the Formula One Abu Dhabi, cooking for royal weddings in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, and more.
Barza is already celebrated for promoting Lebanese cuisine worldwide including in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, and Turkey, and has restaurant openings in the pipeline.
Article continued on next page...
25. Willi Elsener - Managing Director F&B Division, Bespoke Concepts
Bite-sized facts:
Number of years in the Middle East: 14
Nationality: Swiss
Willi Elsener brings over 40 years of experience in the global hospitality business. Prior to joining Bespoke Concepts, he was in charge of Jumeirah Group’s worldwide F&B development and F&B operations. He has worked with many luxury hotels and restaurants around the UK, Germany, Spain and Maldives, as well as UAE, Jordan, Bali, Russia, Japan, China and Thailand.
Because of his varied experience, Elsener is well-known amongst the region’s F&B and hospitality professionals and is spoken of highly, with many citing his utmost professionalism and knowledge of the workings of the industry.
Some of his current projects include five-star hotels in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Morocco and the UAE. Bespoke Concepts is a boutique hospitality advisory firm offering a range of tailored, integrated solutions to F&B organisations, internationally and throughout the MENA region.
Article continued on next page...
24. Olivier Biles - Head Chef, Reflets Par Pierre Gagnaire
Bite-sized facts:
Restaurants under remit: 2
Size of team: 24
Number of years in the Middle East: 6
Nationality: French
Olivier Biles always knew he wanted to work with Pierre Gagnaire, having grown up watching his father cook with the three-Michelin star chef. His ambition was realised when he was appointed sous chef at the Pierre Gagnaire restaurant in Paris, where he spent five years.
Trained by Pierre Gagnaire, Biles is mindful of sustainability issues, and as such, hammour, which is well known for being over-fished in the region, does not feature anywhere on Reflets’ menu.
Biles is a great advocate of developing his team’s culinary skills and this is reflected in that over 80% of his team has remained since the pre-opening phase of the hotel.
In the New Year, Biles will oversee the launch of a new concept in the hotel’s lobby — a patisserie, which will also be the first stand-alone pastry shop by Pierre Gagnaire in the world.
Article continued on next page...
23. David Gache - Executive Chef, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal
Bite-sized facts:
Restaurants under remit: 10
Number of years in the F&B industry: 22
Year when he first moved to the Middle East: 1988
Nationality: French
David Gache is executive chef at the five-star, beachfront The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, which opened this year. He leads a team of 106 chefs and 42 stewards.
The restaurants, including South-East Asian Li Jiang, steakhouse The Forge, Lebanese Mijana, among others, are already popular in the city, especially with UAE Nationals.
He is well-known in the Middle East having moved to Bahrain in 1988. With extensive international experience in heading many exclusive restaurants and kitchens in five-star hotels, he began his career in London then moved to Geneva, where he honed his culinary skills at Michelin-star restaurants.
Prior to this, Gache served as executive chef of the 245-key Ritz-Carlton in Bahrain, which he joined in September 2008.
Article continued on next page...
22. Cedric Toussaint - General Manager, La Petite Maison
Bite-sized facts:
Restaurants under remit: 1
Size of team: 112
Number of years in the F&B industry: 17
Number of years in the Middle East: 3
Nationality: French
Cedric Toussaint is the general manager of La Petite Maison in Dubai, and while La Petite Maison has had a low-key year in terms of developments, the brand is planning to open in Abu Dhabi in the near future.
Toussaint says of the last 12 months: “It’s been a successful year of awards. We’ve been recognised as one of the 50 best restaurant in the world for two consecutive years after the first year of operation.”
He is keen to provide an even higher standard of service and setting new benchmarks in Dubai.
But in addition to the Abu Dhabi venue, La Petite Maison is looking further afield. Toussaint says that in the next year the plan is to develop the brand worldwide with an expansion to the US.
He is very proud of his team in Dubai, and says: “We have an incredibly hard-working team of 112 — they are a great bunch of colleagues.”
Article continued on next page...
21. Walid Hajj - CEO, Cravia
Bite-sized facts:
Number of brands under his remit: 5
Number of restaurants under cravia: 64
Nationality: Saudi Arabian
Walid Hajj is busy and why not? His company, Cravia, recently opened its first signature restaurant, The Steak Bar, in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) marking a shift away from the firm bringing international brands into the region.
Hajj works with Cinnabon, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Zaatar w Zeit, Carvel, and The Steak Bar.
Hajj says: “The vision for 2014 is to continue to solidly build our existing brands, aggressively expand Zaatar w Zeit in Saudi, fine-tune and start growing our in-house brand, The Steak Bar, and add another brand to our portfolio. We believe 2014 is also an opportunity to continue to strengthen our infrastructure and we will improve on our central kitchen and logistics operations by investing in new, expanded facilities. Overall, I see Cravia adding 30-35% in growth during 2014.”