New director of F&B at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi

The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal has promoted Romain Mejecaze to director of food and beverage, and appointed Saleh Ali Jalis as the new Arabic chef de cuisine at the hotel’s signature Lebanese restaurant Mijana.

Mejecaze, who joined The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal in July 2012 as assistant director of food and beverage, was instrumental to the successful opening of the luxury resort’s ten food and beverage offerings while driving talent acquisition and training efforts, overseeing supplier relations and setting up operational standards.

In his new role, Mejecaze will concentrate on further developing the property’s meeting and event facilities and outside catering services.

Prior to joining The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Mejecaze managed a team of more than 300 employees at the One&Only Royal Mirage resort in Dubai as assistant food and beverage manager, and had served as a restaurant manager at the hotel.

Saleh Ali Jalis, the new chef de cuisine at Mijana, was previouslyat the helm of sister property, The Ritz-Carlton Dubai’s Arabic restaurant Amaseena. Jalis was selected as a culinary trainer to assist with the opening of The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi where he was involved in menu development and training.

Prior to moving to the UAE, Jalis spent six years with the Four Seasons Hotel in Saudi Arabia, where he started as a cook and rose through the ranks to the position of junior sous chef.