Meet the experts
Salero, Kempinski Hotel, Mall of the Emirates
Head chef: Francisco Llanos
Having worked around the world in F&B positions in South America, the USA and Europe, Argentine Francisco Llanos most recently was chef de cuisine at Ritz Carlton, Abu Dhabi for the Steakhouse and Lobby Bar. From there he moved to Salero in September 2013 to take on the role of head chef. He is in charge of the main kitchen, butchery and the cold kitchen.
Table 9, Hilton, Dubai Creek
Head chef: Darren Velvick
Darren Velvick, born in England, worked for 14 years alongside Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing at prestigious London restaurant Pétrus, where he became head chef. He then moved with Wareing to become the head chef of new restaurant, Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley. Velvick left London in December 2013 to take the helm at Table 9 at Hilton, Dubai Creek, where he is currently building on the restaurant’s classic elegance with his own style.
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Reform Social & Grill, The Lakes
Chef: Ryan Waddell
Ryan Waddell is head chef at Reform Social & Grill. With plenty of experience in creating classic British menus in the UK, he most recently won acclaim for his work at The Canbury Arms and The Hoxton Grill – two classic British venues in London. Now in Dubai, Waddell intends to take Reform favourites from London and give them a twist. Fresh fish will feature prominently and Waddell looks forward to experimenting with local UAE produce.
Marco Pierre White Grill, Conrad, Dubai
Chef: Genny Lorenzo
In 1999, Genny Lorenzo began working with renowned British chef Gordon Ramsay at his famous London restaurant, Pétrus. She then moved backed to the USA where she was based in San Francisco for 10 years, working her way up the kitchen ranks in five-star hotel restaurants such as St. Regis Hotel and Hotel Palomar. Lorenzo was part of the launch team of Marco Pierre White Grill and was heavily involved in the menu creation. Lorenzo likes to experiment and strongly believes in working with a few key elements to allow her ingredients to shine.
Qbara, Wafi Fort Complex
Chef: Colin Clague
Before setting up Qbara, Colin Clague most recently was the opening executive chef for Pollen Gardens in Singapore in 2012. Prior to that he was in charge of the restaurants under the Caprice Holdings group and oversaw the opening of The Ivy at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers. Some of his notable achievements include being in the pre-opening team of the prestigious Burj Al Arab in Dubai, and executive chef of award-winning Japanese izakaya restaurants, Zuma in London and Dubai.
Chinwaggery & Soul, Mövenpick Jumeirah
Chef: Edi Pancamala
Having worked at Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts as chef de cuisine for the West 14th Steakhouse on Palm Jumeirah, Edi Pancamala left to take up a role at Four Seasons Beirut. He now returns to Mövenpick as chef de cuisine of Chinwaggery + Soul, bringing his philosophy “If you get the right products and cook them with passion, the food will speak for itself.”
Cravin’ Cajun, Novotel
Head chef: Jeffrey Whitfield
Born in Louisiana, USA, Jeffrey Whitfield has more than 27 years of experience in professional kitchens. He started out in Indiana at California Café, a fine-dining restaurant and his most memorable career stint was working for the French Quarter, Chartres Street in New Orleans. A firm believer in carving his own niche rather than following trends, Whitfield heads Novotel Dubai Al Barsha’s speciality restaurant Cravin’ Cajun – a true Louisiana, Creole, Cajun restaurant, and one of its kind in the region.
Toko, Vida Downtown Hotel
Head Chef: Ben Orpwood
Ben Orpwood started out as a commis at busy Japanese restaurant Zuma in London, from where he moved to Istanbul as part of the opening team of Zuma Istanbul. There he met fellow roundtable attendee, Colin Clague, before coming to Dubai with Clague in 2006 as part of the opening team of Zuma UAE. Orpwood then moved to Toko Sydney as a number two before returning to Dubai to head Toko UAE, opening this month.
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