07. Chris Lester, Group Executive Chef, Jumeirah Restaurant Group Dubai
British-born Lester honed his culinary skills at some of the most prestigious dining establishments in the world. This year Lester has developed popular dining concepts such as the UAE’s first smokehouse Perry & Blackwelder’s and North Indian premium casual concept Naya. He has also been heavily involved in menu development, and worked closely with JRG Dubai’s various head chefs to successfully reposition Trattoria Toscana, La Parrilla, Zheng He’s, Bahri Bar, Der Keller and Pierchic. Along with a team of experts from Talise Nutrition, Lester also worked on the creation of kids’ menu dishes across JRG Dubai’s restaurants to ensure fresh, well-balanced meals that are still in keeping with the individual restaurants’ menus. These are expected to be available in 2016. Next year will also see the launch of seasonal menus across JRG Dubai’s restaurants, as well as menus catering to diners with various allergies and intolerances. Lester and the team also plan to launch yet more exciting dining concepts in order to stay on trend.
Bite-sized facts:
Number of years in the F&B industry: 30
Number of years with this company: 6
Number of years in this role: 1
Number of years working in the Middle East: 8
Number of people you are responsible for: 480
Number of F&B outlets in the Middle East: 54 (33 restaurants and bars + 21 The Noodle House restaurants)
Nationality: British
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