Joseph Fortuin, head bartender at Claw BBQ, Crabshack & Grill, has finally made his way to winning the Bartender of the Year title at the Caterer Middle East Awards – the third time he has been shortlisted in this category.
The event took place on June 1 at the Conrad Dubai, and the category award was presented to Fortuin by George Harding, commercial project manager, MMI.
Fortuin arrived in the UAE in April 2013 as a barback, and was also a semi-finalist of the Jameson Barrelman Competition Dubai.
A steady contributor to an increase in wet sales revenue at Claw, Fortuin was also responsible for boosting team morale, through the implementation of regular friendly competitions between BOH and FOH teams.
Speaking to Caterer Middle East on the night, Fortuin said: My team inspires me, I can’t do anything without my team. It’s because of my team that I’m even here. They believe in me and because of that, I believe in myself. And so I normally say everything I do is to make them better, make myself better and promote what we’re doing, promote what Claw is. I love my team, I can’t do anything without them."
His relationship with suppliers was also praised, allowing for better negotiation for deals for the venue. He said: "I have a great relationship with my suppliers, on-site and off-site. In terms of business, if you’re not controlling your beverage cost, if you don’t have a good relationship with your suppliers, what good are you doing for your company?"
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An overwhelming majority of the judges picked Fortuin for the title; he broke company records when he became the first employee to be promoted before the end of his probationary period. In the past year he has also re-written the cocktail menu to fine-tune recipes and deliver cost savings.
So what next for Fortuin? He concluded: "I need to win Bar Manager of the Year next year!"
Highly commended in this category was Grace Mensah, who is a bartender at Sea Ba & XOLO, Fairmont Ajman.
Other shortlisted entries included: Mohan Narendra Kataria from 360°, Karam Desouky from Seafire at Atlantis the Palm, Dubai, Srimanta Kumar Jena from, Zanzi Bar, Kempinski Hotel Ajman, and Danilo Acol from Roberto's Restaurant & Lounge, Dubai.
Sponsors of the Caterer Middle East Awards include: category sponsors Figjam, SIAL Middle East, TSSC, Ronai, MMI, Aramtec, Al Rawdah, Sample Me, Bragard, Tequila Patron; our water sponsor Acqua Panna and San Pellegrino, and our coffee sponsor Dallmayr.
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