Caterer ME Power 50 2016: Hotels
1. Mark Patten
Senior Vice President, Food & Beverage Atlantis, The Palm
Patten has led the F&B team at Atlantis since 2007 when he joined as vice president of culinary. His creativity in menu development and strong relationships with worldwide suppliers saw the resort achieve an average of 15,000 daily covers after his appointment. He also rose to the challenge of meeting the seasonal produce requirements of two of the high-profile venues at the time (Nobu and Ronda Locatelli) — and has since achieved the same for Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen & Bar. Ramsay’s long-awaited return to Dubai as been a notable highlight in Patten’s recent career. This year, Patten led his team through months of meticulous planning to deliver the Air Show Gala Dinner, attended by over 3,000 guests. The team orchestrated the serving of a three-course meal in one hour, having first trained 1,000 colleagues in silver service over three weeks. The event, which was delivered within budget thanks to Patten’s team’s cost saving measures that included utilising highly recommended staff from within with the Jumeirah Group and One & Only, saw 3,000 starters served in just seven minutes. This year, Patten also oversaw the successful launch of Ayamna, Atltantis’ high-end Lebanese restaurant.
Bite-sized facts:
Number of years in the F&B industry: 30
Number of years with this company: 9
Number of years in this role: 3.5
Number of years working in the Middle East: 9
Number of people you are responsible for: 1,200
Number of F&B outlets in the Middle East: 23
Nationality: Australian
2. Rolf Jan Van Zeyl
Regional Director of Food & Beverage, Arabian Peninsula, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, Hilton Worldwide
Van Zeyl is responsible for the development and implementation of the F&B strategy across 46 hotels in the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, encompassing 90 restaurants and 65 bars. He started his career with Hilton Worldwide 17 years ago and five years after that, started working in hotel F&B before developing his skills in operations. Throughout his career, he has worked for Hilton Worldwide in six countries. This year, Van Zeyl started Hilton’s Extraordinary Bars programme to highlight its hotels’ ‘destination bars’ across the region and developed a system to monitor, and capture, qualitative social media commentary about Hilton’s oulets. In recent months, he has also underscored Hilton’s strategy of offering home-ground and leased outlets to ensure its properties are F&B destinations by finalising agreements with McGettigan’s and Trader Vic’s to open at Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Resort. In early 2017, Van Zeyl will reveal a project Hilton is working on with a high-profile Middle East chef for a brand new Levant-inspired concept, and continue to curate diverse F&B offers.
Bite-sized facts:
Number of years in the F&B industry: 27
Number of years with this company: 22
Number of years in this role: 0.8
Number of years working in the Middle East: 7
Number of people you are responsible for: Approximately 24,000
Number of F&B outlets in the Middle East: 166 restaurants and 117 bars
Nationality: Dutch
3. Uwe Micheel
Director of Kitchens, Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek And President, Emirates Culinary Guild
Micheel is the longest serving president of the Emirates Culinary Guild; is a Conseiller Culinaire and Commandeur of the Chaine Des Rotisseurs in the UAE; and this year put together the UAE team for the 2016 Culinary Olympics in Germany. In 2015 he was instrumental in launching the ICCA Scholarship Programme, which is giving underprivileged young chefs the opportunity to earn globally-recognised professional certification. He oversees eight outlets within the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek and as well as being involved in sales and PR within the hotel — he believes an executive chef should be part of the front-of-house team — he regularly gets involved in activities for Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). As a highly respected industry figure, he is a frequent speaker at F&B forums and seminars on behalf of Emirates Culinary Guild, and is often called upon to sit on judging panels for awards processes and competitions.
Bite-sized facts:
Number of years in the F&B industry: 30
Number of years with this company: 23
Number of years in this role: 23
Number of years working in the Middle East: 23
Number of people you are responsible for: 92+
Nationality: German
4. Stefan Breg
Director F&B, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Breg is director of F&B at Starwood for Europe, Africa & Middle East based in Dubai; a division with over 1200 F&B venues and $1 billion+ revenue. He currently oversees in excess of 340 venues based in the Middle East and leads the Starwood team in developing F&B openings — with 150+ new and refurbished venues planned in the next four years in the Middle East alone. The bulging portfolio includes such well-known F&B institutions as Buddha Bar, Barasti, Toro Toro, China Grill (all in Dubai) and Spice Market (Doha). Reflecting on the last 12 months, Breg told Caterer that one of his proudest achievements was the opening of Besh Turkish Kitchen at Sheraton Mall of Emirates, which is in a site that has to compete with 35 restaurants and is already beating targets. Looking forward, Breg's vision is for the organisation’s F&B operations to stand out and make it the number one choice for the broad.
Bite-sized facts:
Number of years in the F&B industry: 30
Number of years with this company: 1
Number of years in this role: 1
Number of years working in the Middle East: 16
Nationality: Slovenia
5. Gianluca Sparacino
Corporate director of food and beverage for EMEA, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts
In recent years, Four Seasons has moved away from the typical hotel restaurant and created free-standing restaurants and bars, such as its rooftop bar called Mercury Lounge in Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach. Sparacino credits the commitment of his team of executive chefs and F&B directors in the region with the successful execution of the initial concepts. Following his graduation from hotel management school Les Roches in Switzerland, he started gaining global experience initially starting with Hyatt in Singapore, before continuing to concentrate on F&B with positions in Hong Kong, Bangkok and Taipei. Sparacino, whose role involves acting as an advisor between third party consultants, ownership and hotels for celebrity chefs, F&B consultants, and beverage consultants, works across properties in locations such as Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Lebanon, Dubai, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Within these, the company has more than 70 restaurants bars and lounges, as well as each having banquet and room service departments.
Bite-sized facts:
Number of years in the F&B industry: 16
Number of years with this company: 14
Number of years in this role: 5
Number of years working in the Middle East: 3
Nationality: Italian
6. Viktor Stampfer
Senior director of culinary & concept development MEA, Marriott
Stampfer began his culinary career in 1988 as a junior chef at a three Michelin star restaurant in Germany. Many chefs roles followed before he was awarded his first Michelin star during his tenure as executive chef of fine dining restaurant Tigerpalast Variete in Frankfurt, Germany, where he worked from 2000 to 2005. Prior to joining Marriott, he was deputy general manager of the café division of Dubai’s Bateel International and has served as corporate director of culinary for Emaar Hospitality. Last year, Marriott International launched global campaign Project Canvas in the Middle East to nurture local entrepreneurship, which led to a new nightclub called Square, a Peruvian restaurant called Garden and Park Outdoor Lounge, all located within the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai.
Bite-sized facts:
Number of years in the F&B industry: 28
Number of years with this company: 5
Number of years in this role: 2
Number of years working in the Middle East: 15+
Nationality: German
7. Tim Stanhope
Corporate director of food and beverage, Emaar Hospitality Group
Stanhope oversees F&B operations for Emaar hospitality group, both hotels and leisure, which is Dubai’s largest hospitality development company. Emaar’s portfolio of hospitality assets includes hotel brands, serviced residences, golf retreats, a polo and equestrian club, lifestyle dining outlets and the Dubai Marina Yacht Club. The Address Hotels and Resorts, The Palace Downtown Dubai, Armani Hotels, Vida Hotels and Resorts, and Manzil Downtown Dubai all fall under Stanhope’s remit. Ristorante, meanwhile, took home the award for Caterer Middle East Head Chef of the Year for a Hotel-Managed Outlet. In total, Stanhope oversees 43 different F&B outlets — with a further six in the pipeline. This year, Emaar’s mid-market brand Rove Hotels launched its first property in Dubai, Rove Downtown Dubai.
Bite-sized facts:
Number of years in the F&B industry: 35
Number of years with this company: 2.4
Number of years in the Middle East: 2.5
Nationality: New Zealand
8. Niki Walsh
Director of food & beverage, TAJ Dubai
Walsh’s role at Taj Hotels may be her first foray into hotel F&B but the UK national is no stranger to hospitality, having opened her own outlet, Graze Bar & Kitchen, in 2005 in her native country and turned around an ailing The Ivy Dubai after joining Jumeirah Restaurant Group. Walsh started at Taj Dubai nearly two years ago, and since then has conceptualised and opened its rooftop bar Treehouse — steering it into profitability in just a year. In order to maximise revenue year-round, she arranged for a bespoke cover throughout summer and ran a temperature-related discount. The outlet is forecasted to finish the year 20% ahead of budget, as will The Eloquent Elephant. At this outlet, Walsh focused on growing its food reputation by adding a series of weekday products showcasing the chefs' talents. There are two Taj properties in the pipeline, for which Walsh has designed seven restaurant concepts for consideration.
Bite-sized facts:
Number of years in the F&B industry: 15
Number of years with this company: 1.8
Number of years in this role: 1.8
Number of years working in the Middle East: 5.5
Number of people you are responsible for: 95
Number of F&B outlets in the Middle East: 6
Nationality: British
9. Tolga Lacin
Complex general manager — The Westin and Le Méridien Mina Seyahi, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
Lacin has worked in F&B since the early 1990s and has been in his current position for three years, having moved up through the company’s ranks during the last decade. In recent years, he established the Starwood Regional F&B division and the Starwood F&B Council in the region, and has led new F&B concepts at the St. Regis Dubai, W Dubai — Sheikh Zayed Road, and Westin Dubai — Sheikh Zayed Road. This year, among the new openings he has been involved with is Le Méridien Mina Seyahi — a new restaurant called Fish Beach Taverna that is already garnering positive reviews. The concept, which opened in September, is supplied with fish caught by a team of fisherman in Lacin's native Turkey, bringing an authentic taste of the Aegean Sea to Dubai. Lacin. who moved to Dubai in 2009 to become EAM for F&B at The Westin Dubai and Le Méridien Mina Seyahi, has previously held positions on the Asia Pacific Starwood team and at The Westin Shanghai.
Bite-sized facts:
Number of years in the F&B industry: 23
Number of years with this company: 14
Number of years in this role: 3
Number of years working in the Middle East: 9
Nationality: Turkish
10. Matthew Cropp
Corporate Director F&B Culinary and Concept Development, Al Khozama Management Company — Hospitality Division
With more than 30 years of experience in the industry behind him, Cropp says his unwavering objective is to cultivate and maintain outstanding F&B operation, with a management style that is hands-on, results-orientated, and people-centric. His career has seen him take on roles throughout Asia, India and the Middle East, and Cropp has experience of a range of operational projects, pre-openings and openings in superior deluxe, large volume and deluxe boutique hotels, resorts and leisure operations. Al Khozama offers bespoke hotel management and development solutions for corporate, boutique, extended stay, conference, and resort properties and Cropp is responsible for more than 60 F&B outlets in Saudi Arabia, where he has lived for about four years. As well as creating a new concept portfolio for the group, he has successfully developed a centralised, country-wide supply chain, and implemented a programme of career mapping for the company’s F&B and culinary department team leaders. Recruitment is a focus moving forwards as the company has more openings in the Kingdom in the pipeline.
Bite-sized facts:
Number of years in the F&B industry: 32
Number of years with this company: 5
Number of years in this role: 1.6
Number of years working in the Middle East: 6
Nationality: Australian