Fairmont The Palm hires CDC for The Chef's Palette cooking studio

Fairmont The Palm Dubai has appointed Romain Van Durman as the chef de cuisine for The Chef's Palette, where he will manage the resort's dedicated cooking studio and drive individual and group cooking classes for guests and residents.

A Belgian national with more than 10 years of culinary experience, Van Durman is fluent in English and French with a degree in Hospitality Administration and Management from L’Institut provincial D'enseignement Secondaire in Tournai, Belgium.

He started his culinary career completing a series of internships within two Michelin starred restaurants Le Château Du Mylord and Sea Grill by Yves Mattagne - both within Belgium.

His first official role was chef de partie at Luxury Brasserie, Belgium until 2006 after which he moved back to Sea Grill until 2008. He then became chef de partie at Zaranda, a two Michelin star gourmet restaurant in Mallorca.

Moving back to Belgium and becoming sous chef for La Petite Madeleine, Van Durman started his own catering service called Rendez-Vous Chez Vous in 2011, servicing a range of clientele from private homes to large company events.

Prior to working at Fairmont The Palm, he moved to Dubai in 2014 to become chef de cuisine at The Ritz-Carlton DIFC, managing the kitchen for Café Belge and Sunken Garden, operating and managing a team of 16 chefs for three years.