September 2006
ACCOR RELAUNCHES FRENCH POLYNESIAN SOFITELS
Accor is re-launching and re-naming its Sofitel hotels in French Polynesia, after investing more than $50 million in the upgrading of the four resorts on Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora. The first Sofitel in French Polynesia, Sofitel Maeva Beach, has been re-launched as Sofitel Tahiti Resort following an upgrade of all its rooms and public areas. Sofitel Marara Bora Bora also completed a refurbishment, and was re-launched as Sofitel Bora Bora Resort. Sofitel's renovation included the addition of new overwater bungalows, a spa and horizon pool, a bar for the beach and pool area, and an ultra-modern Japanese teppanyaki restaurant. All bungalows and public areas have been revamped. The adjacent Sofitel Motu Bora Bora is undergoing a soft refurbishment and will retain its original name after the completion of the renovation later this year. Sofitel Ia Ora Moorea will reveal its own multi-million dollar revamp later this year with a complete redesign of all its bungalows. When the resort reopens in November as Sofitel Moorea Beach Resort, it will feature 111 bungalows, including 19 new overwater bungalows, a new Polynesian restaurant, a large spa and new meeting and function rooms. Accor opened its first hotel (Sofitel Maeva Beach, now Sofitel Tahiti Resort) in 1969. Accor currently has six resorts spread around the islands, including two Novotel Resorts--Novotel Bora Bora Beach Resort and Novotel Rangiroa Lagoon Resort. Accor's French Polynesia General Manager Marc Reissinger said: "The names ‘Tahiti,' ‘Moorea' and ‘Bora Bora' are very well known in trade and consumer circles, so the new names of the hotels will make it easier for travel agents and other operators to identify where the resorts are located and that the product has been completely upgraded over the past year." To know more...
AIDEN BYRNE TO HEAD GRILL ROOM AT DORCHESTER
Rising star chef Aiden Byrne is set to be the new head chef at the Dorchester hotel's iconic Grill Room.
Byrne, 32, is executive chef at the 86-bedroom Danesfield House hotel near Marlow, Buckinghamshire. He should take up his new role at the London hotel on Park Lane in October once contracts have been finalised.
Byrne worked as Tom Aikens's head chef at his eponymous restaurant in Chelsea before his move to Danesfield House last year. He has also previously worked at Pied à Terre in London, Adlard's in Norwich and the Peacock Alley and the Commons in Dublin.
Byrne will work independently of Henry Brosi, who will remain executive chef of the Dorchester hotel. Both Byrne and the Dorchester declined to comment.
The appointment follows the departure of the Grill Room's head chef Ollie Couillard, who left last month to set up Tom Aikens's new 95-seater gastropub Tom's Kitchen, due to open in October. Couillard said: "It's nice to be working with professionals and people who focus on the food and don't have too much bureaucracy."
CHICAGO BANS FOIE GRAS
Geese across Chicago can breathe a collective sigh of relief as the city says au revoir to foie gras.
The goose or duck liver delicacy will be banned from sale in the city from next Tuesday (22 August), following pressure from animal rights campaigners.
But distributors, producers, processors and others involved in the industry have formed a pressure group of their own – the North American Foie Gras Association to oppose the ban. The group has also hired a lobbyist to make their case, amid fears that the ban could spread to other US cities.
In the days before the veto becomes final, restaurants are reported to be selling greater volumes of foie gras than ever, as chefs find creative ways in which to serve existing stock.
Caterer asked a selection of London-based chefs how they would feel about a similar ban in the capital:
Eric Chavot, head chef, The Capital, Chelsea
“What a sad bunch of people. We have been serving it here for seven years. If you want to eat it, eat it, if you don’t want to eat it, don’t! I thought America was a land of opportunity – I suppose it is if you’re a goose, but not if you’re an American who wants to eat foie gras.”
Chris Handley, head chef, Racine, Knightsbridge
“If it was introduced as legislation than we’d have to deal with it – the way we had to deal with the ban on beef on the bone. It would be a pain, but we’d cope. I find it disappointing that Chicago has given way to these extremists. It should be about personal choice.”
Adrian Daniel, head chef and owner, The Gate, Hammersmith
“I think it’s a good idea to ban it – there’s a lot of cruelty involved in producing foie gras. I don’t have a problem with people eating meat, but when an animal is put under extra stress in order to produce a product, I think it’s unfair.”
By Matthew Batham
LONDONER'S EATING HABITS "GOING THE WAY OF THE UNITED STATES"
The fast food industry in the UK is worth billions. The take-away market alone is worth more than £1.2 billion.
Despite increasing media and government attention on healthy, balanced diets, a greater proportion of our calorie intake than ever before is from mass-produced, pre-packed foods.
Around 24 million people in the UK, more than half the adult population, are now officially classified as overweight or obese. And the Department of Health says that 13.7 per cent of children under 11 are obese, up by almost 4 per cent since 1995.
Jamie Oliver's campaign against sub-standard school dinners and the BSE and Foot and Mouth scares brought food and the way it is made to the attention of millions of people.
And the latest food nightmare to hit the headlines is the increasing use of trans-fats in processed foods.
Trans-fats are oils that have been heated to high temperatures to extend shelf life and are found in a wide range of foods, from ice-cream to pastry.
They have been linked to weight gain, diabetes and coronary disease and foods must now carry a label if they contain them in the US.
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JOB OF THE MONTH
(small selection)
all jobs available here
Room Service Manager, London UK
Executive Chief, Armenia
Head Pastry Chef, London
Restaurant General Manager, Russia
Head Chef, Scotland
Food & Beverage Manager, Kuwait
Head Chef, Ireland
General Manager, North UK
Credit Controller, London UK
Regional Finance Manager, Dubai
Sales Executive, London UK
Reservation Manager, London
SPA Manager, Seychelles
Director Sales & Marketing, Manchester UK
Executive Chef, Maldives
Executive Sous Chef, London
STAFF MOVEMENTS
Pierre Descours is the new Financial Controller of the Carlton Intercontinental Hotel in Cannes. Before this appointment Pierre was working at Hotel de la Cité, Carcassonne, France for Orient-Express Hotels and previously at Hotel Le Bristol in Paris.
Hotelier Philippe LeBoeuf is back in the United States after eleven years in France. He is now based in Dallas as Rosewood's Vice President of Operations. LeBoeuf, a Board Director for Leading Hotels of the World, served until 2005 as Executive Vice President of Louvre Hotels, the Barry Sternlicht-controlled entity that includes Paris' tony Hotel de Crillon. LeBoeuf was at the helm of the Crillon for six years. From 1989 to 1991, he was an Executive Assistant Manager at New York's Carlyle, now a Rosewood hotel.
Peter Zenneck has joined Jumeirah International as Vice President Development for Europe and North Africa to be based in London. A Cornell graduate, he spent the last three years advising Leading Hotel Fund Advisors and its partner, Trinity Hotel Investors on European hotel investments. He was previously with Le Mèridien Hotels and Resorts as Worldwide Director of Development and as Vice President Development Asia/Pacific.
Worcestershire hotel Brockencote Hall has appointed Didier Philipot as head chef. He was chef-patron at La Toque d'Or in Birmingham.
Xavier Moulin has moved up to Northern California to open Espace Cafè in Sonoma as its Owner and General Manager. He was most recently the Assistant Rooms Division Manager at Raffles L'Ermitage in Beverly Hills.
Marc Denton has been appointed General Manager of the Oberoi Lombok. He was most recently the Resident Manager at the Beau Rivage Resort in Mauritius.
Chef John Schenk is returning to New York. He worked at Gotham Bar and Grill and Clementine in Manhattan before heading to the Bellagio in Las Vegas and then Strip House in Houston. He will be the Executive Chef at Strip House Greenwich Village, and will also oversee the other Strip House restaurants around the country.
Philippe Sabo has been named General Manager of Jalousie Plantation in St. Lucia. A Lausanne graduate, he had spent several years with Orient Express in such diverse locations as the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort, Charleston Place, the Maroma Resort and Spa, and the Sanctuary Lodge Machu Picchu.
Dominick Adrian has been named General Manager-Luxury Collection for JJW Hotels and Resorts in Paris. The group's luxury collection is made up of the Hotel de Balzac and the Hotel de Vigny, both in Paris, acquired in 2004, the Grand Hotel in Vienna, and Berners Hotel in London.
Alain Chatel has joined Movenpick Hotels & Resorts as the General Manager of the Movenpick Resort & Spa in El Gouna. He had previously been the General Manager at Le Meridien Hotels in Tahiti, Bora Bora, Dakar and, most recently, Le Meridien Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos.
Simon Antoine has transferred to the InterContinental Cleveland as Executive Assistant Manager, from the position of Director of Food and Beverage at the InterContinental Buckhead. Bixente Pery, Executive Chef at the InterContinental Buckhead has been promoted to Director of Food and Beverage/Executive Chef.
Gilles Flores has joined Sun Swept Resorts in St. Lucia as Corporate Director of Food and Beverage. For the past four years, he was in various food and beverage management positions with Orient Express at El Encanto, La Samanna and the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort.
Adelino Cardoso has been named Area Director of Finance Northern France and Director of Finance Prince de Galles for Starwood. A Cornell graduate, he joined Starwood in 1999 as Director of Finance at the Prince de Galles.
Alain Lhermite has been appointed Area Director of Finance Southern France and Director of Finance Le Meridien Nice. He previously was the Controller at the Le Meridien Seychelles, moving on to Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Patrick Divall is Area Director of Finance England and Director of Finance of the London Complex for Starwood. He started his career at the Park Lane Hilton in 1993 and spent time as the Controller at the Sheraton Algarve and the Westin Dublin.
Bernard Viola is now the pre-opening Hotel Manager at the Ritz-Carlton Moscow. He was most recently the Executive Assistant Manager in charge of Food and Beverage at the Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall Jamaica.
Philippe Parodi has been named Director of Sales and Marketing for the Regent Bal Harbor in Miami due to open early 2007. He was most recently the Regional Director of Marketing for Morgans Hotel Group Miami, responsible for Delano and the Shore Club. Parodi also served as Director of Sales and Marketing at the Hotel Martinez in Cannes and Director of Sales at the Hotel de Crillon in Paris.
Gerard Partoens has joined Caesar's Palace Las Vegas as Executive Pastry Chef. He was previously the Executive Pastry Chef at the Adam's Mark in Denver, the Broadmoor in Colorado and, most recently, at the Reno Hilton.
Rene Hofmann has joined the Ritz-Carlton Moscow as Assistant Food and Beverage Director. He was most recently the Banquet Director at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead.
Didier Jacob has been appointed Chef de Cuisine at the One&Only Royal Mirage in Dubai. He was most recently at Sandy Lane in Barbados as Chef de Cuisine.
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