May 2008
The famous faces who feed the foodies
Most celebrities have an intimate understanding of restaurants-especially since a plethora of them worked as waiters waiting for their big break. "You feel like you know everything once you've been a waitress," Sandra Bullock, a former server, once said. But who knew so many stars, like Bullock, would be inspired to return to their roots? Indeed, a number of celebrities have added "restaurateur" to their resumes. And many of them have the same appetite for the craft as they do for their more glamorous jobs.
When it comes to cooking food or making films, Francis Ford Coppola leads with his heart. All of his cafes (as he prefers to call them) represent his personal vision. The Oscar-winning director began cooking in junior high school and has continued ever since. During college (as a very poor student) he couldn't afford to take women on dates, so he would invite them to his tiny apartment and make his mother's recipes. And later, he cooked for his cast and crew during film shoots. So opening cafes was a natural continuation of his passion for cooking and of good, genuine Italian food. In fact, his eateries are among only a handful in the U.S. whose pizza is certified Verace Pizza Napoletana (Genuine Neapolitan Pizza).
For the set design-er, décor-Coppola worked with Oscar-winning production designer Dean Tavoularis. "You make what you like. Whether you are a director or a cook, you're in the decision business," Coppola told Forbes Traveler. "All day long you're saying yes, yes, more of that, no, no, less of this." For the highly lauded director and screenwriter, this recipe has served him well. The Cafe Zoetrope in San Francisco and the Cafe Rosso & Bianco in Palo Alto are doing quite well.
Coppola oversees nearly every detail of his cafes, even working beside new chefs to show how the dish should look. And while other celebrities may not be as involved in their restaurant's operations, several are breaking into the business with gusto.
"Owning a restaurant is a dream for many-part of the "American Dream"-the allure being the hospitality and culinary aspects, and there's the sense of accomplishment brought by entrepreneurship," says Annika Stensson of the National Restaurant Association. It would seem this holds true for famous folks as well.
Luxury travel catalogue takes Russia by storm
International Leisure World is a unique publication, directly targeting the growing number of Russian high net worth individuals, enabling luxury travel suppliers to market directly to this elite sector.
As the economy in Russia continues to improve the Russian upper-middle class is growing in stature and wealth. Sales of luxury goods in Russia are amongst the highest in the world and an ever increasing number of Russians are demanding high quality services for their International travel.
First published in 2005 as a bi-annual magazine, International Leisure World was re-branded in 2007 as Russia's first "Annual catalogue of Luxury Travel". Readers have highly approved of this change making International Leisure World a source of specialised information for the coming Winter and Summer travel seasons. Advertisers have been overwhelmed with the response to their advertisements and greatly appreciate the long term advertising potential provided by this annual catalogue format.
Great care and attention is taken in the design and editorial content of International Leisure World ensuring high reader satisfaction resulting in long retention and multiple readership status.
35,000 copies of each issue are printed and distributed through a unique network directly targeting the high net worth sector. Copies are sent by courier to the magazines massive client data base and to leading Russian travel companies. Substantial distribution is also made through a unique network of exclusive outlets including Luxury Hotels, Golf Clubs, Private Clinics, Luxury Car Dealerships, elite Restaurants and VIP lounges. International Leisure world also participates at a vast number of exclusive events in Russia enabling further distribution to this target sector.
The 2008/2009 issue is now in preparation and interested suppliers in the Luxury Travel sector should contact the sales team immediately to secure their space for this issue. As an added gesture of goodwill to their advertisers, the magazine offers free Editorial coverage to match the size of their advertisements. A full page advertisement costs just €.1,630.- and includes an additional full page of editorial at no additional charge.
The deadline for inclusion in the 2008/2009 edition is 30 June 2008.
Full details of this superb sales and marketing promotion directly targeting the elite Russian luxury traveller can be found on the magazine's website at www.leisure.ru
Balbirnie House head chef suspended after lying on CV
James Stocks, head chef at Balbirnie House in Fife, Scotland, has been suspended from his work after it emerged he embellished his CV and alleged senior positions at some of the UK’s top restaurants.
Stocks, who runs his eponymous restaurant at the Orangery, has claimed close relationships with chefs including Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay and Michel Roux Jr as well as and high-ranking positions in their kitchens.
However, the Michelin-starred chefs have denied his claims and Balbirnie House has launched an investigation, with Stocks having been suspended until its completion.
This comes just a year after a former employee of Balbirnie House was jailed for 27 months after he set fire to the premises while there were guests inside.
Hospitality workers in London should be paid more than national minimum wage
Hospitality employers in London should be paying their workers a minimum of £7.20 per hour, according to the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone.
The call came as Livingstone announced the new living rate for the capital following a report by the Living Wage Unit.
The report found that anyone earning less than £6.25 an hour is at or below the poverty level in London - even after taking into account tax credits and benefits. This is significantly above the National Minimum Wage level of £5.35, largely because of the high cost of housing in London.
“The London living wage is vital to ensure the capital retains a skilled, committed workforce and this applies to those who provide all the essential services - without which London would grind to a halt,” Livingstone said.
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Dimitri Zarikos has been named Regional Vice President and General Manager at the Four Seasons Toronto, taking over for Chris Hart. He has been with the company since 1997, starting out as Executive Assistant Manager at the Four Seasons New York and was most recently the opening General Manager of the Four Seasons Provence at Terre Blanche. A Cornell/IHMI graduate, he also served as Hotel Manager of the Four Seasons Cairo at First Residence. Prior to joining Four Seasons, Zarikos spent nine years at the (Nikko) Essex House in New York.
David Hall has been appointed General Manager of the InterContinental Chicago O'Hare, due to open September 2008. He was formerly the General Manager at the Chicago City Centre Hotel and Spa and has previously served as General Manager of the three hotels at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta.
Omni Hotels has named Rick LaValley Vice President of Finance. He was most recently the Area Director of Finance at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta.
Saul Esquivel has been appointed Director of Finance at the Four Seasons Mexico City. He had been the Assistant Director of Finance at the property from December 2003 until April 2007, when he was promoted to Director of Finance at the Four Seasons Punta Mita.
Mathieu Larochelle has been appointed Director of Operations at the W Atlanta Midtown. He joins the hotel from the W Montreal where he was most recently the Director of Operations.
Ray Garcia has joined the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica as Executive Chef, taking over from Jean-Claude Plihon. Garcia was most recently the Executive Sous Chef at the Peninsula Beverly Hills.
Jean-Louis Dumonet has joined the Union Club in New York as Executive Chef. For the past three years he had been with Saks Fifth Avenue in New York as Director of Food and Beverage after joining the company as their Executive Corporate Chef. He was previously the Executive Chef at the Carlyle.
Rémi Lauvand has joined Michel Richard’s Citrus at Jeffrey Chodorow’s Social Hollywood,as Executive Chef. He previously served as Executive Chef of Miro at the Bacara Resort, following two years at Drew Nieporent’s Montrachet and two years at Tropica also in New York. Prior to that, Lauvand spent over eight years at Le Cirque first as Sous Chef to Daniel Boulud, later as Executive Sous Chef to Sylvain Portay.
Jean-Marie Auboine has moved to Miami as Executive Pastry Chef for the Fontainebleau Resort. He spent the past five years in Mexico City as Executive Pastry Chef for the Hotel Presidente InterContinental.
Ben Crofton has been appointed Restaurant Director for Gordon Ramsay’s new restaurant in the London Hotel, soon to open in Los Angeles/West Hollywood. He was most recently the West Coast Director for Quintessentially. Crofton previously served as Assistant General Manager at the French Laundry in Napa Valley.
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has appointed Ola Ivarsson Senior Vice President Europe. Ivarsson previously held the position of Vice President Germany, Austria and Switzerland for Hilton for five years. Before that, he was in charge of Hilton’ Eastern European operations as Vice President Eastern Europe, including Russia and the Baltic states. Ivarsson succeeds Stefan Flury, who is now the Director of Operations for Mövenpick’s hotel portfolio in Switzerland.
René Beauchamp has transferred to the Four Seasons Provence at Terre Blanche as General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager of the Four Seasons Prague. He has previously held positions for the Four Seasons New York, the Ritz-Carlton Chicago and the Four Seasons Toronto. Beauchamp replaces Dimitri Zarikos who was promoted and transferred to Toronto.
Gorka Bergareche is the new General Manager of the Hyatt Paris Vendôme, where he takes over from Arnaud de Saint Exupéry. Bergareche, who joined Hyatt in 1996, was most recently the Executive Assistant Manager in charge of Sales and Marketing at the Park Hyatt Villa Magna in Madrid.
Giampaolo Otazzi has transferred with Orient-Express as General Manager at the Cipriani in Venice. He was most recently overseeing the Hotel Caruso in Ravello.
Seth Lewis has transferred to the Hotel InterContinental London as Director of Food and Beverage, taking over for Clifford Weiner. Lewis, a Lausanne graduate, was most recently the Director of Food and Beverage at the Grand Hotel InterContinental Paris. He previously served as Director of Brand Standards and Operational Support for InterContinental Hotels and Resorts and held various food and beverage management positions with the Royal Lancaster and First Great Western Trains.
Edouard Galisson has joined the Hotel Méridien Etoile as Director of Food and Beverage. He was previously the Director of Food and Beverage at the Hilton Paris Arc de Triomphe.
At the Westin Paris (formerly the InterContinental Paris) Laurent Dripole is on board as Director of Food and Beverage. A Cornell/IHMI graduate, he was previously the Director of Food and Beverage at the Radisson SAS in Nice.
Also at the Westin Paris, Alexandre Combier has been named Assistant Director of Food and Beverage. He is a former Assistant Banquets Director from the Ritz Paris.
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