Gulf News goes behind the scenes of the Dubai World Trade Center production kitchens to witness how they meet the huge demand for food at the complex. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv
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00:00The production kitchens of the Dubai World Trade Centre complex are constantly working
00:12behind the scenes to feed the over 2 million guests that visit every year. It takes an
00:16army of chefs, over 150 to be exact, to make sure that everything is running smoothly from
00:21the delivery of ingredients to the final cooked product. Managing this operation is a monumental
00:26task, but fortunately the Trade Centre has brought in a highly acclaimed chef to oversee
00:30all the hospitality aspects of the Dubai World Trade Centre, from distribution to events
00:35and restaurants within the complex.
00:37It's customers from all over the world. It's really as international as you can get it.
00:42It's 200 different nationalities, I think, something like that, visiting us. We're doing
00:47more than 2.2 million covers per year in our facility. So what implies as well a big variety
00:57of menus, a huge variety of products what we are sourcing, and as well the abilities
01:06and the experience of the chefs who are doing it.
01:09The kitchens cater to a wide range of different palates, delivering up Indian and Thai dishes
01:13and mouth-watering pastries, as well as their specialty, local Emirati cuisine. The kitchen
01:18facility has been in operation for 36 years and has consistently served up to 15,000 people
01:23a day, with their largest output being 18,584 people served during the Dubai Airshow.
01:29We feel comfortable to accommodate everyone who comes from the Far East, Middle East,
01:35as well from Europe or the States, to have a dish, what they expect at the same time,
01:43discover something new like Emirati food.
01:46Food health and safety is paramount in the eyes of the public, and the Trade Centre kitchens
01:49take no shortcuts in this regard.
01:51Our hygiene system, our hygiene manager are very particular. They have daily internal
01:57audits. We are ISO 22,000, 2005 certified. We are HACCP certified. We have from the Dubai
02:06municipality, since the last 12 years in fact, the highest grade what you could have, a grade
02:13A. And we are very proud of this. So we take, in other words, hygiene very seriously.
02:19With over 8,000 ingredients to be used for dishes at over 3,800 events a year, sourcing
02:25and locating the best food components available is a big priority for the kitchens.
02:29We are serving and trying to source obviously as well primarily locally, which are from
02:36local farms, but by no means that is all the supplies we have. But we are trying to use
02:41maximum products from the local cuisine, with the local products, and having the fresh vegetables,
02:50fresh fruit supplied to us on a daily basis. At the same time, fish from the local market,
02:56and as well any other products which are available.
02:59Catering to such a huge diversity of people and food preference is no small feat, and
03:03the Dubai Trade Centre kitchens are well able to make adjustments to their menu on the fly
03:07for special occasions or on request.
03:10Recently we had a Nigerian exhibition. So we had a Nigerian chef who did Nigerian food
03:16for example. So that is something on more or short notice planning, and we work with
03:21the client to have a bespoke menu. But on a larger volume you understand you cannot
03:26change on a daily basis, weekly. You need to pre-plan, and then already at that time
03:33study what you do after another three months or six months.
03:36With the Dubai World Trade Centre complex expanding, and yearly visitation expected
03:40to grow, the kitchens are fully able to keep pace with the higher demand for catering,
03:44ensuring that their visitors are treated to cuisine prepared daily by a tireless team
03:48of passionate world-class chefs.
03:50Logan Fish for Golf News.