Curtain goes down on Gourmet Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi: Dubbed the “Oscars” of the food and beverage industry, the Gourmet Abu Dhabi awards ceremony was held on Wednesday night at the St Regis Abu Dhabi honouring the emirate’s best chefs, restaurants, managers and hosts.

The lavish ceremony featured a five-course dinner prepared by various chefs including the UK’s masterchef, Theo Randall, who cooked a stew of lobster, vongole and hamour with fennel, tomato, and saffron potatoes.

Last year’s winner of the Executive Chef of the Year award, Danny Kattar, also prepared a dish — foie gras, porcini meringue, mushroom stones and soil and quince jam.

Along with mouth-watering creations, there was plenty to keep guests entertained at the ceremony as there were performances by stand-up comedian Mike Batayeh; speed artist Brad Blaze; and threesome musical performers, Popera Trio.

The most anticipated award, Executive Chef of the Year, went to Fairmont Bab Al Bahr’s Cladys Magagna. The announcement came as the speed artist painted Magagna’s face on a large board, eliciting whispers as guests tried to guess whose face it was with every brushstroke.

“It feels good. I feel like it’s not just me as Executive Chef of the Year but it’s my team [at] Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, it’s the food and beverage [at] the entire hotel, it’s the creativity we had in 2013 so I’m proud to work for my team and I’m honoured to take this award home tonight,” Magagna told tabloid!.

Discussing his food, the Italian chef said there are many aspects that allow diners to enjoy each dish.

“It’s not just about food; it’s the whole package. It’s how you present it. It’s not just the dish itself; there’s a lot of components in it that [provide] pleasure,” he said.

Also among the winners was the team from Jumeirah at Etihad Towers’ restaurant, Brasserie Angelique, which took the Restaurant of the Year award.

“It’s very special for my team actually because we’ve been working [long] hours, so you know, when you’re working 14 to 15 hours a day, and the guests [appreciate] what we’re doing, so it’s like payback for our hard work so I’m very pleased with that,” Restaurant Manager, Nicolas Caupain, said.

Indeed, it was the public who voted for the winners by posting their nominations online. Those who got the most nominations then move to a second round of public votes, and then four judges give their final score. This year’s first round of public votes saw more than 5,000 votes coming in.

One of the judges, Suzanne Hussaini, said restaurants were judged based on various elements such as ambience, service, music, presentation, signature dishes, and of course, the food itself.

She explained that each judge dined at the restaurant anonymously, and sampled a selection of dishes before submitting their scores.

The judge, who is also a masterchef, television presenter, and author, spoke about her experience at Gourmet Abu Dhabi saying, “It’s always a pleasure to be part of Gourmet Abu Dhabi because it highlights the wonderful treasures in terms of food, and focuses on the heroes in the food and beverage industry.”

This year’s sixth edition of Gourmet Abu Dhabi, which kicked off on February 4, saw participation from various international masterchefs and celebrity chefs to host special dinners, masterclasses, and cooking demonstrations, among other culinary events.

The events took place across almost 25 of the emirate’s leading hotels, and restaurants including The Ritz-Carlton, Beach Rotana, Hilton, Sofitel and Shangri La.