Ennismore reveals new food & beverage concept studio: carte blanched
Carte Blanched is a fully integrated F&B studio delivering new andextraordinary culinary experiences London – Ennismore, the fastest-growing lifestyle hospitality company, today reveals Carte Blanched – a specialist in-house team of operators, chefs, mixologists and creatives who create bespoke, forward-thinking, authentic and culturally relevant food and beverage concepts for Ennismore’s lifestyle brands. Unique to Ennismore, Carte Blanched creates new and develops existing F&B brands for hotel owners, overseeing everything from conception through to opening and beyond to deliver extraordinary destinations for both locals and international guests. Across Ennismore’s 100 lifestyle hotels, there are 190 restaurants and bars that generate approx. 50% of total revenue – a testament to each brand’s connection to the local community. The expertise of Carte Blanched is strengthened by a global network of hospitality collaborators and partners, including: Selin Kiazim & Laura Christie, founders of Oklava; Monica Berg & Alex Kratena, the multi award winning duo behind Tayer and Elementary; Kris Yenbamroong, LA’s Night + Market; Andrei Soen, Singapore’s Park Bench Deli; Layo Paskin & Zoe Paskin, the team behind Palomar, The Barbary, Evelyn’s Table and The Blue Posts in London, and Tuscan Butcher Dario Cecchini, of cult Netflix show Chef’s Table. Within its portfolio, Carte Blanched has over 40 brands, and since 2021, it has opened 17 new outlets in Europe and the Middle East. Carte Blanched is behind some of those most coveted culinary experiences, including: ¥ Tandoor Tina at 25hours Dubai – the smells, tastes, and colours of exotic and carefree travels around India with fresh, quality ingredients and bright flavours cooked in the Tandoor oven and on the grill¥ Four Corners at The Hoxton, Barcelona – Italian American restaurant specialising in Detroit style pizza with a menu from Pizza Czar, Anthony Falco¥ Seabird at The Hoxton, Southwark – Seafood restaurant boasting London’s longest oyster list¥ Fi’Lia at SLS Dubai – Italian-Mediterranean cooking based on the philosophy of food passed down from one generation of women to the next, by Sara Aqel, winner of Michelin Bib Gourmands¥ Bibo at Mondrian Shoreditch – A lively space, perfect for casual lunches and spirited dinners with chef Dani García “The F&B experience is an integral part of what sets lifestyle hospitality brands apart from your traditional hotel brands, and Carte Blanched is how we ensure our restaurants and bars are authentic and culturally relevant globally and in local markets”, said Sharan Pasricha, Founder & Co-CEO of Ennismore. “Carte Blanched is a completely new and unique approach to how we deliver extraordinary drinking and dining destinations – from concept to execution – for our owners and hotels. and is one of the vital ways which sets Ennismore apart from our competitors. I am incredibly proud of the team we have pulled together, who are the best in their field.” The launch of Carte Blanched comes alongside some exciting new projects, including: ¥ Floating World – a fabulously excessive, Japanese-influenced restaurant that specialises in bold flavoured, easy-to-share food with stylish, immersive design and flamboyant cocktails¥ Dollars – a new sandwich bar concept in Partnership with Andrei Soen, the mastermind behind Park Bench Deli – the buzzy American sandwich spot and deli in the heart of Singapore¥ Chet’s – a Thai-Americana restaurant in partnership with LA based Kris Yenbamroong (Night + Market)¥ Bottega di Carna – a nose to tail Italian inspired restaurant in partnership with Dario Cecchini¥ Mr Nakamoto – an American steakhouse with Japanese flavours inspired by the mid-Manhattan dining of the Mad Men era Carte Blanched’s services span from strategic development, market research, including local insider knowledge trend reports and culinary and beverage innovation, to brand identity creation, recruitment, training, and marketing and PR. In addition, before fully launching a new brand, the Carte Blanched team tests the concept to the public in a three-month pop-up at La Cave – its incubator kitchen situated beneath The Hoxton, Holborn – to obtain vital customer feedback and crucially build brand awareness. The Carte Blanched team includes: ¥ Sharan Pasricha, Carte Blanched Leader and Ennismore Founder – One of Conde Nast Traveller’s ’50 People Changing The Way We Travel’, Sharan ensures seamless integration between the studio and other business functions within Ennismore¥ Jules Pearson, VP of Creative – Having been at Ennismore since the beginning, growing The Hoxton globally, Jules leads the creative, using marketing insights to create F&B brands and partnerships that are relevant now and remain so in the future¥ Wayne Brown, VP F&B Development – Culinary – Wayne oversees chef collaborations utilising his experience leading hospitality concepts and groups, including Disruptive Restaurant Group, SBE and Marina Bay Sands¥ Alex Ghalleb, VP of Operations – With over 20 years of experience in hospitality, including Soho House, Gold Notting Hill and Pizza East, Alex creates the seamless bridge between concept and reality¥ Nick Comaty, VP of Operations & Development for MEA, Turkey & India – Nick is based in Dubai, and has over 20 years of experience in hospitality, from independent venues such as Nammos Dubai and the Mina group to hotels such as the SLS Miami and Gramercy Park NYC, Nick creates, operates, and builds impactful experiences¥ Gareth Evans, Beverage Director – With over two decades of experience operating Jason Atherton’s award-winning bar venues worldwide, Gareth oversees all beverage collaborations¥ Micaela Philippo, Brand Director – A creative and brand strategy specialist, having worked with concepts such as Pachamama, Chicama and Farm Girl, Micaela produces unique, research-based concepts with integrity¥ Caroline Strauss, Director of F&B Openings & Special Projects – Oversees the development of Carte Blanched projects in the Americas and openings globally. Caroline comes from independent F&B background, including Bar Lab and Starr Restaurants¥ Carmen Tomasic, Director of F&B, Asia Pacific – Based in Singapore, Carmen heads up F&B for Asia Pacific, drawing on a broad wealth of hospitality experience, from overseeing hatted restaurants and cocktail bars, to events with companies including Merivale group, QT hotels and Ultra Music festival¥ Peter Macias, Global Executive Chef – Carte Blanched’s very own Executive Chef, Peter joins the team
North East hotels celebrate night of success at industry’s Excellence Awards
After a two-year break, because of the Covid pandemic, one of the hardest-hit industries, a hospitality organisation, came back fighting last night and proved that they may have been down, but they’re definitely not beat! North East Hotels Association (NEHA), which was established over thirty years ago is an organisation which offers support, guidance, and camaraderie with hoteliers as well as businesses associated and servicing this industry. Believed to be one of the biggest of its kind in England, NEHA currently has 45 of the best-known hotels in the region and are the voice of the hospitality sector. Their aim is to speak out, influence and challenge the decisions made on behalf of their industry and have their voices heard. NEHA strives to make the lives of hoteliers an easier one and address some of the obstacles that often arise. The organisation celebrated the success of the industry with the Excellence Awards and recognised the most deserving at a black-tie ball, which took place on Sunday October 2nd at The Grand Hotel, Gosforth Park, where over 370 guests were in attendance and were treated to a three-course meal and a live band. Winners and sponsors are attached. Collaborating with key sponsors from the region, the ball highlighted the individuals / categories with awards given to the best, and recognising the excellence within the industry, against all the odds. Their aim – to seek out the best people, those that have gone the extra mile in providing exceptional service. Anna Wadcock, General Manager of the Maldron Hotel and Sarah Harrison, General Manager of the Marriott MetroCentre at NEHA said: “It’s so good to be back after the most stressful two years that our industry has ever seen. Our staff have coped remarkably well and fought against adversity in a way that only people in the service industry could understand. We’re grateful to all our members and sponsors who have supported us over the years and this years Excellence Awards Ball was a great evening for everyone.” The contribution that hospitality industry has on the economy is enormous in the region, with over 4500 bedrooms and a spend of £70M on goods and services. The hotel revenue alone exceeds £200M, with an economic footprint estimated at £616M. Anna concluded: “In an industry that employs in excess of 3,400 staff and influence in the region of 11,400 jobs, we hope that more hoteliers will consider joining NEHA, in order to get their voices heard.” Winners of NEHA Excellence Awards Warmest Welcome David Jackson – Malmaison Best Newcomer Clinton Douglas – Maldron Hotel Rising Star Dannika Herron – Seaham Hall Sales Excellence Nola Collinson – Staybridge Suites Service Excellence Scott Arthur – Maldron Hotel Inspirational Leader – in memory of Damon Roberts Marcus Klemm – County Hotel Cleanliness Excellence Housekeeping Team – Holiday Inn Gosforth Park Support Services Cheryl Wrightson – Jurys Inn Middlesbrough Community Award Chris Wells – Marriott Metro Centre
Khushboo Bangladeshi & Indian Takeaway in Sheffield Crowned Regional Takeaway Of The Year – North-East at Britain’s Top Asian Restaurant & Takeaway Awards (Arta) 2022
Khushboo Bangladeshi & Indian Takeaway in Sheffield has been crowned the Regional Takeaway of the Year – North-East,at the Asian Restaurant & Takeaway Awards (ARTA) 2022, the largest celebration of Britain’s vibrant Asian restaurants and takeaway industry, held on Sunday 2nd October at the InterContinental Hotel at The O2-London. Hosted by Samantha Simmonds, BBC Journalist and Broadcaster, and Paul Martin, Magician and member of the world-famous Magic Circle, the coveted awards are in recognition of the UK’s best of South Asian cuisine across a series of prestigious regional and national categories. From the National Champion of the Champions, Regional Restaurant of the Year, to National & Regional Chefs of the Year, and Takeaways of the Year Award, ARTA spotlighted the pinnacle of over 2,370 restaurants and takeaways across the UK that were nominated by the restaurant goers and food lovers of over 700,000 customer base of ARTA ‘s strategic partner, ChefOnline – the digital application to order food and book tables on the go – to unveil the finalists. The grand award of National Champion of Champions was awarded to Ruby in Hertford, while My Delhi Indian Streetery in Newcastle upon Tyne won the National Chef of The Year 2022. Bombay Cuisine in Prestwich, Manchester won the accolade of National Takeaway of The Year 2022, and Tamasha in Las Palmas in Spain was crowned European Restaurant of The Year 2022. The Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred to Mr Muquim Ahmed, a renowned British entrepreneur who was a successful restaurateur and has spent over 40 years in building a rapidly growing business empire. He is also known as the King of Brick Lane. The winners were selected by an esteemed panel of Ambassadors & Judges comprising of Chand Rahman, Executive Chef and Multi Award Winning Celebrity Chef; Mohammed Mujibur Rahman, Ex-Mayor of Corby; and Graham Taylor, Senior Chef Lecturer, Cambridge Regional College.Restaurants were awarded based on three key factors: Quality of Food, Quality of Service, and Value for Money, followed by the ARTA score, which includes Food Hygiene Rating and reviews from websites like TripAdvisor and Google. Restaurants that made it through the gruelling first phase were judged and invited to participate in a Cook-Off Competition. The score included various factors including flavour, appearance, texture, hygiene, and aroma The UK’s Curry industry contributes £5 billion annually, which as of 2015 has accounted for a fifth of the restaurants in the UK dating back to the 1800’s. Today there are more Indian restaurants in Greater London than in Delhi and Mumbai combined. The awards were in celebration and recognition of Britain’s vibrant Asian restaurants and takeaways and offered solidarity and morale for the industry which is currently facing headwinds including with the high cost of energy, inflation, and the impact from the pandemic. Speaking about the Asian Restaurant & Takeaway Awards 2022, Salik Mohammed Munim, Founder of the ARTA Awards, said: “The ARTA Awards 2022 are a celebration and recognition of Britain’s vibrant Asian restaurants, takeaways, and chefs. Since the inception of ARTA, we have clearly seen the phenomenal quality of entrants, and the bar set by each, and every nominee has been increasing each year. I am truly blown away by the standards set by the competition and having been privy to exceptional quality and service extended by the nominees, I can confidently assert that Asian culinary industry in Britain is in safe hands. Every nominee and winner should be proud of their work. The awards also offered solidarity and morale for the industry which is currently facing headwinds including with the high cost of energy, inflation, and the impact from the pandemic. Salik Mohammed added: “ARTA 2022 is extremely special for us, as it has returned after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The gathering was emotional and symbolic, as it brought together members of the Asian cuisine industry during an exceptionally difficult and testing time. The cost of energy crisis is a real threat to the sector, and many are faced with the prospect of closing doors after having served their local communities and patrons for decades. This has been a back-to-back assault on the sector, which was recently reeling and recovering from the pandemic, and staffing shortages post-Brexit. It was a poignant moment for us all, to be together and extend moral support and well-wishes. I truly wish us all the very best.” ARTA 2022 was Powered by Work Permit Cloud, with ChefOnline as the Strategic Partner, and Madhu’s as the Catering Partner. ARTA 2022 was also proudly supported by PayTap, Switch Gas and Power, SuperPollo, Cobra Beer, Lexpert Solicitors, Kaiser & Associates, Square Mile Insurance Services, and charity partner Tafida Raqeeb Foundation. Join the conversation! #ARTA2022