FCSI

In my first year as your Worldwide president am happy to advise you that the Worldwide board along with strong support from TAD, EAME and APD has made significant progress towards strengthening and preparing our Society for the future. The various initiatives include conferences, trade shows and strategic planning workshops. Due to factors out of our control some uncertainty will continue to challenge our clients and our own businesses; overcoming those challenges is what FCSI members working collaboratively can best deliver. I was truly inspired to participate in the recent Food Hotel Asia (FHA) HoReCa 2022 tradeshow in Singapore where Professional and Allied members shared and supported each other, with an air of optimism about the future. A very special thanks to the sponsors that made this possible for us. The highlight…

Thanks for three years Great things are happening in FCSI and foodservice as we look to 2023 and beyond. The continued use of robotics and automation in the kitchen, clean eating and healthy menu trends, and of course, sustainable farming and sourcing will continue to dominate as trends in 2023. We also look to fight the labor challenges and rapid inflation over the coming months. FCSI The Americas looks toward the future with change in sight. This is my last quarterly magazine introduction as chair. Christine Guyott FCSI will take over January 1st and Brent Hall will be moving into her position as chair elect. FCSI is in great hands with Christine. She will keep the positive momentum of our division going for the next two years. There are also two events in…

There is an old joke about quitting smoking: ‘It’s easy,’ it goes. ‘I should know: I’ve done it hundreds of times.’ I feel the same way about predicting the future. For years I thought forecasting was a waste of time. Either my business would make money each month, or it wouldn’t. A forecast couldn’t change the number of people who came through the doors or influence how deep they drilled down into the wine list or if a rough storm might convince customers to cancel their reservations. No matter how hard I worked, I felt that there were too many unknown variables to make the effort of trying to predict how much (or little) money the business would make (or lose) each month worthwhile. An optimistic prediction might instil a misplaced confidence…

Raffles and Fairmont Katara Towers, Doha, Qatar Architect: Dar Al-Handasah Construction company: Hamad Bin Khalid Contracting Company Opening year: 2022 The Raffles and Fairmont Doha hotels opened in time for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Housed in the Katara Towers, the architectural landmark, which pays tribute to Qatar’s national emblem of two crossed scimitar swords, the two properties were designed to showcase the latest in intuitive design and ‘theatrical gastronomy’. With 362 guest rooms and suites in the Fairmont property and 132 all-suites in Raffles, the hotels are set to become an iconic emblem in Doha’s growing property portfolio. Victorian Hydraulic Pumphouse Station, Liverpool, UK Architect: Darmody Architecture Construction company: N/a Opening year: 2025 A new 4,400 sq ft restaurant at Liverpool’s Stanley Dock is set to go ahead after the City Council approved plans. The project will see…

1. Climate-friendly design EIT Food, a food innovation initiative supported by the European Union, predicted that in 2023, food systems will play a key role in discussions and decision-making about climate change. With the importance of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC becoming more evident and as the deadline for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals draws closer, Dr Andy Zynga, EIT Food CEO stated: “As we look to make food a high priority in global sustainability and health dialogues over the next year and beyond, we need to involve all stakeholders in conversations.” In the US, as more official and proposed regulations around the use of natural gas come forth, everyone’s talking about the “electrification of kitchens,” with some clients even looking at all-electric kitchens for the future, says Kip Serfozo FCSI,…

When I was very young, in elementary school, I had some ideas of what I wanted to do, but nothing concrete. I was keen to be an entrepreneur, not in a specific way, but more generally. My ambitions were always to be among the best in my sector. My father used to say, ‘Even if you run a kiosk, you have to be the best in the place’,” laughs consultant Tassos Kioulpapas FFCSI (EM). It was advice that served him well through his youth and into a storied consultancy career that has seen him working on some of the biggest foodservice projects in his native Greece for the past 50+ years with his consultancy XENEX SA. Kioulpapas’s father, originally from Constantinople, settled in Greece after the fall of the Ottoman Empire in…