THE LOWDOWN ON UNILEVER WITH CHEF JOANNE GENDRANO

With 21 years’ experience in hospitality, veteran chef Joanne Gendrano has witnessed great change in the industry. Here, she talks about the latest food trends and Unilever’s most innovative products.

Why did you choose to be associated with Unilever?

Back when I was still working in the hotel industry, I met UFS staff, sales personnel, chefs and marketing managers who, rather than sell me products, would show me their latest innovations or works in progress and ask for my expert opinion. Their collaborative style has always impressed me, so when the opportunity arose to join them, it wasn’t a difficult decision or transition.

Why do you think the trend for East Asian flavors is rising across the GCC?

Factors contributing to the trend are: an increase in Asian tourists and expats moving to the region; greater accessibility to ethnic Asian ingredients (Asian groceries like 1004 Gourmet, We Mart, even Carrefour increasing their offerings); a pop-culture following; ethnic flavors going mainstream; and Asian tastes being integrated into popular foods, like burgers, pizzas, tacos or fried chicken.

What are the latest UFS product releases that you are most excited about and why?

We have just relaunched our Pan-asian line, which initially consists of oyster sauce, teriyaki and Thai sweet chili sauce. Being Asian, I’m excited to talk about how these products can be used in different ways beyond the stir fries or as dipping sauces for spring rolls. For instance, adding a bit of oyster sauce to gravy to give it an umami kick, combining our teriyaki with tahini to make a peanut-free satay sauce or adding Thai sweet chili sauce with tamarind puree and coriander to make a salad dressing. Unileverfoodsolutionsarabia.com