MAYA BEKHAZI NOUN LAUNCHES THE FOOD STUDIO

Lebanese entrepreneur Maya Bekhazi Noun has launched The Food Studio, a new catering concept. She explained that she had been catering to friends and family, and for small events. “From then on, demand began increasing naturally and our clients’ database expanded on its own,” she said. In catering, she explained, the difference is that every event is a new project, requiring creativity and research, which she also enjoys. The Food Studio’s areas of expertise are: discovery menus, where tailor-made menus are created for each event; kids’ birthdays with theme parties; and B2B, where solutions and back-up for other F&B retailers are provided. The concept also caters to small weddings upon special requests, food and alcohol pairing menus (single malts, wines and sake), in addition to catering to home dinners and live cooking. Bekhazi Noun, who is also general secretary of the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Nightclubs & Pastries in Lebanon, first ventured onto the F&B scene over 15 years ago. She has created, developed and operated a variety of concepts, including Shoots UAE, Spin the Hen and Curli Q. She has worked as a consultant to internationally renowned companies such as the Sheraton in Jeddah and the Beirut Hospitality Company (BHC), a Solidere venture. During that time, she conceived, developed and managed new concepts, including Café M, Relais Foch and GRID Coffee, as well as a 1,200 m2 central production kitchen and catering business. Thomas Hollenstein, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts’ Europe F&B director, has reinvented a variety of traditional Swiss dishes, to combine Mövenpick’s rich heritage and guests’ modern palates. The result is a new array of ‘Signature Dishes’ that will become a permanent fixture on restaurant and in-room dining menus at every Mövenpick hotel and resort globally. “We made the recipes for these dishes lighter and fresher, but at the same time, retained the ingredients and flavors that have made them so popular for decades,” Hollenstein said. The four signature dishes are: Beef Tartare; Riz Casimir; Zürich-style Veal; and its famous Carrot Cake. Alshaya Trading Co. is bringing customers in Bahrain a choice of over 40 leading international brands at The Avenues – Bahrain, which opened its doors early November. The opening includes 15 new brands making their debut in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The mall’s opening saw long-awaited debut of The Cheesecake Factory, organic Belgian restaurant Le Pain Quotidien, and American chocolatier Bridgewater Chocolate, the Naplesinspired Italian restaurant 400 Gradi, gourmet and specialty foods purveyor Dean & Deluca, upmarket Japanese restaurant Katsuya by Starck, and family steakhouse Texas Roadhouse. Three further concepts will follow weeks later, including the American build-your-own pizza Blaze Fast-fire'd Pizza, and the Lebanese restaurant Babel.