Chefs in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are making their mark on the culinary scene.
Mix it up and throw nothing out was the mantra of two renowned Abu Dhabi and Dubai chefs at LOOPED IN: a zero-waste dining experience recently held at W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island.
Spearheading the event were W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s Executive Chef, Tobias Taubner, and Dubai’s BOCA Head Chef, Matthijs Stinnissen, both of whom ‘Looped In’ diners in a conversation centred on zero waste.
Tobias and Matthijs joined forces to reveal how, with their stunning five-star, six course menu, minimising waste in the kitchen can actually maximise taste for diners.
The talented duo headed to the kitchen to create dishes with an imaginative take on regional ingredients, while ensuring as little culinary waste as possible.
The results were stunning.
The menu yielded dishes with imaginative names and equally imaginative ingredients, such as Garden In The Desert, consisting of five-day aged local beetroot and stem, glazed whole local vegetables and scraps, native desert plants, puree of roasted skin-on aubergine, pickled watermelon skin, local herbs and edible flowers.
Another dish on the creative and deceivingly delicious menu was Ugly Tomato & Strawberry, using ‘ugly’ pink beef tomatoes, violet infused bruised red berry sorbet and overripe strawberry tartare.
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Both chefs are no strangers to the concept of zero waste.
Tobias has worked in various one and two Michelin starred restaurants in Germany and the UK followed by Executive Pastry & Sous Chef positions in five-star luxury hotel brands including Kempinski, Shangri-La, Ritz Carlton and W Hotels.
“My apprenticeship was in a small hotel where the livestock was delivered whole rather than in packaging,” he says, explaining how the entire animal was utilised in the creation of dishes “We worked with seasonal products and local farmers too.”
Likewise, Matthijs too uses ingredients in their entire capacity, thus reducing waste significantly by using culinary techniques such as fermenting, curing, dehydrating, aging, pickling to create new dishes and new dining experiences at the award-winning BOCA restaurant in Dubai.
The Dutch born chef headed to the kitchen at the tender age of 14 years old at a well-known gastronomic restaurant located on a golf course in his native Netherlands before attending culinary school, a top academy in the Netherlands and climbing the ladder to Michelin-star restaurants.
LOOPED IN also aimed to create awareness among diners on the importance of zero waste dishes, even in the home.
“Serving dishes that use such techniques can inspire diners. Most people think you have to peel carrots, beetroot but you don’t,” says Matthijs. “There are so many other techniques that you can use to create dishes, such as my Ugly Tomato dish and make them look pretty in the process.”
While BOCA is an independent, standalone restaurant, the challenges are greater for big operators such as the W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island.
“We obviously cannot be so customised,” says Tobias, “but with my knowledge and background you should look at the overall production. Trimmings from veg are kept, roasted and put in containers to use and flavour the hummus, for example.
”LOOPED IN was clearly a success and provided food for thought. And according to the team at W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island, there could be regular repeat of the event soon.
