Heinz Beck, the award-winning chef at the helm of La Pergola in Rome, which has held its three Michelin stars for 11 years, has joined the judging panel of the Leaders in F&B Awards.
Debuting this year, the Leaders in F&B Awards, hosted by Catering News Middle East will celebrate excellence and innovation in the region’s food and beverage industry.
The event will take place on Wednesday 9 November at the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi.
Commenting on his participation on the judging panel, chef Beck said: “The Middle East’s culinary and catering scene continues to improve in terms of creativity, service excellence, and innovative conceptual development.
“I was invited to take part on the Leaders in F&B Awards judging panel, and it is an honour for me. The F&B industry is very fascinating, with styles and concepts constantly changing; it’s good to discover what might be happening next.”
Chef Beck adds that he will be looking for “passion, excellence and innovation” when selecting his winners.
In addition to La Pergola in Rome, Beck’s restaurants include Apsleys – a Heinz Beck Restaurant in London; Café Les Paillotes of Pescara; Heinz Beck Seasons at Castello di Fighine in Tuscany; and Gusto by Heinz Beck at Conrad Algarve in Portugal. Each is a recipient of Michelin stars.
More recent openings include Social Heinz Beck at Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah; and Heinz Beck and Sensi by Heinz Beck in Tokyo.
In addition to operating restaurants and offering consul to businesses, chef Beck is author of several texts, including, ‘L’Ingrediente Segreto’ (‘The Secret Ingredient’) and ‘L’Arte e Scienza del Servizio’ (‘The Art and Science of Service’).
The other judges on the Leaders in F&B Awards panel are: Sacha Daniel, group operations director, Solutions Leisure; Akshay Oberai Dosaj, co-managing director, Purple Honey Group; Rabih Feghali, director of business development, Roya International; Vikrant Rohatgi, associate director, KPMG; Helen Morris, executive chef / senior lecturer, Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management; Mark Patten, senior vice president, food & beverage, Atlantis, The Palm; and Ali Sinaei, managing partner, Roundmenu.
With 19 categories in total, the Leaders in F&B Awards is divided into nine restaurant awards and 10 individual awards, including Young F&B Leader, Leading F&B Director, Disruptor of the Year, and Leading Homegrown Restaurant Brand.
Nominations for the Leaders in F&B Awards are closed and the shortlisted nominees will be announced by the end of October.
The Leaders in F&B Awards, presented by Du are being supported by some of the most prominent suppliers on the market, including exclusive water sponsor Horeca Trade, distributor of San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna; Ronai LLC; Pulsar Foodstuff Trading, MKN, and Cream of Europe, with more sponsorship opportunities available.
For attendance and sponsorship enquiries, contact catering@bncpublishing.net.
