Passion is everything

Director of F&B at the Renaissance Dubai hotel Hassan Yazbek talks about the growth of cocktail culture and his passion for food.

What attracted you to the world of food and beverage?

My passion for F&B started at home. I spent all my time in the kitchen, watching as my mother created mezzeh, and that's how I got interested.

I studied microbiology and food technology at university and I've had a passion for food ever since.

What kind of trends have you noticed in the beverage sector?

People are looking for new experiences in beverages. It's not just about drinks anymore - people have bigger disposable incomes and they want choices and entertainment.

We have a new concept, created exclusively for Renaissance hotels, called Cocktail Culture, which has been a huge success.

Basically the customer has five blocks, each with six sides, and rolls each block consecutively like a dice. Each block relates to a different feature of the drink such as the mixer, flavour and base.

The cocktail recipe and the name of the drink - created by the customer - are recorded and stay on file, so the customer can come back in six months and we can create the exact same drink for them.

What changes have you noticed in food trends?

Banqueting has really evolved in the last two years. People are not into huge buffets and traditional food anymore.

Instead, they want to see action stations and live cooking.

Guests are moving towards fresher, healthier ingredients and enjoy watching food being created personally for them.

I've noticed that with the increase in boutique hotels opening up in Dubai coupled with an increase in disposable incomes, ultra-fine dining is making a steady come back.

What aspect of your job presents the most challenges for you?

One of the greatest problems in the industry at the moment is retaining talent.

The industry is becoming more saturated with higher inventories and more five-star hotels, and there is starting to be big erosion in middle management.

If staff are offered much better packages then they tend to want to move, and they have the luxury to do that in Dubai.

Secondly, eastern economies are becoming stronger and talent is becoming harder to source.

One of the phenomenon that is happening now is that Indian companies are recruiting from Dubai back to India and the subcontinent, so we're trying to diversify our recruitment market.

We work hard to make sure we have competitive packages, and we are fortunate to have a very small turnover in staff, but with another 19 properties planned in the next few years it's going to start getting challenging.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

I love working with people. I get great satisfaction from what I do and enjoy being able to continually put a smile on people's faces, be it a guest or colleague.

What advice would you offer anyone hoping to work their way up to become an F&B manager?

If you don't have the passion, then don't even think about it.

It is a hard job and you have to be motivated and enjoy your work.

That's the great thing about working for Marriott - the management recognise your potential and give you the tools to excel. It's tough but it's worth it.

What are your future career plans and personal ambitions?

For me, the next step up in the hotel environment is either to become a general manager or an operations manager.

I have many years of experience working around the world in various F&B roles and feel that it would be a natural progression. I hope that I'll have the opportunity to take the next step when the time is right.