My working relationship with Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) started more than 30 years ago in 1991 when there were just two halls – today there are eight. I was employed with Hilton and later joined DWTC directly. The last time around I came back in 2020 and I have been very involved in training since my return.
I am very passionate about training the new generations, so I am now responsible for culinary training, and I see myself as a motivational figure in the kitchen to make sure we are all aligned. Every year we receive between 25 and 30 students and they come from all over the world; we teach them the fundamentals of cooking: vegetable cuttings, sauces, food costing, pastry and so on.
Our kitchens are very large, we cater for more than 45,000 meals and serve every event, from state functions and royal weddings to bespoke menus. The work is so varied here and it is always large-scale.
We are more than 120 chefs in the kitchens, including the interns, and we are very busy.
People think we’re only good in local food and I have to say we are brilliant at Emirati food, but we do fantastic Chinese, Thai, Persian, Indian – we have nine cuisines and all of them prepared by specialty chefs.
I have to say the combi oven is a truly miraculous piece of equipment; I believe that if you utilize them intelligently, they can help you to reduce your manpower and your working hours.
Manpower is a challenge, but that is true across the sector and all over the world and that is why training is so important.
I’d say that it can be overwhelming to work here; there are days when you will cross 45 or 55 functions. It can test your strengths of tolerance, resilience and your experience. You need to have a cool head and you need to focus.
I want to change the image of our catering as sometimes it can be seen as one where we are just pushing trolleys around – because we do everything.
I love working here, you do 100 different things at the same time – you teach, you cook, you do set menu on-site, you go to cater for Formula 1 off-site, but you also push the trolleys and you have to clean the buffet. You have to stay very positive, and it gives you that energy of feeling alive. It just keeps you going.
Tina Nielsen
