F & B
Keeping things
GROWING
FOUR F & B OPTIMISTS AND THE PASSION FOR FOOD THAT DRIVES THEM .
A garden at Heckfield
Place , a Georgian luxury estate hotel in Hampshire , England . The menu of Skye Gyngell , executive chef , utilizes bounty from the 800-tree orchard , apiary , farm and dairy . While she misses the “ conviviality ” of a crowded restaurant , spending more time in the kitchen has been a positive : “ It ’ s re-rooted me .”
Stories CONTRIBUTED BY JEANETTE HURT
Hotel restaurants were already struggling , and then the pandemic hits ,” says Rohit Sachdev . “ F & B revenue is going to be further constrained … Hotels will need to reinvent themselves .”
Sachdev , CEO of hospitality designer Soho Hospitality Co ., has been considering what reinvention looks like from his Bangkok headquarters . He is one of four interviews of F & B pros from around the world staying focused on their purpose .
The others : Mwatamu Masoud , a chef in Kenya whose warm connections and an uncanny ability to show up with snacks at just the right time encourage return guests ; chef Skye Gyngell of Heckfield Place in Hampshire , England , where she is cultivating deeper appreciation of local , biodynamically produced fare ; and Evan Sheridan , who ’ s juggling property-specific challenges as F & B director at Aparium Group in Chicago .
Each is working hard to rebuild what the pandemic has tried to take away . And they have one thing in common : optimism , driven by a passion for food and the connections it fosters .
Or , as Sachdev says , “ give people a reason to get out of their pajamas .”
September / October 2020 hotelsmag . com 23