SimplyAbuDhabi V

MEET ROY BRETT GOURMET ABU DHABI 2012 33 S IMPLY ABU DHABI He returned north in 1993, as executive chef of the Glasgow and Edinburgh Malmaison’s for eight years before teaming up with Rick Stein in Cornwall. While there Stein’s flagship restaurant in Padstow was named Restaurant of the Year for four consecutive years. In 2007 Roy returned to as Chef Director at Dakota Hotels, opening at Euro Central and then Forth Bridge shortly afterwards. Under his care, Dakota became the first Scottish restaurant to earn an accreditation for sustainable sourcing from the Marine Stewardship Council. Scotland took centre stage for the first time at one of the world’s great food and drink events. During the Gourmet Abu Dhabi event in the Middle East, Roy showcased a special six-course Scottish banquet celebrating the best of the nation’s produce. It reflected the growing appetite for Scottish produce in the Middle East where seafood imports from Scotland reached £8 million in 2011. The gala dinner was devised and cooked by Edinburgh chef Roy Brett who had been invited by the organisers to put Scotland at the heart of the celebration. Brett is the owner and proprietor of seafood restaurant Ondine which is the Good Food Guide’s Scottish Restaurant of the Year and a favourite with First Minister Alex Salmond. “It is a tremendous honour to be invited to put Scotland on the table at this prestigious event. Chefs and food lovers from all over the world travel to Gourmet Abu Dhabi so it will be a wonderful opportunity to spread the message about Scotland’s fantastic natural produce and the great food renaissance taking place in our country”, said Brett. Edinburgh-born Roy Brett’s chef ’s CV encompasses top establishments across the UK. From a three-year apprenticeship at Edinburgh’s Caledonian Hotel under Alan Hill and Jeff Bland, he moved to the Savoy Grill in London. From his first position as head chef at One Devonshire Gardens, Roy returned to London to work with Mark Hix at Le Caprice. His menu included Loch Duart smoked salmon, hand- dived Mull scallops and local native lobsters. It was served at a gala dinner attended by 150 food lovers including 18 international masterchefs who between them hold a total of 28 Michelin stars. The venue for the dinner was the landmark 5 star Viceroy Hotel on Yas Island at the heart of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix circuit. Now in it’s 4th year, the 16-day culinary festival took place across the Emirate and attracted top name chefs from throughout the world. Last year TV chef James Martin flew the flag for Britain but this was the first time there has been a Scottish presence, The move has been welcomed by the organisation set up to encourage the development of the food and drink sector north of the border. “Gourmet Abu Dhabi is great platform to showcase Scottish produce. It is another sign of Scotland’s growing reputation and presence on the world’s culinary stage”, said Scotland Food and Drink Chief Executive James Withers. “The nation’s food exports have crossed the £1 billion mark for the first time and one of the interesting developments is our entry into new markets. The Middle East is just emerging as a market for Scotland’s food producers, where top-end hotels and restaurants are looking for the very best. With our seafood reputation growing, there is no-one better than Roy Brett to fly the flag for Scotland and he certainly did us proud’.