Iyad Shehadeh
CEO and President of Front Row Publishing
In the Name of God the Holiest and Most Forgiving.
Your Royal Highnesses, Your Excellencies, honored guests. I would like to welcome everyone to the Fourth Annual Grumpy Gourmet Awards and Gala Dinner, which is now not only a celebration for the hospitality industry but is also more of a social event. Above all, it is an occasion for us to honor restaurant owners, hoteliers, and other individuals who have excelled in this industry.
First off, I would like to thank and welcome our dear guests from Lebanon, who came specially to attend our event; spearheaded by the Minister of Tourism, H.E. Elie Maroni, and the General Manager of the Ministry of Tourism, Ms. Nada Sardouk.
People often ask the question, ‘What is the definition of a successful event?’ I for one do not think that an event’s success can be measured by its program, but rather it is measured by its attendance – and tonight’s event is a success because you are here with us. So thank you once again for coming.
Year after year this event is growing and its popularity is increasing. However, I still insist that the invitations to this event be personal, so as to determine restaurant and hotel owners who deserve our recognition and deserve our business as customers. This event transcends Jordanian and Lebanese borders especially that it is being aired on Future TV, and on this occasion I would like to thank them, especially Mr. Samir Hammoud, Chairman of the Board of Future TV. Four years ago, when I first stood behind this podium, I declared that I was dissatisfied with what we were paying in restaurants in exchange for the quality we received. Simply put, that there is no value for money. Today, I can tell you that the situation has changed, that the progress is significant, and that restaurants shine, regionally and internationally – in Jordan and in Lebanon.
If you have a look at the menus in front of you, you will notice that instead of mentioning the name of each course we have instead provided you with the name of the chef who will be preparing it. And of course, a big thank you goes out to the Four Seasons in helping with this. Not only have they helped but they have also flown in chefs from Four Seasons hotels around the world, who I will invite to come up on stage and explain more about the dish they have prepared for you tonight. I would like to begin with the first course from Chef Ashley James, Hotel Four Seasons Los Angeles, and then the second course from Chef Andrea Accordi, followed by the main Course from Chef Andrea Mazzoni. Later, Chef Nicolas Durousseau will describe the fourth course, and finally the dessert for the evening is prepared by Chef Frank Ruidavet.
As is customary, and hopefully a successful way to make sure you don’t leave early, this year we will one again announce the four best dressed ladies of the evening. Each winner will receive a gift voucher in the amount of one thousand dinars from either Chopard or Tufenkjian. The prizes won’t be announced until after the ceremony ends and I doubt that any man will want to rush back home if his wife is nicely dressed.
Looking out from where I am standing now, I can tell you that tonight we have a full house, despite the ineffectual efforts of some people to boycott this event – so thank you for coming. We have something which might come as a surprise for some of you. Tonight, and for the first time, I will reveal the identity of the head of the restaurant critiquing committee. Normally, the identities of the reviewers remain incognito, so as to ensure that all diners receive equal quality service and equal attention. At the end of the day, the person we care for more than the restaurant owner is the customer. How can we award a restaurant owner who does not deserve it?
Adnan Habboo
Tourism and Hospitality Projects Planning, Development, and Operations Consultant
Your Royal Highnesses, Your Excellencies, friends, and honored guests, and a special hello to our visitors from Lebanon. There has been a lot talk about who the people are and what is the mechanism used behind the reviewing process. Critiquing restaurants is a sensitive issue and meticulous process and the approach has to be neutral and subjective. The review committee in Jordan consists of five people, although it gives me great pleasure to be the chair of this committee, unfortunately I cannot reveal the identity of these reviewers. Universally, it is known that the reviewer’s identity is never disclosed to keep the reviewing process objective, clear, and honest – our critiquing process is based on established parameters of the highest caliber with a goal for quality.
Everyone in the tourism industry talks about how quality and critiquing must be received with an open heart and open mind from restaurant owners. Anyone who reads the reviews that are published in Living Well and Anty will notice that the criticism used is always constructive. The reviews cover the good and the bad – and there is nothing wrong with that. A restaurant deserves to the praised for its pros and it is essential for the cons to be mentioned for three reasons. First is society, second is the restaurant owner who should not take it personally, but rather take any negative reviews into consideration. And the third and most important reason is for the customers’ benefit. It is also worth mentioning that all our reviews are conducted at our own expense, and we pay for our own meals. This is the only way for us to be neutral and honest and to deliver our review in a constructive manner. Although many local restaurants and industry members do not accept the review process, allow me to tell you that international standards actually hire what is known as a ‘mystery customer’ in order to evaluate the establishment’s services. We are here to offer you this service for free. I also encourage you to log onto the Front Row website, which lists all of the evaluating criteria and will answer any questions that you may have. In order to be on par with international reviewers, I would like to add that despite the differences in personalities between reviewers, we all use the same approach when it comes to evaluating. And, neither the Publisher, nor the Editor-in-Chief is involved in the process – they publish what we write.
In conclusion, I would like to say two things. A special thanks to Lebanon and especially since we now have a Lebanese delegation of the highest caliber. Second, we are five reviewers with 10 years experience with Front Row, which means we have a combined experience of 50 years. Thank you and welcome.
Mahmoud Malhas
President of Al Mahmoudia
Your Royal Highnesses, Your Excellencies, friends, and honored guests. Last year the Arab Bank sponsored this event and this year Al Mahmoudia is proud to be the sponsor for the event. Rest assured though, I will not delve into campaigning for Al Mahmoudia tonight. We mentioned the chefs from Los Angeles, Prague, and Amman, and we forgot to mention the 1940s and 1950s with Jabri and Dar Al Sourour, Hashem, Kalha, and The Orient restaurant in Basman Street for the late Abu Ahmed. Further down there was also The Greek Bar and Roy Restaurant in Luweibdeh Circle, where they introduced us to the wonderful invention known as the chicken rotisserie. Al Suridi was also a favorite. Back when I used to work at the airline company I remember there being a table where we would take our lunchboxes provided by Al Suridi before boarding the plane. If you also remember, there was a place called Firas Suite, also in Luweibdeh, owned by the late Firas Alajlouni. In this tiny motel, I can assure you that he was the first to use china from Limoges and cutlery by Christofle. And how can we forget our brother Al Dihni with Tokyo Gardens who present us, for the first time, with Japanese food? Competition is advancing and improving, and now we have world-class Japanese restaurants such as Esaki, and I congratulate the restaurant owners for their fantastic efforts.
The most important thing in advancement and progress is to get past the Aibe (taboo) culture. In the past, it was taboo for a university graduate to serve in a restaurant. Yet, in the hotel sector we have the Philadelphia Hotel for the Nazzal family, Amman Park for the Al Taher family, Sinbad Hotel for the Sawalha Family, and the Marriott for the Muasher family. And finally, we have Zara and the big dream which started with vision of Khalil Talhouni; he was a visionary and his dream was realized with the support of our brother Sabih Masri. We in Jordan are pioneers, we learn and we progress. Jordan is also home to novelties of the region such as the spa resorts by the Dead Sea, and top quality hotels in Aqaba, and we have a seven-star hotel – surpassing our beloved Lebanon in this domain.
And now, allow me to move onto our dear Lebanese colleagues who taught everyone what service is. I remember, Al Ajami, where one could receive 24-hour service under the supervision of the Maitre. And Qubrusly Restaurant on Al Mutnabi Street, Al Kapor Restaurant, Hajj Daoud Restaurant, and Freiha Falafal Sandwiches, etc. And then the restaurant industry gravitated towards Hamra Street where Faisal Restaurant became a bit of a landmark in its own right. We had three or four waiters who used to serve us at that time, one of whom was Anwar, who fathered a doctor. His son used to frequent this restaurant with his fellow doctor colleagues, and every time his father would try to serve him, he would reach out and kiss his father’s hand.
I recall a story where as a young boy, on an excursion with my father, I ran through the St. George, where the hotel’s concierge grabbed me by the ear and told me to calm down. I remember looking back thinking that one day I would own something as great as that establishment. Starting in Lebanon, I have become a partner with some great figures in setting up 22 restaurants; but I do not want to be too long. Jordan is developing and evolving and this is with the support and encouragement of His Majesty. We are blessed in this country with stability and security, and we all bask in the shade of the fruitful tree of the gardens of His Majesty King Abdullah and Her Majesty Queen Rania.
I would also like to apologize to the ladies who might have tarnished their long dresses in the rain, but rain is a good omen. Welcome once again.
H.E. Mr. Elie Marouni
Minister Tourism in Lebanon
Your Royal Highnesses, Your Excellencies, friends, and honored guests. When I received an invitation to participate in tonight’s lovely party I did not hesitate and confirmed my attendance right away, because when we come to Jordan we are definitely in our second country, and love it as we love Lebanon. Jordan is a country rich in heritage, civilization, and beauty and today we are adding to its lush history a celebration which will enter the world of tourism and hospitality. I come from Lebanon bringing with me a great salute from the land of the cedars, a country which you all love, a country which has suffered a lot and still suffers, but a country which relies on its brothers, with you at the forefront, to rise again. And once again we, the land of the tasty bites, the land of the cedars, which they say is the land of God, the country of religion, is a country where religions coexist – and this is what makes Lebanon stand out. Altogether, hand in hand, we should all collaborate to rebuild beautiful Lebanon. I am proud to be here tonight to thank Jordan because Jordanians have the highest rate of tourism in Lebanon and when we all decided together that the Lebanese would be granted entry to Jordan without a visa and that a Jordanian would be granted entry to Lebanon without a visa, so that our brothers feel they are moving within one country and one land. So as not to take too much of your time, and because we have a wonderful show ahead of us, allow me to say one last thing. Lebanon is on its way back, a pearl in the east, a pearl which you will adorn. Jordan, with the guidance of His Majesty King Abdullah, will keep on looking fondly on this small country, this neighboring country, the country that will always chant “Long Live Jordan! Long Live Lebanon!”