Priyam Chatterjee Becomes First Indian Chef To Receive French Honour

Priyam Chatterjee on Monday became the first Indian chef to be awarded the ''Chevalier de l''Ordre du Merite Agricoleto'' by the government of France to recognise his contribution towards reinventing the gastronomic scene in India.

Mr Chatterjee (30) is best known for revisiting the traditional dishes from his native state of West Bengal and giving it a French twist.

"I am living my dream at this moment because any form of words or dialogue will not justify this moment," he said.

Mr Chatterjee added that the two major factors influencing his culinary practice were that of his family and France.

Born into a Bengali family of "exceptional cooks and artists", where feasts were a regular affair, it was only natural for a young Mr Chatterjee to love everything about food, be it eating, or serving.

He realised French cuisine was his true calling during his very first professional stint at Park Hyatt in Hyderabad where he met French chef Jean Claude who trained Mr Chatterjee to "learn French cuisine, precisely and with passion."

"In the process, what he did was he made me fall in love with France completely!" the chef said.

Mr Chatterjee is currently the head chef at Jaan Restaurant Yacht in France, before which he was the head chef of Rooh, and Qla, both located in Mehrauli.

He also takes a keen interest in music as well as art.

"This is actually the first time that we are celebrating the talent of a young chef at this embassy by conferring this distinction.

"This honour recognizes your talent and your commitment to promoting French cuisine," Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India, said.

Chef Dirk Heinen is the new executive chef at luxury hotel The Regency, Kuwait

Heinen brings over 34 years of professional culinary experience from hotels such as JW Marriott Hotel Ankara and Le Meridien Barbarons Seychelles. He also led the culinary operation at the Sheraton & Four Point Complex in Kuwait City for over six years.

Originally from Germany, Heinen spent his early career working as a sous chef in Switzerland, Taiwan and Turkey. He earned his master chef diploma in 1996 and acquired the position of executive chef in 1997.

Prior to joining The Regency, Heinen served as an executive chef at Cinnamon Grand Hotel Sri Lanka where he was overseeing the overall culinary experience of a range of 17 specialty restaurants.

Covering world-renowned cuisines, including in-room dining and amenities and banquet operations, he caters to Michelin star events with Marco Piere White, Goerge Colombaris and Chaîne des Rôtisseurs dinners.

With taking on the leadership role for over 100 team members in the food production at The Regency, Dirk Heinen aims to infuse the culinary heritage of Kuwait and its luxury hotel with experience and knowledge from various cultures.

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Chef Anja Van Zyl is the new executive chef @ Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi

Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi has appointed Anja Van Zyl to the position of executive chef.

The Namibian national has 20 years of experience working in her home country, South Africa, the Maldives, China, and the UAE.

While in the UAE she previously worked for Rotana Hotels for seven years, opening new hotels and restaurant concepts, before moving to Shanghai from where she has joined Le Royal Meridien.

General manager Ashraf Siessy said: “Working the ranks of the kitchen as every novice does, Anja can be described as our newest iconic sensation and we are indeed proud to have her join our LRM family. We are confident that Anja’s expertise will continue to drive the success and growth of our culinary team and we are excited to witness the transition.”

Van Zyl is inspired by simple ingredients, focusing on Asian and European cuisine with a modern spin.

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South African Chef Alison Kiewiet van Eeden is the new executive chef for Novotel & Ibis Dubai Deira City Centre

Bringing almost two decades of experience with her, Alison Kiewiet van Eeden has taken up the role of executive chef at Novotel & Ibis Dubai Deira City Centre.

The South African has already been tasked with revamping the menu at Bistro Domino Restaurant which has recently received a facelift.

As one of the few female executive chefs working under the AccorHotels brand, Kiewiet van Eeden will also drive forward the HeforShe global solidarity movement aligned with AccorHotels concept for a gender equal world.

“We are very excited to welcome chef Alison in the revamped Bistro Domino, as we continue to lift our expectations higher for our guests to experience a diverse menu with exciting fusion interiors” said Nishan Silva, cluster general manager.

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The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre has appointed Mauro Gomez to the role of head executive chef

An Argentinian national, Gomez has worked all over the world including spells in Vietnam, Miami, and Maldives, as well as overseeing more than 50 of celebrity chef Richard Sandoval’s restaurants worldwide.

Gomez will be in overall charge of the five distinctive restaurants and dining experiences at the DIFC hotel.

Tareq Derbas, general manager for The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre commented: “We are very pleased to welcome chef Gomez to The Ritz-Carlton DIFC team. He carries extensive knowledge and passion that can transcend our guests through an unforgettable culinary experience. We are very honoured that he can join us in Dubai to share his culinary heritage and expertise with our valued guests.”

Chef Johannes Tafel is Emirates Palace's new chef de cuisine

Tafel has previously worked at seafood restaurants in Abu Dhabi for the past two decades.

Speaking of his appointment Tafel said: “With an array of top-quality ingredients so readily available, it's a chef's dream to be located in Abu Dhabi. From the fabulous fresh fish and produce in the local souks to the prime local meats sourced from all around the world, it’s a pleasure to serve at the forefront of worldwide hospitality, and my aim is treat every single diner as royalty.”

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JA Resorts & Hotels makes four F&B leadership appointments

JA Resorts & Hotels have appointed four people to leadership positions in its F&B department as it gears up to open 10 new F&B concepts in 2019.

• Olivier Belliard has joined JA The Resort as director of culinary. The French national has experience working in Michelin starred concepts in his homeland as well as stints in Mauritius, Egypt, Thailand, and the USA.

• Kyra Bommelje, a Dutch national who has worked at the company for over four years. She has been appointed cluster director of food and beverage

• Devid di Benimeo and Petra Humphers. Di Benimeo and Humphers will be the cluster executive chef and cluster director of food and beverage respectively

Exclusive Interview | ‘General Manager of the Year’ : Vishal Singh; General Manager, HYATT REGENCY GURGAON

“ I feel very honoured to receive the ‘General Manager of the Year’ award in the Luxury and Upper upscale segment at Hotel Operations Summit of India (HOSI). This was for my tenure at Hyatt Regency Pune, and it would not have been possible without the support of a great team that I worked with.”

— Vishal Singh

Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?

My journey as an hotelier started 23 years back. Since then, I have had the privilege of working with several premium hotels in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Goa & Pune. An MBA in Marketing and graduate of IHM, Pusa, New Delhi, maximum of my tenure has been working with Hyatt, albeit in two tenures.

My Hyatt journey started in 2002 as Conferencing & Banqueting Manager at Hyatt Regency Delhi, further climbing up as Assistant Director of Food & Beverage. In 2006, Mumbai came calling next with a transfer to Grand Hyatt Mumbai and I got the opportunity to work at one of the largest hotels in the country. Launched the iconic ‘China House restaurant & lounge’ at the hotel.

Subsequently I was promoted as Director Food & Beverage at the luxurious Park Hyatt Goa Resort & Spa. To gain experience in launching new properties, I joined Hilton and was part of the pre-opening team of Hilton Chennai as Director of Operations in 2009, then moved to Double Tree by Hilton, Gurgaon in 2011.

Tryst with the Hyatt recurred in 2013 when I joined as the first General Manager of Hyatt Pune, formerly known as Ista hotels. My career high point during then was being awarded the prestigious Hyatt Award – ‘Donald N. Pritzker Award for Hotel Team of the Year’. The award recognizes Hyatt’s top-performing hotel teams in the areas of colleague, guest and owner preference. Only one hotel in the entire region is selected based on metrics of discretionary activities, initiatives, leadership, innovation success, owner relationship/feedback, talent management and team attributes that reflect outstanding performance over the past year.

The Pune leg continued as I then moved to Hyatt Regency Pune as General Manager in 2016. Team work and astute business thinking resulted in winning the Food & Beverage financial performance challenge 2018 in the Hyatt South West Asia.

I also had the honour of being felicitated among ‘Pune’s Most Powerful’ people consecutively for two years in a row 2017 & 2018 by Times of India group.

The most recent award of the ‘General Manager of the Year’ 2018 in the Luxury and Upper upscale segment at Hotel Operations Summit of India (HOSI) was also for my stint at Hyatt Regency Pune.

2019 started with coming back to my hometown as General Manager for Hyatt Regency Gurgaon, one of the largest convention hotels of North India.

What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?

There is no shortcut to success – Perseverance and hard work are the keys definitely!

What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring? If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?

I look only for 3 things – Attitude , Attitude and Attitude.

What according to you can trainees do while they are training at hotels to make it a win-win for them & the hotel/unit?

Trainees are the future of our industry, they should utilise their training time to its fullest and not be afraid of getting their hands dirty to be able to build a strong foundation. Without a strong foundation, it’s not possible to build a strong building!

What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?

The Digital space is evolving rapidly, it’s impacting everything in the industry right from buying decisions to how we conduct our daily business, and this will constantly evolve with millennials constituting majority of the guest base.

Another trend is the ‘Experiential Hospitality’ where guests are expecting hotels to be fulfilling more than just their boarding and lodging needs, people are looking for ‘Unique Experiences’ rather than cookie cutter brand standards. Hence there is more emphasis on ‘Going Global but Thinking Local’, embracing local culture and experiences.

Tech is now an enabler for great hospitality. Can you share with us some of the tech that goes into creating your guest experience?

Technology is making sweeping changes in hospitality space like never before! I believe, the human interface can never be replaced with tech, however it enables hotel team to enhance guest experience. For Eg. At Hyatt, we initiated online room check- in’s prior to arrival and soon moving on to mobile keyless entry where your mobile phone will be your room key.

Two things you would like to change in the industry.

1. To upscale the entry level compensation across the industry immediately in order to opt hospitality as a profession of choice for the younger generation.

2. Have an industry wide repository database of blacklisted / delinquent customers, something like what airlines have ‘no fly list’ or like Uber/ Ola , where customers are rated by the drivers.

What can we expect from your hotel(s) in the coming year?

My current assignment is to lead - Hyatt Regency Gurgaon, 451 keys property with over 40,000 sq. ft. of convention space, with pillar less hall of 21,000 sq. ft., is one the largest of its kind in North India. The plan is to establish the property as the preferred MICE destination in hosting national and international ‘experiential’ meetings and events.

To be the wedding destination of choice in Delhi NCR offering customised experiences with a world class accommodation and tantalising culinary delights. Taking food and beverage to the next level and putting it to the forefront by offerings and organising food promotions / festivals to tap on the local target audience: We have already initiated steps such as a revamping of Sunday brunch with daycation / staycation options, opening of a 24 hours bar and a rejuvenated Spa all this leading to establishing Hyatt Regency Gurgaon a preferred leisure and quick getaway weekend destination, it also is a convenient stop over for tourists covering the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

Congratulations on receiving the award. Please do share a little about the award and some best practices that led you to it.

Thank you. I feel very honoured to receive the ‘General Manager of the Year’ award in the Luxury and Upper upscale segment at Hotel Operations Summit of India (HOSI). This was for my tenure at Hyatt Regency Pune, and it would not have been possible without the support of a great team that I worked with. As a team we worked on turning around the property focusing on both top line and bottom line growth, first step was to reposition the property thereby driving the ADR, growing the same by double than what the compset grew by.

Second was to effectively managing room space ratio, renovating and relaunching the existing banqueting space (EQ:IQ) : we were able to increase catering revenue by 66% and group revenue by a huge margin of 122%. In spite of an increase in F&B revenue which has a lower profit margin, we effectively managed costs to achieve a GOP growth of 46% in turn winning the Hyatt F&B financial performance challenge 2018 South West Asia region.

Further to that successfully implemented various key cost saving initiatives such as installation of VFD , Heat pump, condensate recovery ,solar panels which led to a HLP saving of 607k KWh and 21K Ltrs of high speed diesel amounting to massive savings of INR 1 crore in year.

Customer satisfaction was one of the key for highest customer service score in Hyatt Regency Brand, TripAdvisor rank also grew from from 17 to no. 4.

DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bangalore won Award for Excellence in Employee engagement

Anoop HA receiving the award from Mr. Brendan Toomey, Vice President HR Asia Pacific

Hilton 2018 India HR and Learning Meet was conducted on 23 d and 24th of April 2019 at Conrad Bengaluru. It was attended by the Senior Human Resource Leadership team of Singapore and New Delhi Office as well as the HR and Learning department heads of various hotels of India.

DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bangalore won the award for Excellence in Employee engagement in the award ceremony held on the evening of 23 rd April 2019. The award was a recognition of our commitment as a hotel to keep our team members engaged and committed at work. The two day meet was a great opportunity for us to interact and network with HR Leaders of Hilton from different parts of the country. The meet also provided an opportunity for exchange of ideas on best HR practices being followed by hotels across the country.

Hilton India and Singapore HR leadership also briefed us on the HR Priorities of Hilton in India for the year 2019 and the road map forward. The two day meet was an enriching session for all of us involved as we got an opportunity to learn and interact with leading industry veterans.

Hyatt Selects Senior Leader to Advance Global Wellbeing Strategy

Hyatt has selected Mia Kyricos as senior vice president, global head of wellbeing, underscoring Hyatt’s commitment to care for people so they can be their best. Kyricos will report to Mark Vondrasek, Hyatt’s chief commercial officer.

“As a pioneer in the business of wellbeing, Mia is uniquely qualified to further define Hyatt’s wellbeing efforts across all 14 brands to ensure colleagues, guests and customers can be their best”

“Hyatt’s dedication to implementing wellbeing practices throughout all facets of the organization demonstrates just one of the ways Hyatt continues to lead the way in the hospitality industry,” said Kyricos. “This is the first time I’ve seen a company of its kind establish a cohesive position on wellbeing that fully encompasses all parts of the organization. I am excited to join such a forward-thinking leadership team to help meaningfully implement innovative wellbeing strategies for Hyatt’s colleagues, guests and members of the communities in which Hyatt hotels operate around the world.”

Most recently, Kyricos served as President and CEO of Kyricos & Associates LLC, a boutique advisory firm providing guidance to wellness-driven hospitality, tourism and healthy lifestyle companies. Prior to that, she was chief brand officer at Spafinder Wellness, Inc., where she co-founded the “Wellness Travel Awards” program which was previously issued annually across 40 countries at the World Travel Market. She also held leadership roles at Core Performance, the workplace wellness division of EXOS, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide where she created six international spa brands and signature wellness experiences. Kyricos holds a master’s degree in hospitality administration from Cornell University and sits on the advisory boards of the Global Wellness Summit, Wellness for Cancer and The University of California Irvine. She also chairs the Wellness Communities Initiative on behalf of the Global Wellness Institute, a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational foundation that she helped to found.

Meet the largest VC-backed hospitality management company in the world

Business Leader recently sat down with Nakul Sharma, the founder and CEO of HOSTMAKER – the largest VC-backed hospitality management company in the world.

The British firm is rapidly expanding across Europe, having recently expanded into Florence, Cannes and Madrid to include 7 major European cities – despite Brexit

Nakul explains how his company has achieved 400% year-on-year growth, raised funds for expansion and what it means to be recognised as one of the top 100 Asian tech entrepreneurs in the UK.

WHY DID YOU CREATE THE COMPANY? I launched the business in May 2014, following the boom in Airbnb, looking to bring a level of hospitality expertise – which is my background – to the homestay market by offering full-service management.

I had just co-written a paper on Airbnb’s impact on the hotel industry – specifically, how the business could benefit hotels and how the two should work closely together in the future – and it seemed like the market was ready for it.

The idea was, and still is, to bring a Hilton-level quality to the diversity of homestay experiences, for all travellers – from couples to big groups.

For me, this was the future of hospitality, so I left InterContinental Hotels Group to dedicate myself full-time to testing the HOSTMAKER concept. I knew it would be a risk but the signs were strong that this had potential to become big.

My wife later joined me on the venture, leaving her job as a lawyer, and together we put £50,000 of our own money into the business to get it off the ground. We were already Airbnb ‘Superhosts’ so we had a good understanding of the issues faced by both guests and hosts. Still, we wanted to get more concrete evidence, so we took the plunge and turned our home into a test home, while we moved into rental accommodation ourselves.

The big break came when our second customer wrote a glowing one-page review on Airbnb which was seen by the company in San Francisco. On the back of this, we were invited to speak at their first host conference – which significantly helped funding efforts. Three rounds of funding later and HOSTMAKER has secured over £20m in investments.

read the full article, click here

Papa John’s Founder Accused of Sexual Misconduct and Fostering a ‘Bro’ Culture

Papa John’s founder John Schnatter resigned as chairman of his company last week after a recording of him using the N-word was leaked to Forbes — and the pizza chain founder hasn’t gone quietly into the night: He’s accused the company’s board of directors of failing to investigate the incident properly, and says he regrets stepping down. But a new investigative report from Forbes alleges more misconduct, saying Schnatter presided over a “bro” culture at Papa John’s, where women were often the target of sexual harassment, and himself engaged in sexual misconduct that resulted in at least two confidential settlements.

Schnatter is accused of stalking and groping a woman in 1999; he later claimed the woman was trying to extort him for $5 million, but the situation ended with a confidential settlement. Forbes also reports that a 2009 “incident” involving a 24-year-old female marketing employee resulted in another confidential settlement, and anonymous sources say there have also been more settlements over the years. Meanwhile, sources say women at the company were subjected to harassing behavior from Schnatter and other male employees, such as being asked about their bra size or if they were menstruating. Schnatter also allegedly asked employees to spy on their colleagues, and sometimes read workers’ emails. Schnatter, through a representative, “disputed” most of the Forbes story.

Geoffrey Gelardi Honored for Outstanding Contribution to the Hospitality Industry

Veteran hotelier Geoffrey Gelardi was awarded with the Cateys 2018: Special Award, one of the most prestigious accolades in the hospitality industry, presented by UK-based publication The Caterer. The honor recognizes Mr. Gelardi’s achievement as the longest tenured managing director of a luxury property in London and his enduring commitment to the guests and staff at The Lanesborough.

“The hotel owes everything to the commitment, dedication and focus of Geoffrey. It was his leadership style that kept the hotel on top of its game for many years.”

Mr. Gelardi recently stepped down as Managing Director after nearly three decades at the helm of The Lanesborough, which he opened in 1991. During his tenure, Mr. Gelardi was honored as "Independent Hotelier of The World" by HOTELS Magazine and voted “Top General Manager of a Luxury Hotel Worldwide” by Luxury Travel Advisor, amongst many other awards, and The Lanesborough received almost every accolade in the hospitality industry, having just been honored the “Number 1 Hotel in London” by the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards.

New regional head named for StayWell Hospitality Middle East

StayWell Hospitality has appointed Colin A. Baker as the new regional director for its Middle East operations.

Baker brings with him a wealth of hospitality management experience spanning New Zealand, Beijing, Papua New Guinea, and Australia before moving to Dubai. His journey as a hotelier started when he worked as general manager in Christchurch Airport Travelodge in 1991, before opening Holiday Inn City Centre Perth, being appointed as general manager in various IHG hotels in Australia and taking on a corporate role as resorts operations manager in Accor Premiere Vacation Club.

Baker also led the pre-opening team of Park Plaza Beijing West and worked as general manager in Courtyard by Marriott Beijing Northeast. Baker has also earned a considerable experience in property development, having worked in Mirq Corp, a hospitality consulting and real estate investment company. His career in StayWell Hospitality Group began in 2013 when he worked as group director for Technical Services and New Projects and later rejoining as regional director in 2017 after a year working as group operations manager in Coral Sea Hotels Papua New Guinea.

Baker’s 35-year career and extensive knowledge in the hospitality industry is a great asset to StayWell Hospitality Group, especially in the group’s strategic objective of expanding its portfolio and strengthening its presence in the region.

Swiss-Belhotel appoints new hotel manager for two upcoming Kuwait properties

Swiss-Belhotel International has appointed Hakan Gencer as the hotel manager for its upcoming properties in Kuwait Swiss-Belhotel Bneid Al Gar, scheduled to open in Q4 2018 and Swiss-Belresidences Al Sharq, scheduled to open in Q3 2019. 

Swiss-Belhotel Bneid Al Gar will have two restaurants, lobby café, spa, health club and swimming pool. The second property, Swiss-Belresidences Al Sharq will have one- and two-bedroom hotel apartments with fully-equipped kitchen facilities. The hotel will also feature an all-day-dining restaurant, a deli corner in the lobby, kids club and a swimming pool.

Prior to joining Swiss-Belhotel International group, Gencer was the complex director of food and beverages in two leading business hotels in Bursa, Turkey.

Vefa Celik appointed as the new General Manager of Park Inn by Radisson Istanbul

Before joining Radisson Hotel Group, Vefa worked as General Manager for Wyndham Hotel Group and for InterContinental Hotel Group.

This is his first position within Radisson Hotel Group. He chose our company because he thinks it’s one of the best. He makes Every Moment Matter to our guests by “immediate proactive decision taking" and his service philosophy is “100% guest satisfaction.” 

His advice to anyone considering a career as a General Manager is “to have very good knowledge of the operational activities, always seek staff satisfaction and give value to the employee. The result will be a happy guest.” 

Sourish Bishnu Jana says 'ABCD – Attitude, Body Language, Commitment, Dedication remains the stepping stone to achieve success for all hospitality professional'

In talk with Chennais Amirta International Institute of Hotel Management, Chennai, Sourish shared his wisdom with future hoteliers. 

Hospitality Industry is being always booming with its continuous growth every year. Gone are the days when you will find only counted leading hotels mostly the Indian origin brands, e.g. – Taj, Oberoi, ITC, Leela Group of Hotels, etc., but today there are plenty of leading international brands have made their strong presence in India, hence the chance of getting the desired job in leading hotels after the course is much easier than earlier, as there are more opportunities available to the right talents. However, the basic requirements of an individual remain the same, which I call it as ABCD of the hospitality for beginners.

‘A’ being the attitude of the individual shows how positive he/she is to excel in the industry.

‘B’ signifies the body language of a person which accounts for the 55% of the effective communication, as we are in hotel industry dealing with our guests every day, the body language plays a vital role in all aspects of our communication.

‘C’ refers to the commitment level; although there are plenty options available for a hospitality professional to take up in terms of getting a job, however, a true professional is always being judged based on his/her commitment level.

‘D’ means to be the dedication factor of an individual, how much the person can put in his/her efforts to achieve the success; fortunately, there is no substitute of hard work which goes hand in hand with the dedication. If you are dedicated to learn and experiment with new ideas, you will certainly discover your own success.

Hence, as per me, ABCD – Attitude, Body Language, Commitment, Dedication remains the stepping stone to achieve success for all hospitality professional and we have enormous examples of successful hospitality professionals.

Today’s hospitality is more with young and dynamic talents who do not step back to innovative ideas to keep the guest happy. Technology has always been playing a vital role in the success factor. With the help of internet through much more faster way (either through google or any through browsers) an individual can explore all the possibilities and get to know the happenings around the globe; hence the knowledge is no more limited at all. The creative mind is being recognized all over, the talent is being showcased to everyone. Of course, the credit goes to our beloved social media, which is now much stronger than the earlier days. We at Accor Hotels live by our six values and one of them is ‘Innovation’ which always empowers the employees to think in a creative manner to find a unique way of satisfying our guests. An empowered employee always strives for excellence, motivates co-workers and engages with the team for superlative performance.

Sourish Bishnu Jana is the Learning & Development Manager @ Novotel - Ibis Chennai Sipco since February 2016, with an experience of 12 years with Radisson Group of Hotels, Sarovar Group of Hotels, Taj Group of Hotels.

Centro Barsha, Dubai appoints new GM

Centro Barsha by Rotana, Dubai, an affordable lifestyle business hotel, has appointed Imad Akil as its new general manager.

Having begun his hospitality career in Front Office at the Jeddah Hilton and Qasr Al Sharq Waldorf Astoria in Saudi Arabia, Akil joined Rotana Hotels as far back as 2008 for the pre-opening of Amwaj Rotana Jumeirah Beach, Dubai.

Since then, he has worked on the pre-opening of two other Rotana hotels and has grown through the ranks as director of Front Office, director of Rooms and most recently as executive assistant manager before joining Centro Barsha as general manager.

Hospitality and Urban Development veteran launches Cultivate Hospitality Group

Real estate development and hospitality veteran Peter Peterson announces the launch of Cultivate Hospitality Group, a Los Angeles-based full-service food and beverage ideation, consulting and management company created to pair real estate developers and property owners with innovative restaurant and entertainment concepts. Providing a one-stop shop for unique food and beverage and real estate development opportunities, Cultivate offers a full menu of capabilities that can be tailored through a la carte options including custom concept creation and master planning, development oversight, public relations/marketing strategies, asset management, market analysis and more. With food and beverage taking center stage as a key driver in the world of real estate, the Cultivate team's deep relationships and more than 60-years combined experience in both signature culinary ideation and real estate development brings a unique, never-before-seen expertise to the marketplace.

"Curated culinary programming has proven to be the secret sauce in driving successful development," said Peter Peterson, President and Managing Partner of Cultivate