OHLALA Spotlight
T
hey say food is the way to anyone’s heart. With this in mind, why should someone choose The Four Seasons as their wedding destination? We have a diverse team of culinary staff who have the experience and expertise in cuisine that helps us to consistently provide the renowned standard that is The Four Seasons. I’ve been in the hospitality industry for more than 23 years and I’ve organised everything from top Bahraini society affairs to arranging high-powered meetings for global businesses and of course, weddings! As Director of Catering do you specialise in certain types of food, such as organic, locally sourced, ethnic or gluten-free? Do you work with fresh, not frozen, food? Absolutely! In Four Seasons we ensure that all of our food is fresh. We are very fortunate in Bahrain that we have a vast selection of fresh food sourced from local agriculture and also an unparalleled fish market. It is truly wonderful that we have all of this available on our doorstep as Bahrain is very rich in diverse ingredients. What is your signature fare? We offer an array of packages tailored to each individual and their party. Every wedding or event that we cater for is bespoke and we ensure that we have a selection of stations housed by chefs who specialise in such signature fare. For
“In this part of the world they love big weddings and we have a 600 seating capacity in our ballroom, but, we always ensure that our service, warmness and product itself is unparalleled compared to other venues.” example our Italian station is manned by our executive Italian Chef to allow for optimum authenticity. Do you work off a preset menu or can you create a custom menu for any event? We provide a wide selection of options and we always invite the organisers to come and experience the menu prior to the event or wedding. This way we can meet and surpass their expectations to provide them with a vision of how it will be introduced, as no-one likes unnecessary surprises, especially on their wedding day! Does a catered meal come as full service? Here at Four Seasons we will look after you from beginning-to-end from everything from food tasting to an in-depth tour of the venue. This level of care is synonymous with the Four Seasons’ brand as we ensure that every intricate detail is cared for. After all, the less you’re worrying about cutlery the more time you have to basque in the celebrations. Do you also provide wedding cakes? Tell us how you arrange the aesthetic of such an iconic centrepiece. That is the main topic of conversation for most weddings here. Our Executive Pastry Chef Imad Boukli invites the Bride and Groom 60
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to discuss the theme of the wedding so he can embody this within the cake. Again, they will be invited back for food tasting. We offer a selection of different flavours to suit a whole host of taste-buds and the decoration of the cake can even have your floral arrangements entwined to continue your theme or colour scheme. Food is a core aspect of any wedding day. How do you ensure that you cater to a range of appetites? Last year we were hosting an Indian Wedding that had booked the whole of Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay. With over 550 employees coming from 55 different countries we ensure that cultural traditions are met seamlessly, from having the right chef to supporting the bride or groom to adhere to tradition. Our catering service is truly integral to the Four Seasons experience and we offer both indoor and outdoor options. You need to visit our ballroom! Do the Four Seasons partake in any charitable organisations regarding any waste that may be left over after a catered event? We organise pick-up on a daily basis to take any remaining turnover of produce to be delivered to families in cooperation with the local charitable organisation, Bahrain Food Bank, which is truly commendable as we all play a part in corporate social responsibility.