At the service of a Michelin-starred chef

While at the ZEST Restaurant with other guests for dinner, it seemed I was the only one that was not enjoying the delicacies specially recommended by the chef. It was dinner for eight and al la carte.

I kept trying but the food menu seemed more oriental than I wanted. “I am not enjoying this”, I said rhetorically. In my mind, I kept wondering if there was something tropical on the menu, but unfortunately the dinner was al la carte; guests can only eat what is served.

I kept pretending to enjoy the meal until a voice came to my rescue. “Hello Mr. Obinna, I am sure you can enjoy the meal, you can and you will”, the middle-aged chef insisted.  Before looking up to him, I wondered how he knew and pronounced my name like my father. Well, names of the in-house guests are submitted to the hotel’s executive chef every morning to enable him plan the menu, that was how he knew my name, but the correct pronunciation baffled me.

“I am Chef Yannick Alleno, and I am at your service. What do you want and how do you want it”, he asked. While waiting for my answers and probably concluding that they may not come, the chef started explaining why the food I was served was perfect for the dinner. He started with the ingredients, fusion elements of the food, the preparation, and presentation.

“Forget the bad start earlier, start all over again and you will enjoy your meal. All you need do is like the food with your eyes and your taste buds will take over from there”, the chef said to me. I tried it and it worked like magic. “But what happened, why did I not enjoy it at first”, I asked him. “You eat with your eyes first, if the eyes like it, it will taste nice in the mouth”, he explained.

But while the little drama was going on, some of the restaurant staff were watching with keen interest. It was while we were about leaving that one of them told me that I was lucky to be served by Chef Yannick Alleno. I asked why. “He is a Michelin-starred chef. We all work hard to be like him,” the restaurant staff said.  It was then I remembered celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, and Chef Massimo Bottura.

Truly, Yannick Alleno is Michelin-starred or a celebrity chef if you prefer that term. But his humility, team work and creative ingenuity endeared him to hundreds of guests that dine daily at the specialty restaurants he runs at One&Only, The Palm Dubai in UAE.

Of course, Chef Alleno did not earn his Michelin-star by mistake. In the past 25 years, he had surprised and delighted the world of fine gastronomy with his rigorous creations and vision, and is often differentiated by his skill at reinventing traditional dishes, giving them a new interpretation and, surprisingly, no extravagance but with modern inspiration.

This earned him, ‘Michelin Star’; a hallmark of culinary expertise and offering of fine dining quality.

Tracing his days of ‘little beginning’, from the age of 15, Yannick Alléno spent his life in the kitchen learning from some of the great chefs. It was at Drouant in Paris, under Louis Grondard, that his maturity and drive were forged.

He consolidated this experience under the auspices of this respected chef, who he admired greatly, before setting off to head the kitchens at the Hotel Scribe. In 1999, his hard work and creativity was rewarded with a first star from the Michelin Guide. This was confirmed in 2002 with a second star. In 2003, the restaurant ‘Le Meurice’ at Hotel Le Meurice in Paris entrusted him with its menu and Yannick Alléno then created veritable works of art to accompany all seasons. His precision, creativity and respect for ingredients quickly won him special recognition from the Michelin Guide which listed him as one of the most promising chefs of his generation.

In 2007 at this ‘Palace’ he received the ultimate accolade, his third Michelin star and entered the elite circle of the world’s greatest chefs. One year later Alléno was elected as “Chef of the Year” by his peers and in 2009 awarded the highest rating of 5 Toques by Gault Millau.

With the aim of offering his skills to hoteliers and food professionals alike, both in France and internationally, Yannick Alléno created Group Yannick Alléno in 2008. From the onset, he left his mark in Courchevel, at ‘Cheval Blanc’, which after only one season was awarded two Michelin stars, taken over the Food and Beverage operations at ‘The Royal Mansour’ in Marrakech with two ‘Grande Table’ (French and Moroccan). In 2010 Alléno collaborated with One&Only The Palm, Dubai to develop three distinct dining concepts; ZEST, 101 Dining Lounge and Bar and STAY by Yannick Alléno. He has also just recently opened another STAY in Shangri-la, Beijing and the 101 Tower in Taipei.

From romantic evening celebrations at STAY by Yannick Alléno and casual gatherings with family and friends at ZEST to party goers at 101 by the marina – these restaurants that parade Chef Yannick Alléno’s specialties are destinations unto themselves.

So, you have a good reason to visit One&Only The Palm, Dubai any time you visit the UAE.  The Michelin-starred Chef Yannick Alléno will always be at your service.

OBINNA EMELIKE