Having managed the F&B and culinary teams across the seven restaurants at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal during the most successful and busiest final quarter of 2021, award-winning Italian chef Alessandro Montedoro has been promoted to Director of Food & Beverage Operations. Known as a charismatic titan of the dining industry, Alessandro’s ability to inspire his team, produce innovative menus and drive revenue has ensured he solidified his managerial position to oversee all culinary operations at the critically acclaimed resort.
In the last three years Alessandro has introduced several new gastronomic initiatives which have enabled The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal to win numerous accolades, including the 2021 Fact Award for Best Brunch in Abu Dhabi for Giornotte and Abu Dhabi’s Favourite Asian Restaurant for Li Jiang along with the esteemed position as one of Top 20 Hotels in the Middle East: Conde Nast Readers’ Choice Awards 2021.
Having previously honed his skills as Executive Chef, Alessandro will continue to be in charge of creating enticing new menus at each eatery, which includes a steakhouse The Forge, Asian restaurant LiJiang, Italian-themed all-day dining at Giornotte, the elegant lobby lounge Alba, Al Fresco restaurant at the pool, Arabic dining at Mijana,sophisticated lobby bar food at Sorso and a healthy sports café, Dolce.
As an extension of this role, Alessandro will now also manage the annual and seasonal strategies for all of the culinary outlets, including market analysis of the latest trends and forecasts of tactical promotions. Alessandro’s responsibilities will also include ensuring to maintain the highest food standards to guarantee guest satisfaction while also managing the food costs and revenue.
Alessandro will continue to raise the profile of the brand internationally, as The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal is currently the official culinary partner at the USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, and this collaboration came to life under Alessandro’s guidance as he played a very integral part in the menu development and staff training to deliver an authentic American experience that caters to the pavilion’s VIP events and audience of daily guests.
Equipping Alessandro for this new role is his vast international experience across multiple cuisines as for the chef has worked across the world for the last twenty years, having held positions in China, Italy, Japan and Kenya. During this time, the multi-lingual chef has won many accolades including working with teams in the ‘The Top 10 Hotel Restaurants in the world for Wester Taste’ and ‘Top 50 Restaurants in China’ and a part of the MEA Culinary Discipline Advisory Board for Marriott International.
“We are delighted to appoint Alessandro Montedoro to Director of Food & Beverage Operations at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal as he brings over 30 years’ experience of leading culinary teams throughout the world and has a proven track record of producing innovative, award-winning dining experiences. In order for us to continually exceed expectations and deliver cherished #RCmemories for all of our guests and we know that is important to continually evolve our team and we are confident that Alessandro will thrive in this new role,” commented Christian Hoehn, General Manager of TheRitz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal.
“As both an admirer and employee of The Ritz-Carlton brand, I am very proud to step into my new role as Director of Food & Beverage Operations. I am looking forward to finessing the culinary scene and am grateful that this role enables me to combine my passion for Italian, Chinese and Mediterranean cuisine while growing and empowering my team to deliver the exceptional quality of food and service that TheRitz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal is known for.’ said Alessandro Montedoro to Director of Food & Beverage Operations.
