AlUla, Ferrandi Paris team up to open culinary training college
AlUla, Ferrandi Paris team up to open culinary training college/node/2577590/lifestyle
AlUla, Ferrandi Paris team up to open culinary training college
The Royal Commission for AlUla has partnered with Ferrandi Paris to establish a culinary arts, tourism and hospitality training college in the city. (Supplied)
AlUla, Ferrandi Paris team up to open culinary training college
Ferrandi Paris AlUla Campus will open later this year, with an inaugural intake of 100 students
Updated 31 October 2024
Arab News
ALULA: The Royal Commission for AlUla has partnered with Ferrandi Paris to establish a culinary arts, tourism and hospitality training college in the city.
Announced on Thursday at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, the Ferrandi Paris AlUla Campus will open later this year, with an inaugural intake of 100 students.
Our vision of establishing #AlUla as a center of excellence for education in hospitality and tourism is now one step closer to becoming a reality with the opening of @FERRANDIParis - AlUla College. pic.twitter.com/0Xq3b2pqq8
It will offer three-year diploma programs in culinary arts, hospitality and tourism, taught by professionals from the Saudi Arabia-based Colleges of Excellence and following the Ferrandi Paris curriculum.
Open to high school graduates from AlUla and across the Kingdom, the program aims to equip students with vital skills to support the city’s growth as a global tourism and investment destination.
The partnership is in line with both the RCU’s broader goals of upskilling the AlUla community in sectors such as culture, heritage and tourism and Saudi Vision 2030, the commission said.
Ferrandi Paris is a prestigious culinary institution with more than a century of expertise in hospitality training. It said it would bring its hallmark high standards to the new college, enhancing AlUla’s educational and vocational offerings and fostering stronger Saudi-French cooperation.
Hia Hub: Day 2 sees industry leaders discuss evolution of skin care, market opportunities
Patrick Chalhoub: Many consumers, particularly men, are not fully engaged in skin care routines
Session underscored a collective commitment to enhancing skin care knowledge and practices in the Middle East
Updated 31 October 2024
Rahaf Jambi
RIYADH: Hia Hub, Saudi Arabia’s fashion, beauty and lifestyle conference, is set to run until Nov. 3 and Thursday’s lineup of talks featured a session called “The Current Landscape of Beauty and the Evolution of Skin Care” that saw panelists discuss the desire to grow the skin care segment of the regional beauty industry.
Moderated by Lynn Al-Khatib, vice president of communications at luxury goods retailer and distributor Chalhoub Group, the session featured the likes of Patrick Chalhoub, group president of the Chalhoub Group; Franck Marilly, chairman of Shiseido EMEA; Hasmik Panossian, regional general manager of Sephora Middle East; Laurent Duffier, managing director of L’Oreal Middle East; and Henk van der Mark, vice president of retail, commercial and business development at Estee Lauder Companies EMEA.
Patrick Chalhoub spoke of the responsibility that comes with being a market leader, saying: “As a market leader in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) and Saudi Arabia, we carry a significant responsibility to grow the beauty market.”
Notably, while fragrances dominate the market, skin care usage lags behind at only 10 percent, compared to 35 percent globally and 50 percent in Asia.
This, according to the panelists, indicates a substantial opportunity for growth.
Chalhoub highlighted the potential growth area, saying: “Many consumers, particularly men, are not fully engaged in skin care routines, often using just one or two products daily.”
Marilly added to the discussion, reflecting on the cultural differences in skin care practices.
He said: “In Asia, skin care accounts for 50 percent of a $35 billion market. While the Middle East represents a smaller segment, we have ambitious goals.”
Marilly also underscored the importance of education, saying that “utilizing advanced technologies like skin analysis and DNA testing can greatly enhance consumer knowledge.”
The importance of technology was mirrored in the contribution of Duffier, who said that L’Oreal “harnesses scientific formulas and cutting-edge technology to deliver exceptional results,” while referencing tools that analyze skin to suggest appropriate treatments.
He added: “The rising interest in cosmetic procedures among younger demographics indicates a strong demand for effective solutions.”
The importance of education and raising awareness about the power of skin care came up again and again.
Van der Mark said: “In Europe and Asia skin care is deeply embedded in cultural practices. In contrast, the Middle East shows a gap in skin care education and usage.”
He pointed out that with 60 percent of the population under 30 in the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, according to the International Monetary Fund, there was a significant potential to engage younger consumers who prioritized health and wellness.
Panossian spoke of the importance of understanding customer needs, adding: “With over 3,000 Sephora stores globally, we gather valuable feedback on products and ingredients … consumers are increasingly focused on ingredients, so we prioritize transparency and authenticity in our communications.”
The session underscored a collective commitment to enhancing skin care knowledge and practices in the Middle East, with industry leaders agreeing on the need for collaboration, education, and innovation to drive growth in the market.
As the beauty landscape continues to evolve, these efforts will be essential in shaping a more informed and engaged consumer base.
Four Abu Dhabi restaurants retain Michelin stars in 2025 guide
Updated 31 October 2024
Dalal Awienat
ABU DHABI : Four restaurants in Abu Dhabi on Thursday retained their previously awarded Michelin star in the guide’s third edition for the Emirati city.
The third edition of the ceremony celebrated the city’s vibrant culinary scene.
Michelin star award criteria ranks the quality of ingredients, harmony of flavor, consistency over time and across the menu as well as the chef's personality in cooking.
Meanwhile, the new restaurants added to the Michelin Abu Dhabi guide were Bord’O by Nicolas Isnard, Broadway, Em Sherif Sea Caf, Mika and Ryba. These eateries are highlighted by Michelin, but not awarded stars.
The Michelin Guide Service Award was given to Mika, a restaurant in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island that blends Middle Eastern influences with a Mediterranean touch.
Bib Gourmand distinctions are awarded to restaurants that serve excellent food with moderate prices. The newly selected restaurants in this edition were Mika and Ryba.
Beirut Sur Mer, Almayass, Otoro, Tazal and Al-Mrzab retained their Bib Gourmand status.
The Opening of The Year Award was given to Ryba, a seafood restaurant located in Mina, Abu Dhabi. Chef Faisal Mohamed Al-Harmoodi said his goal was to share Emirati food with the world as he accepted the accolade on stage.
The Michelin Young Chef Award was given to Yasmina Hayek from Em Sherif Sea Cafe, a fine dining Mediterranean and Lebanese restaurant in Al Maryah Island.
“Abu Dhabi offers a diverse dining scene that caters both to luxury travelers and food enthusiasts,” said Michelin’s Vice President of the Middle East and North Africa Harkesh Jaggi.
Bruna Biancardi explores Saudi Arabia ahead of Hia Hub appearance
Updated 31 October 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: Brazilian influencer and model Bruna Biancardi arrived in Riyadh to attend the fourth edition of Hia Hub, Saudi Arabia’s conference on fashion, beauty, and lifestyle.
The model, who is soccer superstar Neymar's partner, shared an Instagram story to remind fans of her special appearance at the event on Nov. 3.
She also gave fans a sneak peek of her time in Riyadh, sharing an Instagram Story post from her dinner at Japanese eatery Myazu with her 11.7 million Instagram followers.
The model and footballer also seemed to spent time on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coastline, with Biancardi sharing images from a resort in the area.
Hia Hub, Saudi Arabia’s fashion, beauty and lifestyle conference, returned for its fourth edition in Riyadh’s JAX District and will run until Nov. 3.
Review: Apple TV’s ‘Before’ is a showcase for Billy Crystal
Creepy drama gives the famed comic a chance to show his serious side
Updated 31 October 2024
Matt Ross
LONDON: There are many unsettling things about Apple’s new psychological drama “Before”, but first among them is the sight of star Billy Crystal playing it absolutely straight — and not, as you might suspect, in a way that would enable the iconic funnyman to play it so seriously that it’s almost funny.
Here, Crystal is child psychologist Eli Adler, a gifted doctor struggling to come to terms with the recent suicide of his wife, Lynn. Not many laughs there, you’ll agree. While Eli is dealing with visions of Lynn, and recurring nightmares of hurling himself into an empty swimming pool, he finds a troubled young boy who won’t speak, scratching his hands bloody attempting to break into Eli’s house.
Eli’s colleague Gail (Sakina Jaffrey) has been trying to convince him to take on a new case — one of a troubled young boy who won’t speak and is plagued by horrifying visions. Before you can say “contrived coincidence,” we learn the two boys are, in fact, one and the same. What are the chances?
As Eli begins to investigate what led Noah (Jacobi Jupe) to stop speaking and start drawing creepy pictures of an abandoned barn — the same barn Eli finds in a picture among his wife’s things — the as-yet-unrevealed link between the two begins to solidify. With two episodes broadcast (of the 10 scheduled), the story behind whatever brought Eli and Noah together looks set to be eked out across the limited series, but writer/creator Sarah Thorp doesn’t hold out on audiences too much. So while there’s still a lot of hinting at seemingly unconnected elements — Noah’s visions of water leaking into his reality, his unnerving tendency to lapse into 17th-century Dutch, the often-sinister nature of Eli’s visions of Lynn — there’s enough dangled threads weaving together all of the above that viewers can feel like figuring out the mystery is achievable.
And, wonderfully, the cherry on the top is Crystal, demonstrating a gift for drama that few of his numerous roles ever hinted at. Eli is believably grief-stricken, world-weary and simply exhausted at the strangeness of what’s going on around him. Whatever the mystery at the heart of “Before” ends up being, the real gem here is the discovery of how effective a serious Billy Crystal can be.
Highlights from this year’s ‘Festival Favorites’ at RSIFF
Updated 31 October 2024
Arab News
JEDDAH: The category’s movies are ‘films that stay with the viewer long after the fall of the curtain,’ says RSIFF’s Antoine Khalife
‘Agora’
Director: Ala Eddine Slim
Starring: Majd Mastoura, Neji Kanawati, Bilel Slatnia
The Tunisian filmmaker’s third feature, which was backed by Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Fund, has already proven to be a winner. At the Locarno Film Festival in August it picked up the Pardo Verde Award, which is “given to a film that best reflects an environmental theme and is unafraid of asking difficult questions.” It centers on a small town where a series of disturbing events that seem to bridge the world of the living and the dead — including the return of three missing people who don’t appear to be quite themselves any longer — has attracted the attention of the authorities. Or, at least, of people claiming to be the authorities.
‘Black Dog’
Director: Guan Hu
Starring: Eddie Peng, Tong Liya, Xin the dog
The winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival is, according to The Observer in one of many favorable reviews from the international press, a “heartfelt tale of outcast redemption.” Set in the Gobi desert in the northwest of China prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics — a time when the country was undergoing rapid redevelopment — it follows Lang, a recently released ex-convict (and former stuntman and musician) returning to his hometown, which he finds many people have left and is now home to a large community of stray dogs. One of them — the ‘black dog’ of the title — is rumored to have rabies, and there’s a bounty on its head which Lang decides he will try to collect. But when he actually encounters the dog, his plans change.
British-Indian documentary maker Sandhya Suri’s feature debut — a Hindi-language crime drama — is the UK’s entry for next year’s Oscars and has already received critical acclaim following its showing in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes this year. It’s a police procedural set in northern India and follows the title character, a young widow, who has taken over her late husband’s job as a police constable. Her newfound independence and power is somewhat negated by her discovery of the institutional corruption and sexism of law enforcement in the area.
‘East of Noon’
Director: Hala Elkoussy
Starring: Menha El-Batroui, Ahmed Kamal, Omar Rozeik
Screen Daily called this — Elkoussy’s second feature — “a sumptuous piece of filmmaking.” It’s a surrealist fable about a teenage musician, Abdo and his partner Nunna, who are looking for a way out of their impoverished town, which offers few prospects of a bright future. But the corrupt elders have other ideas, seeking to crush not just their rebellious dreams, but their spirits.
‘Eephus’
Director: Carson Lund
Starring: Keith William Richards, Frederick Wiseman, Cliff Blake
Set in a small Massachusetts town in the Nineties, “Eephus” follows an team of out-of-shape middle-aged men who play for the Adler’s Paint baseball team as they prepare to face their fiercest rivals in one final game before their stadium is demolished to make way for a new school. Variety called Lund’s movie an “adorably existential, off-kilter take on the sports movie.”
‘Familiar Touch’
Director: Sarah Friedland
Starring: H. Jon Benjamin, Kathleen Chalfant, London Garcia
Friedland’s intensely moving feature debut won the Lion of the Future at this year’s Venice Film Festival. It centers on a beautiful performance by Chalfant as Ruth, an octogenarian who is dealing with cognitive decline while transitioning to assisted living at a care facility.
‘Freedom Way’
Director: Afolabi Olalekan
Starring: Adebowale Adedayo, Mike Afolarin, Bimbo Akintola
In Olalekan’s fast-paced thriller, three young co-founders of a startup in Lagos struggle to keep their entrepreneurial dreams alive amid corruption, police violence and extortion that affects both them and their customers.
‘The Inevitable Journey to Find a Wedding Dress’
Director: Jaylan Auf
Starring: Yasmin Raeis, Asmaa Galal, Salwa Mohamed Ali
Egyptian social drama. On the eve of her wedding, Warda’s wedding dress is accidentally ruined leading her on a frantic trip around Cairo to find a replacement, accompanied by her best friend. It turns into a journey of self-discovery for Warda — one that causes her to reassess her relationship with the city.
