HEAD CHEF Jude Jayasekara proudly displays three badges of excellence on his uniform which his hotel secured thanks partly to his culinary skills and kitchen team.
The Al Safir Hotel and Tower in Juffair became the first hospitality establishment on the island to achieve these international certifications of recognition.
Chef Jude, 49, has been serving up delicacies for diners at the hotel for 10 years. He said: "Receiving the certification has been the best compliment and honour I have received in my life."
Chef Jude began his career after leaving school in 1978 when he joined the Pegasus Hotel Hotel back home in Sri Lanka as a trainee cook. He was inspired to join the industry by the tourist boom his country enjoyed prior to an escalation of unrest which only ended recently.
He said: "In those days a lot of tourists visited Sri Lanka and many of my friends worked in the tourism sector.
"I joined the industry as a cook and I really enjoyed it. My brother is also in the same field and I am planning to send my son to a catering school after he finishes his schooling."
In 1981, on recommendations from his former boss who took up a new position in the kingdom's Diplomat Radisson Hotel, Chef Jude joined the opening team at the now popular and well established hotel.
During the Gulf War, he returned to Sri Lanka and took up work with the Galadari Sheraton in Colombo in 1991 but returned to the island within two years, first with the Gulf Hotel before moving to take up the Al Safir Hotel challenge.
Chef Jude specialises in continental, oriental and Arab cuisine and the fare is particularly popular with those who enjoy Iraqi food.
Situated amongst high-rise buildings on the main Juffair road, the hotel made recent headlines when it was presented with certificates in three different areas including quality management, occupational health and safety and food safety management.
The hotel's Savoy CafŽ is hosting special promotions including an Indian Night every Sunday for BD6 net per person from 7pm to 11pm, a Sea Food Night every Monday and Wednesday from 7pm to 11pm at BD7 net per person and the Friday Family Brunch from 11am to 3pm at BD7 net per person.
The hotel's Khan Al Marjan restaurant excels with its magnificent mixed grills and mixed seafood platter.
Chef Jude shares a popular Iraqi rice dish recipe with GulfWeekly readers.
Iraqi biryani
Ingredients:
White rice, medium grain 3.5 cup
French fries (French fried potatoes) 750gm
Peanuts, oil-roasted 125gm
Salt 3 tsp
Fresh mushrooms 250gm
Green peas 200gm
Vermicelli 150gm
Ground ginger ground 1tsp
Cumin seed 1tsp
Saffron 0.25tsp
Ground cinnamon 1tsp
Dried coriander leaf 1tsp
Ground cloves 0.25tsp
Whole-wheat macaroni 150gm
Procedure:
Boil rice. Mix the ginger, saffron, cinnamon, cloves and the coriander leaves separately. Fry the potatoes with a small amount of oil in a pan, add the mushrooms, potatoes, peanuts and the peas.
To this mixture add the spices and salt. Roast it for three to five minutes.
Add some oil in a pot and put the boiled rice in it, then mix in the rest and leave it on the fire three to five minutes stirring every minute.
