Chef Alain joined Royal Catering in 2015 as Corporate Chef, in charge of its Central Kitchen as well as its facilities in the Western Region. With a remarkable background that spans over three decades of hands-on experience, Chef Alain's culinary aptitude and kitchen management skills precede him in reputation.

Born in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, the second of five children, Verhoeven credits his fascination for cooking to his maternal grandmother with whom he was allowed to putter around the kitchen and help out.

"The defining moment in my life happened when I was eight,'' he says. "Using basic white flour and with the neighbourhood baker as my accomplice, I tenderly kneaded and prepared a dough which turned brown (because I had come in straight from the playground and had forgotten to wash my hands!). I then arranged the dough in a tray and baked a perfect brown loaf of bread for my mother.

Listen to yourself. Follow basic recipes and use basic techniques, and then listen to your own taste and explore the possibilities is what he believes in.

Ahmed Ismail Husein Thabit began his culinary career in his home country of Jordan working in the family business, Ismail Hussein Restaurants, in the early 1990s. He soon broadened his experience with roles in several five-star hotels in Jordan’s capital city, Le Meridien Amman and Sheraton Amman, and later, Kempinski Amman.

In 2003, Chef Ahmed moved to Saudi Arabia to join Kan Ya Makan Restaurants, first as executive sous chef and later as executive chef, and in 2007, he headed up the kitchen for Diet Watchers Al Riyadh. Chef Ahmed then made the move to Abu Dhabi, firstly as executive chef of Al Dhafra Tourist Village and later as executive chef for Emirates Hospitality Centre.

Here, Chef Ahmed was responsible for the culinary direction and kitchen management of several restaurants, as well as all the catering services across ballrooms, outdoor locations, yachts, ministries and palaces. It was here that Chef Ahmed proved to be a specialist in mass catering, even heading back to Jordan for a short stint to head up the catering for the Royal Air Force.

Chef Ahmed joined Royal Catering as executive chef in 2015 and is the group’s resident expert in Arabic and Lebanese cuisine, where he provides world-class catering solutions across three main divisions: Contractual, Commercial and Creations. Chef Ahmed is the culinary artist behind Royal Catering’s Lebanese restaurant brand Rozanah, voted ‘Favourite Middle Eastern Restaurant’ at the 2015 What’s On Abu Dhabi Awards.

Joining the hospitality industry in 1998 as a trainee, Tarek was self-motivated, talented and enthusiastic about pursuing his passion to create international gastronomic experiences.

Working his way through the brigade, Tarek began his career in Beirut as a Demi Chef de Partie and in 2005, was appointed as a Sous-Chef in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, before moving to the United Kingdom in 2006.

Tarek gained experience in restaurant operations management, training and development, special events staging and quality assurance. Moving to the UAE and Joining Royal Catering in 2016, Tarek is Royal Catering’s Executive Chef of Banqueting.

He was instrumental in the successful opening of Royal Catering’s 82L8 branches – a new convenience concept – offering a range of healthy alternatives for office workers, located in commercial offices in Abu Dhabi.

French national, Yannick Tirbois, is an experienced Executive Chef who has simultaneously managed multiple restaurants and hundreds of staff, while engineering menus and delivering exceptional culinary creations.

Studying in France in 1985, Yannick completed his training at the Hotelschool in Niort, which included a three-year apprenticeship, before embarking on a culinary adventure across the world.

Yannick brings 30 years’ experience and his international expertise to Royal Catering, where he joined in March 2016 as Executive Chef of Royal Catering outlets.

As a highly trained and skilled chef, Yannick is responsible for all aspects of the kitchen operation across Royal Catering’s many restaurant brands – ensuring menus, staff, produce, hygiene, health and safety, as well as all other operational aspects, are being delivered to the highest industry standards.

A recent member of the Royal Catering team, Eric Heurtel's strong culinary background encompasses gastronomy in all its forms. A pioneer in the new epicurean wave, he succeeded in introducing molecular cuisine to Egypt, as well as creating a Michelin starred restaurant in his home country of France.

Eric Heurtel's practical education was imbued with stints at institutions such as Fauchon of Paris as well as various Michelin starred restaurants throughout the country. With a solid foundation in French cuisine, Chef Eric was chosen to be a part of President Francois Mitterand's private brigade at the Elysee palace. With trips to Russia, Africa and the U.S.A, the learning curve was steep and studded with having to produce a perfect product each and every time, within various unfamiliar locations.

Chef Eric furthered his career by being a finalist at various international and national competitions and a member and president of numerous culinary associations. He then moved on to create and run his own restaurant in the Harfleur region of France, which was awarded a Michelin star shortly after its conception. In addition to which, he worked with Alain Ducasse as a trainer at the Omnivore festival of the Havr and appeared on television with Joel Robuchon.

The past few years were spent as the Executive Chef and Sous Chef within 5 star hotels in Cairo, where he used liquid Nitrogen as a method of food preparation and presentation,

Chef Eric continues to bring his expertise to the region and is an asset to all operations Royal Catering takes on.

Chef Fabrice is Royal Catering's master chocolatier and expert pastry maker. His experience as Executive pastry sous chef of the two Michelin starred restaurant at the famed Hotel Martinez in Cannes, France, in addition to his work at the Four Seasons of Cairo and the Rocco Forte of Abu Dhabi, speaks volumes about his talent in the kitchen.

After attending multiple workshops in France hosted by highly celebrated pastry chefs, Chef Fabrice continued on to be ranked within the top 5 winners of the European Championship of sugar and the Concour des Main D'or competition.

Chef Fabrice is responsible for Royal Catering's stunning range of colourful Macaroons, its enviable selection of fine chocolates, as well as its innovative variety of high-end desserts and pastries.

Lebanese national, Daniel Halabi, was a teenager when he began working in his family pastry business – developing a love for the culinary arts at a young age.

At Royal Catering, where he joined in August 2015 as executive pastry chef, Chef Daniel is part of the Pastry Kitchen and is responsible for the creation of Arabic sweets. He is passionate about creating, baking and decorating exceptional pastries and desserts.

Daniel has participated in a number of industry events, showcasing his gastronomic expertise. He also enjoys travelling abroad to participate in distinguished training opportunities to continue learning from the world’s greatest chefs.

In addition to his day-to-day responsibilities of developing recipes and menus for Royal Catering’s clients, Daniel is also accountable for supervising day-to-day operations of the group’s Pastry Kitchen and ensuring quality, health and safety standards are maintained at a high level.

Mulham Zaid Almunem, has 15 years’ experience in the restaurant industry, gained in the Middle East region.

Starting his career in Syria in 2001, before moving to Lebanon and eventually the UAE, Mulham joined Le Marquise restaurant in Dubai in 2007, as Chef de Partie.

Passionate and professional, Mulham is inspired by experiences that stretch his capabilities and grow his skills.

Joining Royal Catering in 2010, Mulham was promoted to Sous Chef in 2012, Chef de Cuisine in 2014 and Executive Sous Chef in 2016. He has an innate understanding of the operations of a kitchen and catering for large scale events, having supervised catering for Abu Dhabi’s Formula One Grand Prix, as well as other high profile public and private events.

Mulham is responsible for monitoring the daily operations of Royal Catering’s kitchen, including ensuring that quality and health and safety policies and protocols are strictly adhered to. He is also responsible for training and developing new staff.