As it gears up for its 43rd edition, to be held at Fieramilano from 13 to 17 October 2023, HostMilano continues to monitor the most interesting markets, among other things in order to pick up on global trends as they emerge in various locations. So from 30 May to 2 June it was at Abu Dhabi for the 39th Worldchef Congress and Expo Culinaire, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). That was also an opportunity to catch up with top chefs from various countries to hear about trends and get all the latest technological news.

“We are blessed to work in the U.A.E., because people here are crazy about experimenting and exploring,” says Sunith Malaiyil, executive chef of the Ramada Abu Dhabi. “Everyday lots of new trends come up. If something new happens somewhere in the world, the next day it lands here too”.

Biji Joseph, from India, moved to Abu Dhabi in 2016 and works for Apex National Catering, where he specialises in intercontinental cuisine. “Back in the day, catering was not considered high quality but that trend has changed already, given that we now have access to all kinds of top ingredients. Moreover, vegetarianism and veganism have become crucial to the industry, hence everyone is working accordingly to deliver healthier options to our customers”.

From Singapore Kong Kok Kiang, who is vice president of the chef association in the city-state, explains how everyone is switching to healthier eating. And he takes us by surprise when he describes one particular piece of ‘equipment’ he has started using: “We recently started using a new robotic waiter, called the Dame Waiter. It’s been very helpful so far especially considering how difficult it is to find professional staff nowadays due to inflation and taxes. Once you give the Dames the proper inputs, these robots move around automatically serving the guests and managing the service from the kitchen to the table.”

Anders Heegaard, is president of the Danish Kokkeforeningen, and works as an instructor in a culinary school in Denmark. Here, he says, there is a massive switch to plant-based products and smaller portions. “We try to use everything we find in nature: the Geranium, the second best restaurant in the world, has completely removed meat from its menu.” As for innovations in the kitchen, Heegaard, points in particular to developments in ovens. “We keep looking for sustainability-driven cooking systems in order to reduce electricity usage, which also allow chefs to save lots of time. Machinery has taken over, thankfully, considering how hard it is to find people to hire. Our ovens manage almost everything by themselves.”

Paul Egli, from Switzerland, works as a culinary consultant for restaurants and food guides. He says that Swiss food trends are influenced by Daniel Humm, the chef and owner of the Eleven Madison Park restaurant in New York, which has three Michelin stars. “He is a visionary when it comes to plant-based high level fine dining and Swiss chefs are revisiting their own proposals in order to get closer to Humm’s”.