Interview: Michelin’s Old Boss Has New Culinary Goals at Jumeirah
Photo Caption: Interior of the restaurant Rockfish at Jumeirah Al Qasr at Madinat Jumeirah.
Skift Take
What happens when a culinary tastemaker is handed the reins of a young culinary empire with deep pockets? We're about to find out.
As far as executive titles go in the hotel industry, it's rare to find that of a chief culinary officer. But that's exactly what Michael Ellis, a former chef and the former international director of the Michelin Guides, became last September.
Although Ellis' move to Dubai-based luxury hotel group Jumeirah as chief culinary officer may have been unprecedented, he said he was moved to take the position because of the opportunity to transform an entire brand.
"[Jose Silva, the CEO of Jumeirah Group] invited me for lunch in Paris and told me a little bit about the vision he had for making the culinary experience one of the cornerstones of what the Jumeirah product differentiation would be," Ellis explained. "It really piqued my curiosity."
Although initially "hesitant," he said that "the more I looked and the more I found out about what Jumeirah was about and what Jose's vision was, the more I really got interested."
Since joining Jumeriah, his first order of business has centered arou
