Expo 2020 is coming to an end. What is your feeling: satisfaction with the work accomplished or a little nostalgia that this page is turning?
Kim Kevin from Dood: A bit of both, without a doubt. Of course, it was a great adventure to manage this restaurant, the Schengen Lounge, and its team of 30 people, 20 in the service and 10 in the kitchen, with high quality standards. Fortunately, we were able to count on the contribution of the Luxembourg School of Hotel Management and Tourism and all the students were really up to the task. We won't lie to ourselves, some days were harder than others, but that's always the case.
On the one hand, after six months, there is still a bit of fatigue, but a happy fatigue. Personally, I’ve stayed here in Dubai permanently, with only one day off a week. On the other hand, you think that all this has passed very quickly and that it was an exceptional time in an exceptional place. Dubai is a human and professional success story.
The restaurant is considered one of the best at this Expo 2020. A great recognition...
It has been nominated as one of the best restaurants on the site, indeed. It’s a pleasure, it’s a reward for the work accomplished, for everyone. I also noticed that many foreign delegations sent their VIPs and guests to eat with us. This is also a sure sign. As a result, we have received quite a few prestigious personalities at our tables. The visit by Grand Duke Henri was the icing on the cake.
De Dood was in charge of a team of about thirty people. (Photo: Nicolas Léonard/Maison Moderne)
What did Expo 2020 bring you as a chef?
I was able to meet people from all over the world in one place and taste incredible things. These are new experiences that are always enriching.
Have you ever regretted investing so much in this project?
Not for a moment. It’s a unique experience. Especially as we did what we were asked to do, and we did it well.
What are you going to do in the coming months?
First I’m going to take a little holiday. Then I’m going back to Singapore as executive chef at Saint Pierre. The aim is for this restaurant, which I know well and where I used to run the kitchens, to obtain three stars--it has two at the moment--which is the ultimate recognition. Getting to this level is the result of many elements. But no doubt if we get there, the experience in Dubai will have contributed in part.
This interview was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.