PARIS—For Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts group director of food and beverage, Jean Michel Offe, fusion is a dirty word when applied to culture and cuisine.
As one of Asia’s leading business hotel brands sets its sights on Europe, with new properties scheduled in Paris, Vienna, Moscow, London and Istanbul by 2013, the executive-chef-turned-manager prefers to see a future built on cultural and culinary interaction.
“Today, whichever country we are in, we have to respect the cultural heritage—culinary heritage is an important part of that,” he said. “The
|
Jean Michel Offe |
chef must understand the local culture, adapt to local produce and have a passion for it—that is primordial when it comes to the quality of food turned out and I can see it straight away; if not I go to war.
“I am against all that is fusion—we have to come back to the foundations of cooking; at the end of the day there has been way too much abuse, too much manipulation, it’s all too gimmicky for me. I recognize there’s a market for that, but I refuse to play to it.”
Offe’s international career began in 1981, as young chef de cuisine at the Hilton Toronto.
After 17 years with Shangri-La, he is now partaking in something he never imagined--the launch of Shangri-La Paris later this year.
“When I started my current job in Shangri-La’s head office in 2000 there were 37 hotels and absolutely no plan for expansion; today there are 66 hotels and 39 more being built.”
He does not shy away from evoking the meaning of the Paris opening both professionally and personally, as he jets between Hong Kong and the French capital overseeing food standards, marketing concepts and finances of the Right Bank property.
“These are very emotional moments … I never dreamt of participating in such an event in my own country,” Offe said.
“China is the new world power and the new high-tech power and I find myself all of a sudden, having worked for a Chinese hotel group, back at my roots working with French cultural heritage.
“Of course, it is an important opportunity for Shangri-La to have strategic bases in Europe and in North America, but I think Robert Kuok (the groups’ octogenarian founder), was in love with this project and there is huge anticipation in the media and the hotel industry—everyone wants to see what Shangri-La does in Paris,” he said.
As Shangri-La expands significantly outside its traditional Asian homeland, Offe said the groups’ philosophy is to enrich cultures rather than dilute or pollute them.
“We want to bring the two cultures side-by-side, to juxtapose them through an alliance—it’s the contrary of fusion,” he said. ”We have the advantage of having a history, both the hotel group and the Paris building, and to be able to marry those two things together is a real privilege.”
The property itself is a piece of history, according to Offe.
“The heritage of the building is extraordinary,” he said. “We are talking Napoleon III (1896). Robert Kuok has invested a lot of time and money into restoring the residence it to its epoch, but with a touch of Asia in its décor. … We want to participate in French heritage, not just impose our business on it but make a contribution and respect the cultural tradition.”
Global hotel market
Listening to him, one gets the feeling that the tables are turning in the hospitality industry. As cash-strapped North American hotel powers seek to expand into the buoyant Asian market, the major Asian luxury hotel brands all have their sights set on Europe.
“Asia’s three major hotel groups, the Shangri-La, Mandarin Oriental and Peninsula, are all heading West,” says Offe who believes global hotel players are responsible for expanding peoples’ cultural horizons. We have an obligation to introduce people to other customs and cuisines, within reason. Remember we are in France, so the cuisine is the most important thing.”
“The chef (Philippe Labbé, formerly of the Relais & Châteaux, La Chèvre d'Or), must inspire from the flavors of Asia – for example, steamed fish with a touch of turmeric, that is a fusion of savors not of recipes, it does not violate the base de cuisine,” he said.
From the décor through to F&B, Offe believes iconic hotel brands laying down their roots overseas must strike a balance between creating home and away, the familiar and the exotic.
It is important to export some Asian flavors into the European hotels as much as adapting to the local culture, Offe said.
“Shangri-La Paris will have a Chinese restaurant, the menu at the gastronomic restaurant will be in French and Chinese, there will be congee available at breakfast and an Asian selection on room service, both Asian inspired dishes and classics such as Tom Yum Goong laksa – the real one!,” he said.
“Chinese people spend a huge amount, so it’s culturally and commercially important that we are faithful to our Chinese roots and that the cultural authenticity comes through in every sense,” Offe added. “At Shangri-La they will be at home, because they will see the original Asian imprint against a French backdrop.”
True to the brand
Taste buds aside, it is not proving easy to ensure that the hotels’ recognizable service and style are not lost in translation in Paris and beyond.
“Shangri-La culture is an Asian culture, a family culture … in France they also have to be our core value which is a challenge, because French culture is very different,” Offe said. “To deliver the quality of hospitality we have had for decades in Asia, into France, is demanding a lot of work from us.”
A dozen Chinese staff members and several returning French trainees have been handpicked to help diffuse the Shangri-La way into the 109-room Trocadéro property.
“They will be like our Asian ambassadors promoting that culture throughout the hotel,” Offe said. “Our staff in Paris must know about Chinese culture, from the history of the Dynasties to the significance of Chinese New Year—all of that is part of our DNA and very important.”
Going by Shangri-La group wisdom, many rules of the diplomatic world seem to apply to hotel groups who transmute their DNA into another country or continent: local respect, strong cultural references and open minds.
The Frenchman, so successfully internationalized yet still so very French, is awed by the current revolution in the hotel industry.
“For years, China has sold cheap clothes to the rest of the world, while France exported luxury goods to China with Louis Vuitton and Chanel” he said. “Now China is trying to export its finest hotel businesses. It’s another story, a new story.”