Brian V.

Professional background

I found my passion and flair for culinary and restaurants at a young age in my hometown of Ottawa, Canada. Trained at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu where I completed my culinary degree, I went on to gain culinary experience in the kitchens of acclaimed Scaramouche Restaurant in Toronto, the four AA Rosette restaurant Chapter One in London, UK, as well as the Royal Albert Hall, where I cooked for members of the Royal family and guests of BBC proms.

Moving to the UAE to UAE to open and run The Hide Meatery at Jumeirah Al Qasr, I went on to further my management experience at Majid Al Futtaim to oversee the openings of ThEATre by Rhodes VIP experiences across the GCC region, before taking on the role of group executive chef in Dubai where I was responsible for outlets including Japanese restaurant Taikun, French eatery La Serre Bistro & Boulangerie, fine dining outlet The Loft at Dubai Opera, and casual eatery Distillery Gastropub.

I followed my creative ambitions to Restaurant Secrets Inc. as Director of Operations, where I was responsible for overseeing all culinary operations, and conceptualizing and creating new restaurants across the GCC region - predominantly in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. During my time in this leadership role, I worked on concept development of restaurants, feasibility studies, menu engineering, staff training, implementing marketing & sales strategies, auditing & reporting, procurement, design & build supervision, kitchen & production design, and client consulting & relations.

Areas of Expertise

Hospitality, Restaurants, Food, Beverage