Food & beverage
vegetarianism, along with a growing desire to eat more locally and seasonally and care about the provenance of our food. “It’s not about eating strawberries every day of the year – it’s about enjoying the ripest, most beautiful strawberries when they’re in season,” says Puri. “I think there was a period where we really commoditised food, and that gave us abundance. But it also gave us lots of problems, and I think what we’re realising now is that ethical consumption will lead to a better world.”
Above: The Nira Alpina Stars Restaurant in St Moritz, which overlooks the
panoramic views of the Engadin mountain.
Below: The food at the Stars restaurant follows Puri’s
principles of quality, seasonal cooking.
He adds that if the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that it’s important to live fully – a spirit of carpe diem that becomes more pronounced when one’s freedoms are temporarily taken away. Of course, the past 21 months have been devastating for the hospitality business, and many restaurants and bars have been left grappling with staffing shortages. But the rebound factor is real, and many restaurants have been busier than ever when granted a reprieve from lockdown.
“It’s about respecting the season, respecting the bounty of the place, finding out more. [...] Who’s the farmer and how did they grow it?”
In terms of more lasting changes, Puri believes the pandemic has instilled a widespread seriousness, which is manifesting in a keener awareness of what we consume. That means more veganism and
He sees the restaurateur as playing an instrumental role in this sea change. Rather than merely reacting to consumer demand, anyone in the food and beverage space ought to be asking the difficult questions themselves. “It’s about respecting the season, respecting the bounty of the place, finding out more about who’s behind this,” says Puri. “Who’s the farmer and how did they grow it? And do they do this biodynamically? Do they do this organically? What sense of responsibility do they possess? That helps us to be able to identify who we want to work with and how we want to do things.”
Curating in the kitchen
In other words, we may be heading towards a kind of ‘roaring 20s’ hedonism, with people wanting to eat the most delicious food in the most amazing venues, but mindless consumption is out of vogue, and the trend is towards responsible celebration. Puri himself hopes to be a part of that for a long time to come. As well as developing new restaurant concepts, he is involved in the day-to-day food and beverage at the Dorchester Collection, and has even started a foundation called Ice Cream Dream that distributes ice cream to vulnerable children. “For me personally, I want be able to keep working,” he says. “One of my hobbies and my passions is work. I’m addicted to work. And so I hope that God gives me the strength to be able to keep working, and to be able to keep contributing to our industry. I also hope to be able to nurture the next generation.”
He remarks that, while people can be disenchanted about the long hours, this is a line of work like no other – affording you travel, adventure, immense creativity and lots of fun. Spanning three continents and five decades, his own career is a case in point. “I think I’d much rather be in food and beverage than be a nurse, where people come to me only with their aches and pains,” he says. “They come to us to party and to celebrate. And so yes, we work hard. And yes, we work weekends, and yes, we work holidays. But it still remains an incredibly glamorous and glorious industry. I want to continue to do that and develop new concepts as long as I can.” ●
66 Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
Donja Pitsch
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