Airport Chef of the Year
A recipe for success
Acclaimed for his breakthrough and visionary work across the vast Hamad International Airport food & beverage estate, David Sosson was the judges’ choice for Airport Chef of the Year 2023.
Qatar Duty Free Chef and Head of Culinary David Sosson punches the air as he is named Airport Chef of the Year
Airport Chef of the Year standards were stellar this year and it was both a pleasurable and invidious task for the judges to choose a winner from such talented and committed professionals.
“Everyone on this list is a superb professional and a superb leader,” said MC Dermot Davitt of the finalists. “But one stood out above all others for daring, for innovation and for a hands-on approach so consummate that it’s a wonder he has any hands left.
“His dedication to enhancing traveller – and employee – satisfaction is legendary and he oversees it all with a passion that is perfectly aligned with his company’s.”
David Sosson, who has been with Qatar Airways and Qatar Duty Free for six years, is credited with re-energising the grab-and-go meals in Hamad International Airport, as well as guiding the luxury offering.
He worked alongside celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and Michelin-starred Chef Yannick Alléno to develop their menus for Gordon Ramsay Burger and the Louis Vuitton Lounge by Yannick Alléno, respectively.
His teams produce on average 5,000 meals a day across 25 F&B outlets, with an additional eight more in the pipeline. All menus and kitchens are co-designed, reviewed and signed off by Sosson, occasionally in collaboration with major brands and F&B franchises. It is a mammoth task.
He is currently working towards an advanced Food Safety System Certification, which will make Hamad International Airport the first airport in the world to hold this esteemed certification.
Chef David Sosson is the culinary kingpin for all things F&B at Hamad International and for Qatar Duty Free. Not only does he work on his own menus, manage staff and sustainability initiatives, but he also partners with international brands and celebrity chefs to curate their offerings
FAB eZine
January 2024
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