YoungHotelier.com interviews the creative and energetic Chef de Cuisine of one of the top “Fish” restaurants in Dubai…Willibald Reinbacher, also popularly known just as ‘Willi’.

Willi decided at the age of 15 that he was always interested in food, cooking it, seeing how it evolved but admits there was a great influence and inspiration from his mother. She had her own cherished herb garden that brings back many happy childhood memories!  Well done Mum and Grandpa who also came from a farming background nurturing their own animals whilst also nurturing Willi’s culinary passion!

The learning period according to Willi is crucial in accomplishing the basic cooking skills and it is from ascertaining this superior foundation that will allow you one day to cook and create your own food! Willi believes that the learning period can be a financial burden and it is only when a chef arrives to a role where he is creating his own food that the monetary benefits follow suit.

Commencing his culinary training initially in Austria, Willi arrived six years ago to Dubai and is truly memorized by the growth and developments that the culinary world here has undergone in that time. He believes that Dubai is an excellent training ground for chefs to acquire all the expertise in classical cuisine while the market place continues to attract some of the finest chefs from around the world. Six years in this fast growing destination still inspires him and he creates over eighty new recipes annually to remain on top of the game!

According to Willi the quality of a successful chef is down to three basic things, creativity, consistency in standards and ‘being a trainer’. Young hotelier was delighted to hear why Willi believed that being a good trainer in the kitchen was so crucial for success. At the moment Willi has a brigade of 18 chefs and feels that each lesson learnt by team members is then imparted to another in an endless chain.

After spending over 10 years in the industry and arrived to a position where he is now ‘creating’ his own food, what advice did our Chef de Cuisine offer to those considering a culinary career?! His words were straightforward and sincere… “If you want to be a chef to earn some money, forget about it. You NEED TO LOVE TO COOK! It is simple!”

When asked to recollect funny kitchen experiences Willi had no finger loss stories to divulge but did recall having performed a service for seventy people with no electricity! “You always manage somehow” he said but undoubtedly it strengthens your skills of decision making and thinking quickly on your feet!

The past two months have proved very exciting for Willi as he prepares to launch his first recipe book, some dishes that required rehearsing for up to a week while others turned out just perfect naturally within 10 minutes! With that Willi takes us to the chopping board to demonstrate the technique of making SEAFOOD BONBONS!!