A world of experience

31 August 2001 by
A world of experience

For David James, an international career has meant a life of cultural sensitivity, constant translation and formidable problem-solving. Janet Harmer found him in Cyprus

David James never forgets that he is a foreign guest of whichever country he may be working in around the world. "That way," he explains, "I can be assured of gaining the respect of my staff."

Indeed, James - who has spent the past 15 years overseas, taking in stints in South Africa, Australia, China, India, Saudi Arabia and Cyprus, and who is currently executive chef of the last-named island's luxury five-star resort hotel, the Anassa - believes that one of the most important strengths he has developed as an experienced British chef abroad is learning how to manage a succession of different nationalities in different situations.

Listen to problems

"You have to quickly understand what kind of life exists beyond the kitchen door for your staff in whatever country you are working in," he says. "Some of the chefs I worked with in South Africa, for instance, came from Soweto and didn't have a shirt to their name. I had to be willing to listen to their problems."

Language difficulties, while potentially a major problem in communicating with his brigade, are overcome by surrounding himself with senior staff who are able to translate for him. But, wherever he is, James will always pick up key words and phrases that will allow him to communicate on a day-to-day basis.

Recruiting staff has posed tremendously varied problems for James from country to country. As would be expected, it was easy to find chefs in China and India, with their massive populations providing a ready pool of staff. But Saudi Arabia, where James worked until last year at the Abha Palace, was a completely different story. "The Saudis have no interest in working in the kitchen," he says. "They regard it as beneath them, so we had to rely on bringing in staff from India, Sri Lanka, Lebanon and Bangladesh, but that all took time and a lot of paperwork."

In Cyprus, where James arrived in February, the problems are different. Chefs are available, but few have experience of the standards expected at the Anassa, one of three hotels on the island owned by Thanos Hotels. "Tourism has been developing for some time in Cyprus," says James, "but Thanos is taking it to a level not previously seen here before."

The location of the Anassa has also made recruitment difficult. Situated in a remote part of the island, on the north-west coast close to the spectacular and unspoilt Akamas Peninsula, it is well away from the popular resorts of Paphos, Limassol and Ayia Napa. This explains the attraction of the hotel to the rich and famous, who regard it as a retreat, but it creates problems for James. "It is not easy finding the number of quality staff we need in this area," he says. "As a result, we put a huge amount of emphasis on training."

The majority of his 55-strong brigade are Greek-Cypriots, with the executive pastry chef and one of the sous chefs being French and a second sous chef position being taken by an Italian. James is also responsible for the hotel's 20 stewards.

The four restaurants in the Anassa are predominantly frequented by residents of the hotel's 177 bedrooms and suites. They include the 120-seat Amphora, an informal restaurant serving Mediterranean food at breakfast, lunch and dinner; the 70-seat Helios, offering a more classically French menu at dinner only; the 26-seat Basiliko, a formal restaurant serving a fusion of south-east Asian and European cuisine at dinner only; and the 70-seat Pelagos, the Anassa's version of a Greek taverna, set by the pool and open for lunch and dinner. There are also three functions suites, with the largest capable of hosting a dinner for as many as 270 guests.

About half of the hotel's vegetables are supplied by Thanos Hotels' own organic farm in Paphos. "I visited the farm recently and discovered that bees are kept there to pollinate the plants," says James. "I was surprised that we didn't make our own honey, and as a result it is now something that we are thinking of doing."

Local lamb and pork are used for buffets, but otherwise meat is imported, particularly for Helios and Basiliko. Veal comes from the Netherlands, beef from Ireland and lamb from Australia. As much of the fish as possible is local, including tuna, swordfish, red mullet, sea bass and sea bream.

Variation of styles

The variation of food styles offered by the Anassa's restaurants is shown by the different way each one serves beef. In Amphora, it is served as a carpaccio with grilled artichokes and Parmesan shavings; in Helios, a pan-fried fillet is accompanied by olive polenta, dried tomatoes and balsamico sauce; in Basiliko, a medallion of beef is served with Asian pesto, grilled tofu and spring rolls; while Pelagos offers a pitta beefburger with cucumber yogurt sauce, lettuce, tomato and onions.

The one thing that unites the restaurants is that the expectations of guests will be very high. Rates per night range from £115 for a basic room to £1,700 for a two-bedroom suite with swimming pool. About 40% of guests are British, another 40% are German, and the remainder are a worldwide mix.

"It is a demanding job," says James. "I'm here from 7am to 10pm, six days a week. It's the only way I can keep consistent. The day I take my finger off the throttle, things start to fail."

After so many years away from home, does James ever see himself working in the UK again? "I'd like to think that, in three to four years' time, I'll be ready to move back," he says, "but it would only be for one of the very top jobs."

David James - career to date

David James, 40, grew up in London and Cornwall, and completed a catering course at Cornwall Technical College. Early jobs included stints at the Royal Bath hotel in Bournemouth, and at St Margaret's Lodge in Guernsey, before he moved to London in 1983 to join the Hyde Park hotel as chef de partie.

James's first job abroad came at the age of 24 when he flew to South Africa to become a sous chef at the Palace restaurant in Johannesburg. He later moved to Cape Town as head chef of Finches restaurant in the President hotel, where he worked alongside executive chef Billy Gallagher.

After a year back in the UK in 1987 at the Portman Inter-Continental, working under executive chef David Dorricott, James was keen to go abroad again and work somewhere he could enjoy the same climate and outdoor life as he'd experienced in South Africa. He chose Australia and travelled there in 1988 without a job, but through his contacts at Inter-Continental quickly assumed a position as chef de partie at the Treasury, the fine-dining restaurant at the Inter-Continental in Sydney.

James remained in Australia for more than four years, moving from Sydney to the Fairmont resort of New South Wales and then back to Sydney to the Manly Pacific Park Royal hotel. He then took a year out to travel to 25 countries around the world on a trip that included a visit to the Olympics in Barcelona.

From 1993 to 1995, he worked in China as executive sous chef at the Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa. For his next move, he intended to look for a position in Thailand or Hong Kong, but the opportunity arose to go to India and he moved to Bombay as executive sous chef at the Oberoi. There he met Lolita, the woman who would become his wife, who at the time was working in the hotel's sales department.

James's first executive chef appointment was in Saudi Arabia at the Rosewood-managed Abha Palace, where he worked from 1998 to 2000. He found his latest position at the Anassa in February 2001 through London-based international recruitment consultant Waycot O'Shanohun Associates.

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