Why a French chef with 21 Michelin stars is betting on the Middle East

Insider

French culinary legend Alain Ducasse has opened two restaurants in Doha and one of them, IDAM, just earned Qatar’s first Michelin star. We take a look at how he's bringing fine dining to the desert.

Transcript

00:00These are some of the culinary creations that have earned French chef Alain Ducasse his latest

00:09Michelin star. He has racked up 21 over his lifetime, but it's the first one for the tiny

00:16nation of Qatar. For decades, the Michelin Guide focused mostly on Europe and a few cities in the

00:23U.S. Famous chefs are said to have sleepless nights just before its publication. But they're trying to

00:30diversify, as more and more people are turning to food influencers for recommendations. Ooh, wow, this is not

00:38a conventional baklava. The recent recognition has inspired local Qatari chefs to aim for the stars too.

00:46My dream to get the Michelin star, I hope. But running upscale restaurants in the middle of the

00:53desert, where almost nothing grows, is expensive and a hard sell. So, how do you build a culinary

01:02powerhouse in a harsh climate? And what does it take to earn a star?

01:13Here at Idam, chef Fabrice Rousseau leads the kitchen, bringing Ducasse's vision to life.

01:19Today, Fabrice is preparing his favorite dish, a sardine tartare. He seasons it with piment d'espaulette

01:26and adds a smoked mackerel vinaigrette. Next, he tops it with a generous amount of caviar and garnishes it with lemon gel.

01:44and adds a smoked mackerel vinaigrette next he tops it with a generous amount of caviar

01:52and garnishes it with lemon gel it brings some kick it brings some freshness to finish

01:59he adds a little touch of luxury a gold leaf presentation has its importance but i believe

02:05the flavors are much more important actually so the first when you eat a dish you eat it with the

02:10ice by the end the taste will win on that idam offers two menus including a prefix experience

02:17menu for just over 200 it changes seasonally and includes dishes like lightly cooked carabineros

02:25from spain with crystal caviar topped with a bisque dukas spent two years researching qatar's culinary

02:33roots sharing meals with home cooks and learning nomadic traditions to develop a menu that is a

02:39balancing act between two cuisines this kind of innovative cooking is what got the attention of

02:57michelin the restaurant rating system dates back 125 years and it began far from the kitchen

03:06michelin michelin a french tire company started handing out red booklets to drivers with tips on

03:13where to refuel fix a tire or grab a decent roadside meal then in 1926 it began raiding

03:21restaurants across the country five years later the current system was launched one star meant worth a

03:28stop two meant worth a detour and three worth a special journey famous chefs are said to have sleepless nights

03:37just before its publication in case they lose one of their coveted stars a network of michelin inspectors

03:45dine anonymously and judge restaurants on five universal criteria the quality of the product

03:52the master of cooking techniques the balance and harmony in flavors the personality as expressed on

04:00the plates and last but not least the consistency but critics of the guide argued that the recommendations

04:06were too high-end so in 1997 michelin launched the beep gourmand category it highlights affordable dining

04:16options like family-run joints and modern bistros where guests can enjoy a three-course meal at a reasonable

04:23price but it took michelin nearly a century to expand beyond europe the guide started covering new york city

04:31in 2005 and two years later it reached asia featuring restaurants in tokyo today it rates more than 30 000

04:40establishments in 50 countries before adding a city inspectors spend years mapping the culinary scene

04:49they consider a new location based on factors like creativity emerging talent and international interest

04:56today more and more people do consider that good food is the first reason to travel for sometimes

05:06before you know culture and even nature while michelin stars are still considered the most prestigious

05:13award by chefs the guide's relevance is being challenged in a world of tick tock taste tests and

05:20influencer-driven reviews hey besties we are still on the hunt for the best tacos in philadelphia

05:25and shows like the bear have shown just how hard it is to run a fine dining establishment especially in this

05:32economy the average restaurant in the u.s has seen a 35 percent increase in both food and labor costs since

05:412020. as a result eating out has become more expensive with average menu prices rising by 31 percent between

05:51february 2020 to april 2025. now chefs are seeing fewer reservations whether it's for mom and pop joints

06:00or michelin star eateries and the competition has become more intense the conservator who arrive

06:07chez nous avant he s'est informé il est capricieux il est infidèle il est a peur il est foody

06:14blablabla et il faut encore étonner c'est ça notre job en fait c'est d'essayer d'être un peu en avance

06:23that's why ducasse launched a second restaurant in doha

06:26g1 that's less fancy than edam but still pretty luxurious

06:36i think i'll go with the g1 menu ambiance plays a big part in the restaurant's appeal

06:43its decor is meant to evoke the meeting of the desert and the sea the interior is adorned with

06:49four million swarovski beads a nod to the nation's main industry before the oil boom of the 70s and 80s

06:58okay let's go with the red snapper please

07:03inside the kitchen 15 cooks from different countries prepare elaborate dishes like this starter with a

07:10local fish called hamur

07:11the menu is a collaboration between a team of chefs and ducasse the dishes here are served family style

07:21like the nomadic meals shared in the qatari desert it's a typical qatari dish it's made with wheat

07:28cooked with chicken so they smudge it all together on the top you have traditional ghee with the chicken

07:34juice yummy all right thank you so much jiwan can serve up to 120 guests a day with entrees starting

07:42at about 16 dollars and it's this combination of quality food at an affordable price point that won

07:50jiwan a beep gorma award this year

07:55but bringing this kind of cuisine to the desert comes with unique challenges especially in sourcing local

08:02ingredients in doha outdoor farms are a rarity because the temperature in the summer can reach

08:18over 110 degrees fahrenheit and water is scarce that means the restaurants need to import some of

08:25their ingredients we source our ingredients from all over the world because in katar there are two seasons

08:31winter and summer the winter time is actually the time where we can source the ingredients locally

08:36dietary restrictions are another challenge in creating french cuisine islam is the official

08:42religion so all meat must be halal small farmers in europe will not make those meat halal so we have

08:50to find the different types of meats they are amazed but they are not surprised by our ability to prepare

08:56finally a french food with a local ingredient which is fried which is the chameau

09:02and in particular the young chameaux

09:06alcohol is also off the menu because ducasse's restaurants in qatar are housed inside national

09:13museums run by the government that has pushed idam's mixologist ratan robie to be creative

09:19it's not about replacing cocktail it's about offering a elevated flavorful experience that

09:30stands on its own each drink is designed to complement and even enhance the flavor of the dishes

09:38so even though there's no alcohol in robbie's creations michelin gave him the exceptional cocktail award

09:44back in 2013 when ducasse first opened idam doha wasn't anywhere on the global culinary map

10:01at the time qatar's museum authorities invited ducasse to possibly open a restaurant in one of their

10:08landmarks the museum of islamic art so ducasse applied some of the same rules he has at other

10:25restaurants now nearly 12 years after idam first opened its doors ducasse's bet paid off when they

10:49earned one of the country's first michelin stars and his success is also boosting

10:54doha's culinary identity as the city tries to compete with dubai across the persian gulf these

11:01days restaurants from world famous chefs like jean george gordon ramsay and danny garcia all have

11:08locations in doha and the markets are filled with spices from south asia and delicacies from other

11:17countries you get just about everything in this market including look at all these beautiful spices i

11:22wish you could smell them they smell amazing

11:34very savory and buttery now local chefs are also aiming for global recognition while embracing tradition

11:44at bilham bar a high-end restaurant the menu is devoted to contemporary qatari cuisine

11:56my name is mohammed abdullah known in qatar bil khams bil khams its meaning with the five fingers how

12:03you will eat the rice or you will eat anything with the five fingers in instagram snapchat

12:08tiktok most of the social media my name is bil khams he learned to cook from his grandmother while still in

12:17school

12:20one of his signature starters is a fried dumpling

12:27qatari people they like the smell they like how uh it will be like a burn a little bit like caramelized

12:33like that today chef muhammad leads a 75-person team including 31 kitchen staff who come from india nepal

12:43and the philippines and he's even added some of their flavors to his menu the restaurant serves up to

12:501200 guests on busy nights they are say you will be the head chef or executive chef in this restaurant you

12:57know i cannot sleep this day i came here at 7 30 i leave from here at two o'clock morning you know from

13:04morning to morning all the main ingredients are sourced locally from white truffle found in the qatari

13:11desert to the lamb served here even the oil is rendered in-house just as his grandmother taught him the

13:18rice very gold and but the pure oil the fat oil but some high quality ingredients do have to be imported

13:26like basmati rice from india himalayan pink salt and other spices his food is served on custom

13:33stainless steel trays carved in india it's all handmade they have a hammer they like do with with

13:42his hammer like that for the tree it's take a long time bilhambar has already earned awards for

13:48promoting qatari culture and for its growing popularity put your four fingers like that whoa and put it here

13:56did you remember the black dry lemon we will squeeze it sorry one of them here they are the qatari they

14:02like to do like that

14:08now chef muhammad has his eyes set on a new goal my dream to get the mission star

14:14i hope and what's next for the man who's wanted many many many times

14:20so here we are always in this quest of an evolution permanent always ask questions

14:26not to be inscribed in our habits etc it is our job it is what we do every day we evolve

14:32your.

14:36A

14:38the

14:40the

14:42the

14:44the

14:46the

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended