💻 Shiji is transitioning to an AI‑first organization, embedding AI across its hospitality platform to reduce complexity. The Shiji AI•R framework supports this shift, enhancing areas like property management and guest engagement. AI is integrated as a horizontal layer, focusing on reducing operational burden and maintaining data sovereignty within legal jurisdictions. The approach prioritizes responsible data ownership and aims to increase productivity, keeping hospitality a people-centric industry, ensuring AI assists rather than replaces human interaction.
🍴 Chef Mostafa Seif at Khufu's Restaurant in Egypt offers an innovative take on Egyptian cuisine. Breakfast features classic and contemporary rural dishes. Lunch showcases diverse salads and mains, with vegetarian options honoring Coptic traditions. Notably, Seif reimagines Koshari using quail eggs and spices, while also serving Mulukhiyah with rabbit roulade, and fereek-stuffed pigeon. Diners can enjoy a pyramid-shaped date cake, reflecting the restaurant's unique setting.
📦 Food By Dish, a London-based catering company, assesses suppliers annually for sustainability. County Supplies, their produce supplier, uses biodegradable packaging, aiming for zero plastic. Brae, a restaurant, partners with Schulz Organic Dairy for reusable milk containers. Melbourne's Clamms seafood wholesaler introduced reusable crates. Encouraging suppliers to reduce packaging through bulk deliveries, reusable containers, or return schemes helps decrease environmental impact, while short supply chains with local suppliers minimize spoilage and flexibly adapt to sustainable practices.
🐟 T’LUR adapts sturgeon for Malaysia’s tropical climate, maintaining year-round activity to produce delicate, clean caviar. Following a global wild caviar ban, the market now favors farmed varieties, with T’LUR competing in the premium segment. The farm practices zero-waste, utilizing all parts of the sturgeon for culinary and nutritional purposes. This sustainable approach aligns with chefs prioritizing whole-animal use and responsible sourcing.
🍷 Nyetimber, a luxury English sparkling wine brand, partners with England Rugby for the 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, appointing ex-captain Jamie George as ambassador. It becomes the first English sparkling wine to sponsor the Men’s and Women’s teams after Bollinger's 24-year reign. In 2024, Nyetimber acquired The Lakes Distillery for £71 million. The English vineyard area rose 123% in a decade, with 75% dedicated to sparkling wine and a 30% growth since 2020, exporting to 30+ countries.
🍫 In Spring 2021, young UK social media users spiked searches for vintage recipes like beef stroganoff, driven by a trend for 1970s-style dishes. Over 75,000 Instagram posts featured #bakedalaska. Dubai chocolate, created in 2021 by Sarah Hamouda and Nouel Catis Omamalin, went viral in 2023, amassing over seven million views. Global food trends' impact varies from profitable to environmentally questionable, as explored by GWI in their examination of social media's influence on meal choices.
🌱 In Bali, a waste crisis threatens both the environment and tourism, with over 3,400 tonnes of daily waste and overflowing landfills. Tourism contributes significantly to this waste. Locavore NXT in Ubud is pioneering waste management, praised for repurposing 97.8% of its 47,675 kg of waste in 2025, driven by its Circular Waste Centre. Hospitality businesses are urged to adopt a circular economy approach as government mandates require them to manage their own waste.
🌱 In Zanzibar, where waste systems are minimal, Fahari Off The Grid restaurant employs sustainable practices. They reuse food scraps, compost unavoidable waste, and repurpose items like glass bottles. Suppliers deliver in reusable crates, reducing packaging. The restaurant upcycles denim into uniforms and uses reclaimed materials for furniture. Water is supplied in reusable PET bottles, and glass bottles support a local women's group. Organic materials are composted, and glass is upcycled, minimizing waste leaving the restaurant.
🍽 The Prisoner Wine Pairing Dinner, part of the monthly Chef’s Plated series by the Cura team, features 6-10 courses for Aberdeen residents in an intimate setting. Held in the private dining room, seating is limited to about 12 diners. This event showcases culinary talents using exclusive ingredients like Italian truffles and tomahawk ribeyes. Despite extra costs, tickets sell out in minutes, offering an 'ultra-premium' experience that enhances the culinary team’s skills.