Simon Dow Maitre de Cuisine Kempinski 
I flew out to Cairo and was met at the airport by the GM's driver in nice BMW X6 oh yes only the finest for this chef , sunglasses on lotion applied lets drive my good man. Now in this instance the driver is your best friend he will open up instantly and tell how things are really so it's almost you start conducting an interview of sorts yourself to get a feel for the place the people and the mentality, attitude of the city. As we drove from the airport and having a good pow wow and getting on handsomely. I felt I was really prepared for the next 3 days of interviews and the cook off I had a good insight into what the GM was like the Exe chef F&B director also.
When I seen the hotel and the kitchen my ass fell outta of me it, there was nothing there, and I mean nothing it was the classic example of can you picture this "¦.."urrrrhhh NO" ok think of this way can you picture it now "¦.."eeerrrrhhh No" just not feeling it my good man. So with that I went off to meet
Anyway went to dinner to at nice grill restaurant and had a good chat with the chef and also the F&B director, the outcome was positive, good 2 down one to go. It's almost like a military operation where you have to eliminate the enemy to get to the grand prize and the man who holds your fate in his hands. Anyway the day of the cook off arrived so I went to the GM's apartment in nice part of Cairo, cooked and served a 4 course meal. Cook off's are a bit like a dinner party aren't they very pompous affairs. Any way I cooked and served the dinner then joined the Gm at the table and before I knew it the red wine was flowing, I feeling nice and relaxed and still the wine flowed and still more wine. By god this man had a bottomless bottle of Vin rouge. Then low and behold the question that every interviewer asks where do you see yourself in five years time "¦"¦"¦"¦"¦Well sir I probably be in 5 minutes time on your floor under the table "¦"¦"¦"¦silence feel to the table ooops wrong answer ok try this one "In five years time I probably being wearing flip flops and shorts running my beach front bar with bottled beers and cooking fresh shellfish & fish on my bbq" "¦"¦and again wrong answer double whammy , oh the demons of vin rouge"¦ I need a rescue plan or an evac out this is going down the shitter quicker than England's world cup bid.
Well flew back home the next day and within the week I had a contract so now to negotiate all the bits and pieces and for some twisted reason the GM really liked me for my personality. Ah yes job done now to move to Cairo and meet my team and implement the great culinary concept they were talking about "¦"¦"¦"¦.next time oh yes there's more to come and it will make you laugh cry and appreciate what you have "¦"¦But in the words of Alexw "Oh but the view"Small Contribution. Big Impact.
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