Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som has appointed Mayssam Abdulkhalek as the new executive wellness chef, a statement said yesterday. With more than a decade of culinary experience in the luxury wellness space, he aims to further enhance the wellness cuisine on offer the resort.
Sustainability and longevity are at the heart of the resort’s ethos and the wellness cuisine aims to change the lives of guests and environment. The culinary concept follows an ingredient-focused approach where each item serves a purpose, is fresh, seasonal, locally sourced, and organic in line with the ancient principles of Traditional Arabic Islamic Medicine (TAIM).
Since joining the resort as head wellness chef in 2020 as part of the core pre-opening team, chef Mayssam has been instrumental in shaping the culinary landscape, showcasing his expertise in creating nourishing, wellness-centric cuisine. He later assumed the position of executive sous chef, paving the way for his current role.
Chef Mayssam, a connoisseur of Mediterranean cuisine, was earlier with a host of esteemed properties including the Sheraton Grand Doha, Kempinski, IHG Hotels & Resorts, and the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Chef Mayssam will oversee the resort's bespoke dining and its diverse range of restaurants including Al-Sidr, Aizoon, Malbu, Casuarina and Acacia Fine Dining. The menus feature TAIM-inspired ingredients which are anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, promote heart health, support digestion, high energy source, enhance satiety, high fibre, low fat.
Sustainability is a major theme and portion sizes are half the size of a normal restaurant, yet guests are satiated with the nutri-dense flavourful food. Every ingredient is fresh, there are no tinned or packaged products, everything is cooked from scratch. Most food waste is recycled into flavourful powders or used in fermenting to create Umami taste. Reducing carbon footprint, plant-based items made in-house include tofu, tempeh, and plant-based milks.
Nothing is fried, cooking techniques blend modern and classic: slow cooking sous vide, fermentation, pickles, smoking. One basic rule is not to cook on high flame which creates carcinogenic material linked to cancer. Zulal caters to allergies, intolerances, preferences: gut cleansing, brain and heart health, gluten-free. All dessert and pastry items are free from dairy, gluten and refined sugar.
Chef Mayssam Abdulkhalek
