Global Director To Local Mentor

Guest of honour Michael Ellis has tasted every flavour under the sun as International Director of the Michelin Guides. Now he’s bringing his experience to Jumeirah’s F&B portfolio as Dubai seeks to become a premier fine dining destination.

Michael Ellis orders a black coffee in Burj Al Arab’s first floor Sahn Eddar lounge, as windswept waves crash outside behind him, and declines the offer of food – uncharacteristically for a man who must have the most developed palate in Dubai.

As International Director of the Michelin Guides for seven years, and now seven months into his tenure as Chief Culinary Officer for Jumeirah, there isn’t much he hasn’t seen, or tasted, in the F&B world. He grew up in the US and left for France at 16, and after some to-ing and froing, returned to France to attend a business school in 1986 and lived in the country until moving to Dubai last year.

He worked for IDV and Club Med Cruise Ships before Michelin came calling in 2007 – although initially working in the tyre division. It wasn’t until he was considering moving on, that they saw he had experience in F&B and hospitality and asked him to head up the international division four years later.

Thereatier, Michelin’s wheels haven’t stopping turning; he visited 30 countries and more than 1,500 restaurants and today, more than 20,000 restaurants have been featured in more than 30 editions across 26 countries.