Jump to content

Draft:Nigel Lobo (Chef)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nigel Joseph Lobo (born April 10, 1990) is an award winning chef, author and restaurateur who currently works as the Executive Chef for Indibar Group in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Prior to this, he was the Group Executive Chef of Stars n Bars – UAE and the Executive Chef and Group Culinary Administrator at the Royal Orchid Hospitality Group in Dubai taking care of various standalone restaurants of various cuisines catering to different market segments. He was also the Chef de Cuisine at The Eloquent Elephant at the Taj in Business Bay, Dubai [1].

Nigel has studied Bachelors of Tourism Studies and carries a Post Graduate Diploma in Kitchen Management from the famed Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development (OCLD) [1]. He has trained at Miramar under Michelin star Chef Paco Perez and at Compartir under Chef Mateu Casanas in Spain; Attica in Australia under Chef Ben Shewry, La Vie under Chef Thomas Buhner in Germany and at a local tapas bar in Valladolid-La Tahona under Chef José Andrés [2].

He most recently was awarded a MAD Academy scholarship for Business and Leadership and the Pro Chef of the Year award as America and Caribbean Speciality Chef [3].

He has recently launched his book ‘Insight’ which is a comprehensive guide to become a successful chef in the industry, launched his own cookware brand for professional kitchens and has been feature extensively in National and International magazines, books and newspapers.

He became Chef de Cuisine at 24, Executive Chef at 27, and Group Executive Chef at 29. In 2017, he reached the semi-finals of the San Pellegrino Young Chef competition [4] and was the Runner-Up for Rising Star of the Year [5]. He was also included in the Power 50 list [6] and received a Highly Commended Head Chef of the Year recognition from Caterer Middle East in the UAE [7].

Early life

[edit]

Lobo was born on April 10, 1990, in Khor Fakkan, UAE, to Indian parents. He began cooking professionally at age eighteen and credits his mother, Gordon Ramsey and television with first sparking his interest in food. He graduated from the Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development in 2013 [8].

His interest in cooking started at a very young age but he never got into the kitchen till he was eighteen. He did prep and cleaned stations for two years before actual cooking and making pastries at The Oberoi, Bangalore [8].

He then moved on to the prestigious OCLD program and trained at The Oberoi Amarvilas, Trident Hotel in Gurgaon and Mumbai.

The western world of cooking always sparked his curiosity into cuisine, what the Michelin guide was about and how kitchens functioned. He applied to several of the best restaurants and trained with Attica in Melbourne (32 best restaurant in the world and best restaurant) and La vie (three Michelin stars) in Osnabruck, Germany [8].

He then went back to the Oberoi Udaivilas for a brief period applying for a scholarship based program to Spain.

Nigel then got selected in the 7th training program in Spanish Gastronomy where he lived in Spain, understood cuisine and culture and worked at top restaurants namely Compartir (the first restaurant of the chefs of Disfrutar) and Miramar

In 2015, Nigel then moved back to Dubai to work under Chef Jitin Joshi and open the award winning The Eloquent Elephant at the Taj, Dubai. Here he won numerous awards for the outlet as well as for standing out as runner up as Young Hospitality Leader of the Year and reaching the semi finals of the San Pellegrino Young Chef competition [4].

In 2018, he helmed Royal Orchid Hospitality Groups culinary vertical opening up Asia Tang and Koko Bay that year which led him to win the Caterer ME Highly Commended Chef of the Year and led him to No.4 on the Power 50 list during a tough year impacted by Covid [7][6].

In 2020, he joined Stars n Bars – UAE, opening one outlet, three ghost kitchen concepts and streamlining. During this time he cooked at Expo 2020 in a 50 hand dinner and got featured in The Best of Dubai Gastronomy[9].

In 2022, he launched his book Insight which helps young chefs in making the right choices in the culinary world [10].

In 2023, he moved to the United States to open Indibar group and all the brands associated with it.

Cuisine

[edit]

Nigel Lobo’s approach to cooking blend traditional flavours with modern techniques with local ingredients. He is inspired by what was cooked at home and brings it to life with modern presentations. He currently features khube sukkem, prawn and mango curry, dosa and appam on his menu [11].

Awards

[edit]
  • Pro Chef ME 2022 – Americas and Caribbean Speciality Chef Caterer ME Power 50 List 2020 – No 4 [3]
  • Fact Dining Awards - Favourite North American Restaurant, Abu Dhabi (2021) [12]
  • Highly Commended Head Chef of the Year – Standalone restaurant (2020) [13]
  • Best Pub – What’s On Awards 2018 Best Chinese Food – What’s On (2018) [14]
  • Best Pub Food – Time Out Dubai (2017) [15]
  • Best Pub Food (Runners Up) – Time Out Dubai (2018) [16]
  • Young Hotelier of the Year Runner’s Up – Leaders in Hospitality Awards (2017) [17]
  • San Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 Semi Finalist – Middle East and North Africa (2018) [4]

Education

[edit]
  • MAD Academy scholar, Leadership and Business, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Escuela Internacional de Cocina, Valladolid, Spain
  • Post Graduate Diploma in Kitchen Management - The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development (OCLD), India
  • Bachelor of Tourism Studies - Indira Gandhi National Open University, India
  • The Indian High School, Dubai -All India Senior School Certificate Examination (12th Grade)
  • All India Secondary School Certificate Examination (10th Grade)

Published Books

[edit]
  • Insight (2022)
  • A comprehensive guide to help you become a successful chef in the culinary world
  • The Best of Dubai Gastronomy 2022
  • Take Portugal with you 2021
  • Come Together for India with India’s finest chefs 2020

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Nigel Lobo | Author". austinmacauley.ae. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  2. ^ https://dataonaplate.com/author/nigel-lobo/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ a b Group, CPI Media. "The Pro Chef of the Year Award 2022". The Pro Chef of the Year Award 2022. Retrieved 2024-11-20. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ a b c "S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 Africa-Middle East 10 semi-finalists announced". wine.co.za. 2017-06-23. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  5. ^ "Mideast's young culinary stars get a boost in global cooking competition". Arab News. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  6. ^ a b "1612_CATERER_ME_DEC_2020". mags.itp.com. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  7. ^ a b "Caterer Awards 2020: All the winners and highly commended results from the big event - Caterer Middle East". 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  8. ^ a b c "CHEF TALK: FIRE IT UP! with NIGEL LOBO". Pickle My Fancy. 2015-08-24. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  9. ^ "2022 THE BEST OF DUBAI GASTRONOMY by WG Magazines - Issuu". issuu.com. 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  10. ^ "Insight". Online Book Store – Bookends. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  11. ^ Lobo, Nigel (July 2022). Insight. Austin Macauley Publishers Limited. ISBN 978-9948-04-364-5.
  12. ^ "2021 Fact Dining Awards Abu Dhabi: WINNERS". Fact Dining Awards. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  13. ^ "Caterer Awards 2020: Head Chef of the Year – Standalone Restaurant is Matthijs Stinnissen - Caterer Middle East". 2020-12-13. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  14. ^ "Shortlist announced: The Leaders in F&B Awards 2019 - Hotel & Catering". 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  15. ^ staff, Time Out Dubai (2017-01-18). "Time Out Dubai Restaurant Awards 2017 shortlists revealed | Time Out Dubai". Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  16. ^ staff, Time Out Dubai (2018-02-27). "Best pub food in Dubai 2018 | Time Out Dubai". Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  17. ^ "REVEALED: Leaders in Hospitality 2017 winners - Hotel & Catering". 2017-05-18. Retrieved 2024-11-20.