BIO
Georges is no stranger to the distinct differences in the world of food from cooking as a young teenager with his family in his humble home in the Middle East to studying culinary arts in the finest schools across the seas. After rigorous training along side the “Master”, Paul Bocuse of France as well as many other award winning chefs through out his journeys. This has afforded Georges many other highly regarded opportunities such as work with the Majestic Barriere hotel, host of the Cannes film festival and Alain Ducasse at the Byblos Hotel in St Tropez.
Georges has garnered impressive notoriety and distinction as a true artist in preparing and presenting dishes that are unparalleled in his field. Just ask the many celebrities and world elite’s that have praised his work. “I feel that I have exposed myself from the very basics of food as a form of daily survival and nutrition and transcended it to the ultimate form of luxury that leaves all the senses ravenous for more”. With an upcoming book in the works, “Everyday to Gourmet” Georges will present a collection of his favorite recipes accumulated from his many travels and experiences.
This exciting concept is based on showing each recipe in two very distinct and different ways of preparation. The dishes all start with an everyday version; quick, easy, and an almost usual recipe that can be prepared quickly and with a shortlist of ingredients. The same dish will also be shown in a gourmet version using techniques and styles that are practiced by acclaimed chefs worldwide. Georges is confident that he speaks to his book title, “Everyday to Gourmet” best based on his innate ability to create on many levels. “My training of classic french cuisine has opened a new world of inspiration for me, but I continue to find myself going back to my roots and affection of mediterranean styles, flavors and spices”.
The many associations and ties to celebrities and both the art and fashion world has been a huge contribution in Georges’ ability to raise the bar for his work. He has earned himself the title of a true artists that is not afraid to push the envelope.
With an impeccable sense of style, you will not find Georges wearing an oversized chef coat but rather cooking in an outfit worthy of a fashion event… he has many times been referred to as ‘The Chef Wears Prada”.But Georges’ recipe to being inventive and succeeding began to flourish right in his own home kitchen, entertaining his family and friends. He feels that there is nothing that compares to the bond that can be developed between people by both sharing a meal and also cooking it together.
If you talked to Georges about himself, you’d never know he had garnered such kudos, and accomplishments. The son of Lebanese immigrants, Georges doesn’t have a place he calls home, as he loves to travel the world to keep his innovative and creative juices flowing. Driven and talented inside, but when you meet him? You become disarmed with his warmth, humor and humility.
CULINARY ARTS INSPIRATIONS
My most recent travel to Art Basel-Miami Beach led to an epiphany. After finally understanding why art in many forms, parallels what I create in the kitchen. Art has always inspired me in a way that allows me the ability to create and push my culinary artistry to the outer limits with confidence. But it wasn’t until now that I have made this connection. Coupled with an in depth conversation with a friend who is a recognized artist from New York and who also showcased his art instillation in the bottom of a swimming pool on the roof top of a trendy new South Beach hotel. I realized after speaking with him that we have similar approaches in the way we create because of our ethnic backgrounds as well as our understanding or rather misunderstanding of our surroundings. He was born and raised in Berlin and I in Lebanon.We came to the conclusion that we envision our surroundings much differently than others. We discovered that we both share the following commonalities: our innate artistic abilities to create, combined with both being from another part of the world, our birthright cultural strengths, and finally our exposure of a newly discovered American culture. All of this combined, gives us limitless new creative innovations.
This awareness had me reminiscing about my life and my relationship with food. One of my most profound and earliest memories began as a young child growing up in the middle-east, and spending much of my time in shelters that were safeguards from the bloody war at that time. The paradox of the war that brought a sense of community and family bond. One of the few rare forms of entertainment revolved around our meal times. There was no running water, electricity, or gas for many days at a time. This made cooking, a family event and we all partook in as we never knew when the utilities would be turned off again. The only sure thing was that their seemed to be a constant but limited flow and variety of food ingredients. You can imagine how creative we had to be with the limited variety of food.
As the war reached its most volatile period, we were part of the few fortunate families to be able to escape Lebanon. This was the beginning of a new culinary world and opened my eyes and invigorated my young palate to the flavors of the world. Living in many parts of the world including the little island of Cyprus, Switzerland, France and Montreal have introduced me to so many new flavors, techniques, and cooking styles. Yet my family and I have always incorporated our basic Mediterranean flavors into wherever we landed. This was our way to grasp to our roots and middle-eastern identity. By creating these new infusions of cultures, a fascinating new cuisine was born!
Upon the war ending and moving back to Lebanon, I found myself cooking exclusively in my family home kitchen. Mom, Dad and Grandma would show up from time to time, but it was all on me which I loved…
In a short time I found myself bored and needed to take the road again. I finally sought formal culinary arts training and found myself attending Institute Paul Bocuse. In Lyon, France. It is arguably one of the most prestigious culinary arts school in the world.This exposed me to a whole new world of the fine gastronomy. I would have never thought that I would be creating dishes using then, unfamiliar and fine ingredients such as foie gras and truffles. I also became exposed to the world of fine wines, the pairing of these fine wines, and how they relate to the fine foods of France. I quickly embraced the French way of cooking, with many of the highest-level chefs in culinary arts as my mentors.At that point in my life, my middle-eastern ways of cooking were the furthest thing from my mind. In my mind, I became a French chef, using techniques and creating French recipes with French ingredients. A similar story took place when I came to America, but this time I brought with, my French training, my new French techniques, my French recipes and me. After deliberately trying to forget my Mediterranean roots and focus strictly on French and multicultural American cuisine. I thought that the negative association with my childhood upbringing and influences would only hold me back from creating wonderful dishes that the world would adore. But I always felt that the truest part of me was not a part of my new creations. It wasn’t until I went home for a visit 4 years ago that I rediscovered the identity that I left behind. Although the war ended many years ago in my home country I still was drawn to the memories of my troubled childhood when I felt limited in so many ways to express myself as well as my creative abilities. Something profound happened to me on that trip and it made me realize that I should fully embrace my middle eastern identity. The fact that my culture truly was a part of me in every way. Especially the culinary influences that remain with me today. It seems that I cant create a single infusion without including my Mediterranean roots, as well as my newly found French inspiration and adapt it to American culture.
In my opinion, this is where the true artist in me continues to manifest itself. I still see staple dishes differently from people who grew up with these same dishes. At this point in my life and after visiting, traveling, and experiencing many countries I have been exposed to many forms of cooking and have found myself creating dishes that are truly eclectic but with a obvious Mediterranean flair that continues to influence my style and culinary arts direction.
