David O’Brien, the Director of Ghaf Kitchen, speaks to My Startup World about his venture into entrepreneurship

Please tell us something about yourself.
I am passionate about food and entertainment. Having worked for many years with internationally acclaimed chefs including Gary Rhodes, Richard Corrigan and Chris Galvin, and with five-star restaurants in Dubai, UK and Europe, I have extensive operational experience and a good understanding of the premium catering and hospitality industries.

Tell us something about Ghaf Kitchen.
Ghaf Kitchen is a five-star catering and dining concept with a difference, bringing the first gourmet restaurant on wheels to the UAE.

How did you think of the idea behind Ghaf Kitchen?
The three partners who started Ghaf Kitchen have considerable depth of experience in business and the restaurant and hospitality sector, both internationally and in the UAE, and we all share the same passion for food and entertainment.

Wanting to bring new concepts to UAE’s dining scene, we came with the idea of a five-star restaurant on wheels – something that was a first for the city and a dining concept that delivers in an unexpected, intelligent and charming way.

We restored a vintage Citroen H Van and fitted it with state-of-the-art commercial equipment that follows the highest health and safety standards.

Our name Ghaf Kitchen pays homage to both the company’s local roots and its British influence, with a name that highlights the fusion of the two cultures. The Ghaf tree, indigenous to the UAE, sustained the Bedouins in the desert, while in the UK Ghaf affectionately refers to “my home” in cockney slang.

How do you think Ghaf Kitchen is different from similar concepts in the region?
Firstly, it is the first gourmet restaurant on wheels in the UAE. It brings a new dining concept to the region and it challenges the status quo of the catering industry.

Everything about Ghaf Kitchen is five-star – from the quality of the food to its exceptional service by staff who understand how to add value to every event.

Our specialty lies in gourmet street food with familiar comfort food executed to a five-star standard. Ghaf Kitchen offers a top-quality and original catering service that goes beyond its gourmet food, giving clients peace of mind and ensuring every event is special and memorable.

We believe in the ethical and sustainable sourcing of ingredients, putting in place traceability systems across our entire supply chain that allow us to always work with the best quality fresh ingredients.

Who is the target audience for Ghaf Kitchen’s services?
Ghaf Kitchen provides personalised and bespoke turn-key catering services ranging from private party catering to corporate events, pop up restaurants, gourmet street food style events and food production.

The best quality fresh ingredients, sourced in an ethical and sustainable manner and prepared simply by Ghaf Kitchen’s on-board chef, means the Ghaf Kitchen menu can be easily adapted depending on the size of event and tastes of the guests.

Ghaf Kitchen’s restaurant on wheels can cater for canapé parties of up to 150 people or sit down dinners for up to 50 guests. It is also a gourmet street food vendor for larger public events such as music, cultural, community or sporting events.

Apart from you, do you have any partners / friends / colleagues working on this project?
There are three partners involved in the business, with a combined 40 years of hospitality industry in the UAE. We have worked together before on different projects and we all share the same passion for gourmet food and quality entertainment.

How do you think Ghaf Kitchen can better boutique events and party catering services in the region?
Ghaf Kitchen offers a top-quality and original catering service that goes beyond its gourmet food, giving clients peace of mind and ensuring every event is special and memorable, and adding an element of theatre to events large and small. Having a sustainable and traceable supply chain, we are uncompromising on quality.

What sort of funding was infused into Ghaf Kitchen? Have you broken even?
We have only just launched Ghaf Kitchen and the response so far has been overwhelming. We are confident and experienced enough to know that our business model is robust. The company has been funded by the partners.

Are you involved in any other projects apart from Ghaf Kitchen?
I am the founding partner and director of Ghaf Hospitality Development, under which Ghaf Kitchen falls. Ghaf Group includes consultancy for hospitality businesses looking to set up restaurants and F&B outlets in the region. Our aim is to contribute to the dining scene in the UAE and beyond by creating and introducing concepts that are unique, creative and will stand the test of time.

What advice do you have for budding entrepreneurs in the region?
My advice would be to do what you love, to associate with the right people and never compromise on quality.