Joseph Matar awarded Food and Beverage Manager of the year at 'Gourmet Abu Dhabi Stars' Awards

The Abu Dhabi Gourmet Stars Awards is an industry recognition programme that acknowledges individuals and organisations that make a significant contribution to the development of the food and beverage industry in Abu Dhabi.

The awards ceremony was part of the Gourmet Abu Dhabi food festival which took place in the capital for the first time from 5 to 14 February 2009.

"I am delighted to win this award and I accept it on behalf of the entire food and beverage team at Shangri-La Hotel who continuously work so hard to offer both residents of Abu Dhabi and guests of the hotel an exceptional dining experience," said Mr Matar at the Awards ceremony.

Gourmet Abu Dhabi is a gastronomic event that gathers internationally renowned Mastershefs, industry professionals and personalities. Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi, has hosted severals Michelin star chefs over the past week including three Michelin star Santi Santamaria, two Michelin star Lee Keung from Summer Palace restaurant at Island Shangri-La in Hong Kong, and Alain Passard, the three star Michelin chef from L'Arpege in France.

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently owns and/or manages 60 hotels under the Shangri-La and Traders brands with a rooms inventory of over 28,000. Shangri-La hotels are five-star deluxe properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services.

Shangri-La hotels are located in Australia, mainland China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sultanate of Oman, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. The group has over 50 projects under development in Austria, Canada, mainland China, France, India, Japan, Macau, Maldives, Philippines, Qatar, Seychelles, Thailand, United Kingdom and the United States.