Le Méridien Abu Dhabi welcomes new Executive Chef

Patrick 43, has travelled across the world, commenced his notable career off with a French cuisine under the guidance of world renowned chef Joel Robuchon.

His expertise and experience at the age of just 25 saw him plying his trade at the two Michelin star stylish high class Restaurant De Hoefslag.

Chef Patrick van Velzen was already Head Chef at the acclaimed one Michelin star Restaurant Klein Paardenburg in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel.

Two years later, he took over the restaurant inspiring his clients with edgy, intuitive and trend-setting recipes.

Throughout his career he has taken steps into entrepreneurship and has successfully managed his own restaurants such as the Brasserie Delikket in Amsterdam and Zin Restaurant in Loosdrecht.

Finally, he has arrived from Rhodes in Greece where he worked as an Executive Chef for Sheraton. Chef Patrick described that the "Mixed ethnic culture" and fusion of different menus and cuisines has allured him to Le Méridien Abu Dhabi and Middle East!

Patrick's signature dish is the French crispy fried Scallops with caviar and Nouilly Prat sauce. He has developed a passion for an array of cuisines such as: Oriental; European; Japanese and Indian. His popularity grew even further after having taught celebrity stars how to cook on the much acclaimed TV program 'Cooking with the stars' on RTL4 in Greece and he has also made a television appearance for a 'brand commercial'.

He has been described as a 'charismatic listener, open minded and honest' and his food is all about quality and pleasing the client's expectations, listening to their taste and designing his recipes according to their preferences.

"I want my restaurants to be social hubs, where clients feel connected to service atmosphere and taste. In order to meet a guest's level of expectancy these three aspects have to combine together."

His alluring personality matches his creativity and quest for perfection, with the result that he is always surrounded by people.

He has the desire to play as a team and has been regarded as a genuine team player from his previous experiences and believes that team members need to be cohesive and content to achieve their desired level of service.

He commented "You cannot expect your team to make the clients happy if they are not happy. Only if you shift the focus from you to your team you will be a successful leader."

He has arrived at a busy Festive season at Le Méridien Abu Dhabi. His signature style and touch has already resulted in creative culinary experiences for the Méridien theme nights. We all wish him the best of success and to continue his celebrated career as an Executive chef at Le Méridien Abu Dhabi.