The legacy which has been left behind by internationally-renowned culinary masters began in Jeddah in 1981 with Saudi Arabian Airlines Catering. At a time where airlines all over the world are competing for costumers on all levels both private and business, it has become critical for the preparation of airline food to turn into a unique experience and culinary achievement. Indeed, the palates of all types of travelers - young or old, man or woman - must be truly satisfied. Yasser Mahamoud Al-Fahad, a former marketing and sales manager of Saudia Catering in Riyadh is a man, whose interest became an adventure; a man of vision with a very special goal in the world of culinary arts. This art form consists not only of a deep interest in food but also an interest in everything that is connected to it. Al-Fahad's experience in the field since 1987, has ranged from offering his culinary expertise to VIPs as well as ordinary citizens. He saw his career in the world of catering as a “social event” where he could be “in touch” with the people whom he serves. He claims to have found real excitement and satisfaction in setting up a complete party for 1000 guests or more, for instance. Saudia Catering's commitment to Saudiazation has also played an important role. Presently, the five units of Saudi Arabian Airlines Catering (SAAC) and culinary units arts include, and have expanded to Riyadh, Dammam, Madina and Cairo, Egypt. The existing catering physical layout has been expanded as a priority agenda. Saudia catering has also participated in an international culinary competition, held in Germany, Stuttgart in 2008. The competition witnessed the participation of more than 450 professional chefs from all over the globe, representing well reputed organizations in the food industry. Nevertheless, Saudia Catering won one gold and two silver culinary medals. Christophe Parent was appointed as Chief Executive Officer by Engr. Khaled Al-Molhem of Saudia Catering in January, 2008. Parent is a French citizen who graduated from ESSCA in Angers with an MBA in Economics, with over 30 years experience in the food catering industry, holding various top management positions especially in the Middle East and Africa. He also possesses vast knowledge in the field of communications, foreign trade and food processing equipment. Parent has spent 17 years of his professional career in the region, in countries like Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in the catering field. His extensive experience in industrial catering will further enable Saudia Catering to progress the development of its core business and contribute as the key to diversify its services into other catering and service activities in the Kingdom. When questioned regarding his unusual choice of career, he said: “I turned towards building the business through diversification, with the objective of developing business activities in new sectors rather than simply focusing on inflight activities. My objective for 2010 is to ensure that sales for inflight services only represent 70 percent of our global sales. We have finalized an agreement with the owners of five hotels located in the sacred region of Makkah to deliver meals to them that we prepare in an industrial kitchen located in the suburbs. The hotels will take over zones for the preparation of food, which they can turn into sales areas. The services provided to the hotels will comply with all the same quality standards as airlines.”
