WHATEVER WE DO, WE KEEP MOVING FORWARD.
Food Forward is a forward-thinking foodservice consulting company with a team of hand-picked experts that want to create a mark in the F&B industry.
We deliver inspiring ideas and concepts that are on-trend, operationally sound, and within budget.
Our services span across concept creation, branding, turnarounds, menu development, restaurants, dark kitchens development, training, manuals, and full management support for restaurant brands.
We have the breadth of expertise to undertake small entrepreneurial projects such as a single food truck concept, a large restaurant operation, a central or cloud kitchen development, or a mixed-use development project with hospitality and foodservice as its anchors.
From our kitchen offices, we create great work in Dubai, UAE, and we are pleased to serve amazing clients across the region like KSA, KUWAIT, QATAR, OMAN, EGYPT, and LEBANON.
THE TEAM
Ahmad Kaskas
Managing Partner
Head of Culinary & Operations
Ahmad has enjoyed a successful career across a range of foodservice leading groups and chains across the region including Royal Catering, The Foodsters and Relish Consultancy.
With over 20 years' experience in restaurant openings, kitchen operations and franchising in both the UAE and abroad, Ahmad has run operations for well-known brands such as Just Falafel and has an extensive understanding of what it takes to develop and open new concepts as well as growing existing ones through organic growth and franchising.
As Head of Culinary and Operations, Ahmad heads up restaurants and kitchen operations coupled with in-depth knowledge of food and culinary arts.
Ahmad is an expert at creating and planning kitchen concepts and improving existing kitchen operations.
Elie Merhy
Partner
Head of Foodservice Consulting
Having started his career in restaurant, bar and street food operations Beirut, Elie later joined Hodema Consulting where he worked on developing various restaurants concepts in Lebanon, UAE, KSA, Kuwait and Egypt.
Since 2018, Elie moved to Dubai where he joined Crown Concepts Group, The Foodsters and Relish Consultancy to work on multiple restaurant concepts.
Holding a Masters in Foodservice and Management from ESCP Paris and Cornell Hotel School in New York, Elie is a visionary with a solid experience and a keen eye for detail when it comes to brand and concept development, creating food strategies, mentoring food teams as well as designing on-trend concepts, re-thinking existing offers, and enhancing customer experience through food and drink.
Mylene Verzosa
Quality and Training Consultant
Starting her career in restaurant management, Mylene has honed her culinary training into being a highly effective and modern thinking product development Chef.
Mylene has gained extensive experience in foodservice training and quality control – working directly with clients across a wide range of projects, from full recipe & menu development, to food safety practices, pre-opening setups, kitchen operations, training and concept launch.
Michael Sleiman
Architect and Interior Design Consultant
Leading a growing career in architecture and interior design, Michael is an architect with a passion for design and function.
Managing projects from conceptual design to development and execution, he assists teams in delivering successful F&B and retail designs by ensuring that the job meets the intended strategy and provokes a feel-good factor for the client.
Michael's career has led him to work with many leading F&B names and retailers such as Wooden Bakery and Patchi. His experience is shared with reputable suppliers and contractors in the Gulf and the Middle East and international brands and designers.