I’ve been thinking of how to make my blog more meaningful so I personally will love to read it over and over again. I want something natural and unique which is hard to find. Suddenly i got this idea to interview some of my friends, ex-bosses and clients. Of course these people are ordinary in the way they look but they did (and still continue doing) extra ordinary things with their life. They have changed my outlook about life. Some I directly worked with, some are through my observation seeing how they do things. They are close to me to the extend i can call them and have a quick chat on anything including business. I started with my partner in Indonesia, now I have a long waiting list of what’s next to interview. I am glad to have them around and to have my life path crosses with them 🙂 I don’t know what to call it, i put it simply “People That Make Big Difference” in short (PTMBD).
And i recently finished an interview with Huza Radzi of Westin Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This guy is remarkable. We used to work together where he was my boss. We worked at Lafite Restaurant, Shangri-la Hotel Kuala Lumpur at the beginnning of the New Millenium, 2002. I met this guy by chance but the job was by recommendation from my ex-insurance agent. Lafite, is “d” place to be in Malaysia, particularly in Kuala Lumpur because of it’s prestige. It used to offer classic French fine-dining menu coupled with long list of some of the most prestigious wine in the world. When i worked with Huza, I was only a waiter and later sommelier to be! Hah! With the Lafite team, we’ve experienced a lot of events. I missed Le Cirque which was done the previous year before i joined. But i enjoyed working on Dom Perignon where we invited the Chef de Cave of Dom, next was serving Chateau Lafite Rothschild by the glass (we sold many of them!), Christies event with Michael Broadbent (Senior Consultant @ Christies London Wine Department), Torbreck event with David Powell (a year before the Torbreck of Barossa Valley famous for its 98 points “RunRig” in Wine Spectator Review), Winemaker from Stellenbosch, South Africa (which i’ve forgotten the name), Adelphi Restaurant from Australia (now called Ezard from the chef’s name, Teage Ezard (that year this restaurant won some recognition internationally), Ritz Paris (the Best Palace Hotel Paris and the place where Auguste Escoffier was the Head Chef in that hotel) and many more events. I was there for around 2 years, and look how many events did I went through? Huza was the man behind all these wonderful events. Seriously.
One day i decided to leave and chasing other career. I want to be a corporate man and hence i left the hotel business. Huza asked a meet up few days before my departure and we had a very long chat for 3 hours in a private room next to the best in KL wine cellar, the room is called ‘Oenotheque”. Cool name right? After that event, i told myself this guy (Huza) is truly different person and from that moment onwards we keep each other updated until i so called invent this blog. I asked Huza, i wanted contribute back to the F&B industry but i dont know how. I think Huza can do it, but he is also clueless where to start. You see, F&B in Malaysia is not as grandeur as in Paris, London, Hong Kong or New York. Its still growing, slowly but surely. We also lack body of knowledge about the leadership behind it. Since I am in the business of leadership, marketing and management i give it a head start.
I am in my final stage of the interview script. The interview session was conducted over lunch in Kuala Lumpur. It lasted for nearly 2 hours. I edited the script for crisp and proper context. We talked a lot of things from business, personal and some off the record. We shared experiences and i am truly glad to be doing this. i hope this interview would give somehow contribution back to the F&B and i really hope to do more about this industry within my own capacity in the near future.
Watch out my latest post “Interview with Huza Radzi of Westin Kuala Lumpur” soon. Cheers!
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