Chef Nouel Catis and the global Dubai chocolate trend
In an ocean of evolving food tastes and defining trends, there are ripples and there are waves. But if there is a tsunami in the sea of chocolate, it’s that on which the Dubai chocolate phenomenon rides and there are no signs of abating any time soon.
No one could have anticipated how a simple combination of chocolate plus pistachios plus the Middle Eastern kanafe pastry would first take Dubai, then the rest of the world, by storm. Certainly not Pinoy chef Nouel Catis, who came up with this simply ingenious and delicious combination that has been imitated the world over. But it’s easy to see how only someone with his insights and mindset could have developed such a winning formula.
“I coined the term ‘heritage pastry chef’ on my own because I found out that if you want to be authentic, you need to attach yourself to your own heritage or the heritage of the population you’re serving,” explains Dubai-based chef Nouel when he was in Manila recently. “My formula is to ask what resonates with this population, and when you touch on the childhood memories, you will never go wrong.”
The flavor and crunch of Dubai chocolate are so appealing across cultures that even top Swiss chocolate brands like Laderach and Lindt have their take, not to mention the countless chocolate brands elsewhere that have found it wise to include a Dubai chocolate variant to help satisfy what looks like an insatiable demand. The global trend that Dubai chocolate created has led to pistachio shortages, and bakers are finding pistachio butters and pastes in short supply.
It’s no surprise that the Auro Dubai Chocolate bars, made in collaboration with chef Nouel, are flying off the shelves and other local chocolatiers have their own versions. And it’s not just chocolate bars or truffles. Shake Shack in the US has a Dubai chocolate-flavored shake. Here in Manila, there are many cakes inspired by the trend, with yummy versions from Chrisha’s Kitchen, Caramia, Aegyo, Conti’s—and those are only the ones I know of. Magnolia Bakery and Starbucks both have Dubai chocolate brownies. And social media is rife with videos and tutorials on how to make your own Dubai chocolate.
None of this would have happened had chef Nouel Catis not decided to pursue what he calls the Dubai dream. “Dubai is where big things happen and I have been ambitious ever since I was a kid. If you want to make a mark, better do it in Dubai,” relates chef Nouel.
It’s a twist of fate that got Chef Nouel on the path of desserts rather than cooking, which is the normal route of most chefs. “My mom inspired me with her cooking and baking because she had a restaurant back home in Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte while my Cebuano father is an architect,” says chef Nouel. “I tried cooking and I failed many times! So my siblings were telling me how awful my cooking was,” he recalls with a smile. “I never gave up. I tried baking and it turned out I was more of a natural when it came to baking because it’s more scientific.
“I had wanted originally to be a scientist,” he discloses. But his father wisely counseled, “You can be a scientist but you don’t need a degree. You can always invent.” He himself would come up with mechanical and electrical inventions, so it was his father who set him on an inventive path.
“Dubai was my first post when I worked overseas, at the Burj Al Arab, the only seven-star hotel at that time. I had a taste of what a seven star was like so when I left, I kept comparing. Nothing matched what I had in Dubai,” he explains. “If there’s a place to create with lots of pizazz, it should be Dubai because they can afford it, they have deep pockets.” In the meantime, he went to the US to study.
“I wanted more than just tempering chocolate,” he says of his classes at the French Culinary Institute of New York. “I would have wanted to learn more about flavors and combinations, textures. In our classes, I would go ahead of what the instructor was telling us to do. Then he would say, ‘Okay, Chef, you’re already doing something advanced and your classmates are focused on you.’”
Chef Nouel has learned to take obstacles in stride. “I read from a book that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” he says. “It became part of my dogma that when I encounter an obstacle, I don’t see it as defeat. You’re just redirected. When there’s a roadblock you need to leap or go around it to solve it. You need to be creative in finding solutions.”
He asserts, “I don’t take no for an answer easily, but if it is a no, there has to be another way to achieve the same success, even though not through the same path.” He adds reflectively, “It’s having that mindset, because I’m a very self-aware person. I always check my emotions, my mental health because the more you know about yourself, the more you’re in control of the outcome.”
Today, many older chefs find it a challenge to work with Gen Z staff because of the differences in values and attitudes, but not Chef Nouel. “Gen Z, they are the future,” he says. “I want to ride on the wave so I can adapt. Because I’m a millennial, I want to understand the internal working of the new generation to survive. I always think about Apple and Nokia and I want to be the Apple of the game instead of becoming obsolete.
“Today, we chefs can work 18 hours a day. Yes, you’re happy but you’re losing out on family, on friends. But for Gen Z, they need to have a work life balance. I’ve absorbed that and now I’m living life the Gen Z way, taking off time to relax. If this is the new perception of what life is like now, I want to be there as well because I want to stay relevant.
“In my company I adopted a five-day work week when we used to do six because I’m also adjusting to a better way of productivity. Nowadays with the traffic and technology, if there’s a better way of doing things and still getting the same results, let’s do that.”
Between chef Nouel and tree-to-bar global Pinoy brand Auro, you find a mutual admiration society. “I was so proud that finally, there was chocolate from the Philippines that’s doing really well. I saw their branding, I was so inspired by the visuals and I said I want to be part of this. I just want to be proud of my origins, of being Filipino and that’s why I brought their chocolate to Singapore when I had a master class there. I used their chocolate as the main subject and ever since, I’ve been rallying behind the brand.”
He opened their first Middle East franchise in Bahrain. The brand rallies behind him as well, and the success of their Dubai chocolate and Manila chocolate bars is a testament to Filipinos supporting other Filipinos.
Gen Z chefs have a lot that they can take away from Chef Nouel. “My two chefs are very young so they don’t have the experience yet, what they create showcases their skill but doesn’t resonate with who you’re serving. That comes with life experiences, with age, because as you grow you get more mature, you understand the world, the challenges.
Even if you read a lot, you have to go through experience. May hugot kailangan.
I like to think that the Dubai chocolate creation is Chef Nouel’s gift to the world because the whole world has run away with it. For an inventive, creative and artist chef set on finding better ways, Dubai chocolate is just the beginning. There’s no stopping this chef who isn’t fazed by setbacks. With an ocean of possibilities before him, he’s only just begun.
