ENNISMORE ANNOUNCES SARA AQEL AS EXECUTIVE CHEF OF FI'LIA GLOBALLY

Chef Aqel's new role will see her take charge of the growing culinary brand that champions women and celebrates a genuine approach to Italian cuisine with a hint of Mediterranean influence while continuing to lead Fi'lia Dubai

NEW YORK, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ennismore - the fastest-growing lifestyle hospitality company - today announces the appointment of Chef Sara Aqel as the global Executive Chef of Fi'lia, the award-winning Italian restaurant concept that continues to expand worldwide. The appointment will see Chef Aqel - the 26-year-old Palestenian-Jordanian Chef who trained with the team of Michelin star Chef Massimo Bottura - expand her current role from Chef de Cuisine of Fi'lia Dubai to now oversee sister Fi'lia locations in Miami's SLS Brickell and South Beach locations and SLS Baha Mar in the Bahamas, with a fifth location in Paris to open this year.

Chadi Farhat, Brand COO, Ennismore said: "We are very proud to see Sara expanding her role at Fi'lia as our new Executive Chef. Sara not only brings her leadership and culinary expertise to the team, but also her passion for bringing people together through authentic dining experiences."

Sara Aqel, Executive Chef, Fi'lia adds: "I'm very honored to continue my journey at Fi'lia as Executive Chef and I look forward to exploring even more opportunities to enhance the experiences of our guests with honest and innovative dishes."

In her role of Chef de Cuisine at the recently launched Fi'lia Dubai, Sara led a talented team of women, creating unique stories through her dishes and seeing potential in every ingredient in the kitchen. She has fond memories of cooking with her mother, which perfectly merged with Fi'lia's philosophy of Italian-Mediterranean food passed on from one generation of women to the next.

Honoring a genuine approach to Italian cuisine with a hint of Mediterranean influence, Fi'lia offers a warm setting where guests can savor honest Italian food made with fresh ingredients. Fi'lia's menu takes guests on a culinary story with a menu representative of three stages of womanhood; nonna, meaning grandmother in Italian, represents traditional Italian flavours, mamma, meaning mother, offers a contemporary twist on Italian classics, and finally, figlia, meaning daughter, showcases a modern approach to generational masterpieces.

Born and raised in Jordan and coming from a family who expressed their feelings through food, Sara discovered from an early age that cooking was her passion and something she wanted to pursue professionally. After graduating from high school, she went on to study at Les Roches Crans-Montana in Switzerland, one of the world's leading hospitality schools, with a focus on Culinary Arts and Hotel Management. During her time at Les Roches, she was the only student to be selected for an internship at the prestigious 'The Hong Kong Jockey Club' where she excelled. Following her time in Hong Kong, she successfully completed her studies - holding degrees from Les Roches, as well as the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts in Jordan. Prior to joining Fi'lia, Sara worked for a number of renowned establishments in the Middle East and most notably with Michelin-star crowned Chef Massimo Bottura, where her passion for Italian cooking was fully ignited and nurtured.

Ennismore is a creative hospitality company with a global collective of entrepreneurial and founder-built brands with purpose at their heart. It curates and manages unique properties and experiences in some of the most exciting destinations worldwide.

Founded in 2011 by entrepreneur Sharan Pasricha, Ennismore and Accor entered a joint venture in 2021 to create a new autonomous entity, with Accor holding a majority shareholding. Creating the world's fastest-growing lifestyle hospitality company, it brings together Ennismore's know-how in building brands with creative storytelling, design, and authentic experiences, with Accor's wealth of knowledge in delivering scale, network growth and distribution.

Under the leadership of Sharan Pasricha, Founder & Co-CEO, and Gaurav Bhushan, Co-CEO, Ennismore comprises 14 brands - with 90 operating properties and further 160 in the pipeline - and a collection of over 150 culturally relevant and diverse restaurants and nightlife destinations.

Ennismore puts innovation at the centre of everything it does, with four dedicated in-house specialist studios, which obsess every guest touchpoint including Carte Blanched – a fully integrated F&B concept platform; a creative studio of interior and graphic designers; a digital product and tech innovation lab, and a partnerships and collaborations division.

Ennismore has been included in Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies lists in 2020 and 2021; ranked#29 in FT1000: Europe's Fastest-Growing Companies; and is part of FT Future 100 - the UK's fastest-growing businesses that are shaping the future of their sector.

The Ennismore brands: 21c Museum Hotel, 25hours Hotels, Delano, Gleneagles, Hyde, J0&JOE, Mama Shelter, Mondrian, Morgans Originals, SLS, SO/, The Hoxton, TRIBE and Working From_. ennismore.com

Cara Chapman / Emily Venugopal at Bacchus Agency
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SOURCE Ennismore