French caterer brings princely party food to Abu Dhabi table

PARIS // Potel et Chabot, France's oldest and most upmarket gastronomic outside catering company, is in talks to open an office in Abu Dhabi next year. The company, which was founded in 1820 by a pastry chef and a cook, arranges the food and beverages at all the prestigious events in Paris, including parties for Chanel, Hermes and the Biennale des Antiquaires. It has even cooked for the tsars of Russia, and this spring arranged a wedding party that included the cooking of El Bulli's Ferran Adria Acosta, the world's top-rated chef, for a prestigious client in the UAE.

"We bring 3-star Michelin chefs for parties of 1,000 people or more," said Franck Jeantet, the chief operating officer of Potel et Chabot. "We are hoping to bring the French savoir-faire to Abu Dhabi, creating style with a base of French gastronomy, featuring chefs such as Joel Robuchon, Alain Dutournier and Gilles Tournadre." The company is in talks with an investor in Abu Dhabi, which it hopes to conclude by next year.