Whether he’s donating meals to those in need or teaching children to make better food choices from a young age, Russell Impiazzi shows no sign of slowing down. He tells us what he’s doing with the wider community to instil change
I don’t know what I’m cooking today,” says Russell Impiazzi, with a cheeky grin, before we sit down for a chat about all things sustainability and food. “I’ll see what I can find and we’ll rustle up something.”
Getting creative with ingredients has been an integral part of Russell’s journey as a chef. From working as an intern to a sous chef in London, Russell landed in Dubai in 1996 and never left – except for two departures to the Bahamas and London, where he was during the Covid lockdown. He returned to Dubai in early 2021 as executive chef for Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk, where he has made a significant move towards using local and sustainable ingredients along with wins in the fight against food waste.
Sustainability, he says, has always been at the back of his mind. Russell says, “I don’t really care how much a product costs. I want to know who is behind it, where it came from, who the farmer is and what are their ethics? I’m not interested in mass industrialisation of food because that’s destroyed the planet and we’ve got to get away from that.”
He’s putting these beliefs into practice at his hotel where he has driven change on many fronts including reducing food waste. “When I first started, we were processing around 2 tonnes of recycling a month and the rest was going to landfill. We touched 10 tonnes of recycling last month and that’s purely by talking about it and bring awareness campaigns in place. That’s a huge win in my book.”
The hotel also works with the UAE Food Bank where in addition to donating food surplus that fits the bank’s stringent guidelines, the team also creates meals for those in need. Recounting a story where he found hard-to-sell produce at a supplier’s warehouse, the chef now receives “the most random delivery” a few times a week with produce that otherwise would end up in the bin. That produce is used to create meals donated to the Food Bank; the hotel has served nearly 7,000 meals in the last year. “What’s been great about it is the buy-in from the team has organically grown, where it wasn’t really me saying we have to do this. The team is driving it now,” he says proudly.
He continues, “It’s the same approach if you’re cooking for a top VIP paying 20,000 USD a night or someone who hasn’t been employed in the last 18 months. It’s that same respect of food and it’s same intention.”
His respect for produce paired with his dedication towards making sure everyone – including children – are eating good food is why he worked with Spinneys’ Farm to Table on The Veg Pledge in December 2021, where he visited schoolchildren and showed them how to use veggies in fun ways. Russell says, “If we don’t engage with children from an early age about fruits and vegetables and stop driving a heavy meat and fish protein diet, we are in trouble because ultimately they are tomorrow’s guests.”
The idea of these initiatives is to encourage children to make the right food choices from an early age, he says, and that the message needs to be consistent across schools, at home, and even in restaurants. To that end, the children’s menus at his hotel have been redeveloped to be more conscious and intentional about their food. He adds, “We all have a responsibility to drive a better message of alternative proteins and I’m talking about embracing fresh produce. That for me is the goal.”
