Manuel Olveira Seller has been appointed as the head chef of the soon-to-open Le Cirque Dubai - a branch of the iconic New York restaurant Le Cirque - located in the Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

Born in Spain, Seller began to craft his culinary skills during an internship at a traditional family owned restaurant in 1999. Since then, he has accumulated over 15 years’ experience in global hospitality at some of the world’s most exquisite restaurants. His expertise lies in the application of new techniques, Mediterranean, South American and Indian cuisine and the creation of desserts.

His career began at Spanish restaurant El Locum, located in Toledo Spain, where Seller worked as chef de partie, developing his culinary skills that he would carry with him throughout his career. In 2006, he went on to be offered a role as head chef at El Palacete, where he managed a team of four chefs who worked to ensure that new standards of quality control were implemented throughout the restaurant, as well as on the creation of a new menu.

Seller’s career accelerated vastly when he began to work for award winning gastronomic outlet, Vivir El Vino, directed by Michelin-Starred Chef Pepe Rodriguez. As head chef, he perfectly managed both banqueting and normal service, as well as being responsible for menu development, budgeting and staff development,

In 2009 he took on a role at two Michelin-Starred restaurant Sergi Arola Gastro in Madrid. This was a pivotal role in Manuel’s career as he progressed from chef de partie to sous chef in just over a year and amassed numerous new skills that included managing a team of eight chefs and adapting to the standards of a management chef within a Michelin-Starred kitchen.

After completing four years at Sergi Arola Gastro, Seller was offered not only a career changing but a life changing role at Arola Bar and Restaurant in Mumbai, India, where he joined the pre-opening team to become chef de cuisine. On accepting this role, menu creation, kitchen design, the hiring and management of eight new chefs and the creation of quality control, were all tasks that he could add to his already measureless portfolio.

Moving to the Middle East in 2016, Manuel took the role of chef de cuisine at 55&5th The Grill at St Regis, Abu Dhabi. His role took a new path to include media relations on behalf of the outlet, organisation of culinary photoshoots, the creation of culinary promotions to include Friday brunch, managing food costing and budget and working directly with the procurement team to guarantee quality control.

Manuel has brought his impressive collection of skills and experience to the pre-opening team at Le Cirque in the role of head chef. “Food is my passion and having the opportunity to work with the team in New York to develop a menu that reflects the current UAE market has been a personal challenge, yet thoroughly rewarding. We’ve developed some truly distinctive dishes that will become signatures of the Dubai venue." - TradeArabia News Service