Nicolas Audi Catering, renowned for its signature finesse and devotion to perfection, is venturing into the frozen ready-meal market thanks to the vision of Karim Audi, who is propelling his father’s legacy forward. With a degree in hospitality management from Glion Institute of Higher Education and eight years’ experience working for his father, Nicolas Audi, he decided to launch the new product line “Ready To Eat Just Heat” by Nicolas Audi.
- Tell us about your newly launched product line and the inspiration behind it.
Nicolas Audi Catering’s new retail product, “Ready To Eat Just Heat” by Nicolas Audi, is a frozen ready-meal selection inspired by our dishes. Each dish can feed up to two persons. The box contains two frozen vacuumed sealed bags, which need to be dipped in boiling water for 15 minutes, before being cut open and served.
The idea came during the COVID-19 lockdown, as we were trying to come up with sales alternatives to survive the economic crisis that ravaged the country. Someone very close to me proposed the idea, and I developed it.
- How are you planning to distribute the product locally and/or internationally? What is your strategy?
The product is now available locally; we are currently distributing it to Spinneys branches. In the coming weeks, it will be available online and other points of sale. Our main goal is to sell internationally; we are currently working on export deals and are open to new offers. We will release new kinds and flavors in the coming months.
About author
Rita Ghantous
Rita Ghantous is a hospitality aficionado and a passionate writer with over 9 years’ experience in journalism and 5 years experience in the hospitality sector. Her passion for the performance arts and writing, started early. At 10 years old she was praised for her solo performance of the Beatles song “All My Love” accompanied by a guitarist, and was approached by a French talent scout during her school play. However, her love for writing was stronger. Fresh out of school, she became a freelance journalist for Noun Magazine and was awarded the Silver Award Cup for Outstanding Poetry, by The International Library of Poetry (Washington DC). She studied Business Management and earned a Masters degree from Saint Joseph University (USJ), her thesis was published in the Proche-Orient, Études en Management book. She then pursued a career in the hospitality industry but didn’t give up writing, that is why she launched the Four Points by Sheraton Le Verdun Newsletter. Her love for the industry and journalism led her to Hospitality Services - the organizers of the HORECA trade show in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan, as well as Salon Du Chocolat, Beirut Cooking Festival, Whisky Live and other regional shows. She is currently the Publications Executive of Hospitality News Middle East, Taste & Flavors and Lebanon Traveler. It is with ultimate devotion for her magazines that she demonstrates her hospitality savoir-faire.
