The Middle East culinary landscape continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, and behind its most seamless operations are visionary leaders working tirelessly behind the scenes. At the 9th Middle East Chef Excellence Awards 2026, organized by Hozpitality Group, Basheer Mohammad Salem Abu Abdo, Executive Chef at Kitopi, was officially recognized as Commended in the highly competitive Executive Chef of the Year – Institutional Catering category.

This recognition highlights Chef Basheer’s outstanding ability to manage massive, multi-market culinary infrastructures. Recently named one of the Top 30 Culinary Leaders in the Middle East for 2026, Chef Basheer is a Worldchefs Certified Executive Chef (WCEC) and an international culinary judge with over 16 years of global hospitality experience spanning the GCC, UK, and USA.

Before driving massive growth at Kitopi, the world's leading tech-powered multi-brand kitchen network, Chef Basheer honed his leadership as Head Chef for AWJ Investments LLC in Dubai and co-founded Hamamah Al Salam Restaurant in Jordan. Today, he commands a powerhouse team of over 200 culinary professionals across four countries, mastering the delicate balance of menu engineering, cost optimization, and rigorous brand standards across cloud kitchen ecosystems and modern dining concepts.

Institutional and large-scale catering requires a rare blend of stringent quality control, technological adaptability, and unwavering consistency under intense pressure. This Commended placement at the Hozpitality Group awards serves as a proof to Chef Basheer's dedication to elevating smart gastronomy and mentoring the next generation of culinary talent in the region.