Three top international chefs with Michelin star experience have teamed up with the fast-growing healthy and sustainable restaurant franchise concept eeetwell in its exciting mission to transform the fast food industry. Talented ambassadors Charbel Hayek, Luke Piscopo and Nabil Bakouss describe their plans to cook up a storm with a mouthwatering array of dishes
IT’S a concept that’s causing a stir in the fast food sector – providing health-conscious consumers with a range of nourishing food, juices and smoothies made from scratch using fresh, seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients.
With reports that the UK is continuing to favour more healthy choices over processed foods at home and in restaurants in 2024, there’s no better time for fast-casual restaurant eeetwell’s healthy eating message to resonate with audiences.
Its colourful menu features nourishing salads, warm bowls, flavoursome wraps and filling soups and is changed four times a year to match the seasons, ensuring all ingredients are harvested at their prime for the best levels of flavour and nutrients.
The international franchise company’s passionate team is at the forefront of this food revolution, with founder Ammar Soltan building on its success since first launching in Malta in 2015. With 19 venues now on the island, there are further branches in Italy, France, Belgium and Dubai – and most recently in Libya and London’s Notting Hill.
The brand has been joined by three top-rated chefs with impressive worldwide credentials and the ability to capture foodies’ imaginations with fresh and vibrant food that is also kind to the planet:
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Lebanon-born Charbel Hayek fell in love with cooking through his mum, a private chef, and decided to follow in her footsteps. After working in Lebanon and Paris, he headed to Los Angeles, honing his skills at the two-Michelin star Mélisse. A winner of Top Chef Middle East, Charbel has 150,000 followers on Instagram and now has his own LA restaurant, Ladyhawk.
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Luke Piscopo started his career as a chef in Malta, where he later opened his own restaurant. Developing a passion for creating beautiful desserts in a stint as a teenage pastry chef in the UK, Luke later developed his a la carte skills at the highly influential Michelin-star tapas restaurant Tickets in Barcelona, run by Albert Adrià and his brother Ferran, the masterminds of the legendary restaurant El Bulli.
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North African-born Nabil Bakouss first gained experience in major hotel restaurants in Italy before working for Italian Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur Giorgio Locatelli in London. After a period in Australia, Nabil returned to Italy and a place at Joia, the first vegetarian restaurant in Europe to be awarded a Michelin star. The former Top Chef contestant – and previous CousCous Fest World Champion – is now based in Dubai.
The eeetwell concept is causing a stir in the fast food world. The company says the majority of its stores are operated by some of the best franchise operators in the business.
Here’s how the mission of its three highly-regarded chefs – to take sustainable, wholesome eating to a new level for eeetwell – is unfolding…
Why did you join eeetwell?
“Great chefs respect and enjoy good food, whether that’s healthy options, street food or fine dining from a Michelin-starred chef,” says Charbel. “I don’t label myself and just want to be part of a great company with a caring ethos – as long as the food is made from the heart, I want to be a part of it.” m
Luke said: “So many people have a misconception about healthy food and think it won’t taste good but that’s so wrong. Vegetables are the best produce and I want to show how amazing they can taste. Ammar is a long-time friend who has achieved so much – it’s exciting to be part of the journey.”
Nabil said he did not hesitate to jump on board when Ammar explained the concept “in a very passionate way”. He added: “As chefs, we have a big responsibility to spread the message about sustainable and healthy eating. Working with eeetwell will show people how they can eat good food every day that is nutritional and packed with flavour and texture.”
How does your involvement with eeetwell work?
“People have different tastes and preferences depending on where they live, so we decided on a menu design strategy that gives 60% to international dishes, with 40% specifically for that country,” explained Luke. “We’re excited to see how each country’s menu choices are received once we have built up the data.”
“The company is devoted to producing outstanding food,” says Nabil. “I visited Malta and met the farmers producing these amazing, seasonal products and I realised this was being taken to another level.”
Charbel added: “We’re all friends who work well together. It has been a joy creating the menus and impressive to know that eeetwell always does tasting sessions with suppliers, customers and partners to gain valuable feedback on the dishes.”
What trends are you currently seeing in hospitality?
“People are shifting more into trying to be healthy, eating organic and seasonal foods, fresh vegetables and understanding the importance of vitamins – I think this will only continue to grow over the next ten years,” says Charbel.
“People have less time to cook these days – they want to access food quickly but they also want it to be healthy, particularly for their children,” adds Nabil. “We’re providing a service for those who want to eat well. We are a team of chefs who want to cook for you with passion and love.”
How can we incorporate healthy food choices into our daily lives?
“People need something light for lunch if they are working, so have a look at what seasonal, fresh ingredients are available,” advises Nabil. “Also, frozen fruit is a huge time-saver and great for smoothies. Save time by using an air fryer in your daily food preparation.”
“I’m a big fan of farmers’ markets – I always look for local produce in Malta and like to know where it has come from,” says Luke. “Buy groceries once a week instead of every two or three days, try to use fresh meat and fresh or frozen vegetables. Avoid preserved foods, sugar, salt and ingredients that you just don’t need to eat.”
How important is sustainability?
“Seasonality and sustainability go hand in hand,” says Luke. “It’s easy for us to be creative with fresh and healthy food where there isn’t a huge supply chain involved. Seasonal items don’t need to be expensive.
“I think we are facing big changes in the world with people turning to good food and exercise to help them deal with mental health issues, for example. And it’s easier to order a take-out than going to the supermarket to get all the ingredients to cook something.”
Nabil adds: “We need to keep the artisanal and farming sectors alive – they produce fresh and local food while considering how they have left the land for future generations. Huge amounts of land are used for mass production, but we can’t keep doing this – we need to consider the kind of future world we want to live in.”
Next steps for eeetwell
The collaboration with three such talented chefs is a game-changer for eeetwell, as it takes its franchise business to the next level, says Ammar Soltan, the company’s founder.
“They are superstars of the kitchen who are passionate about food and creating menus that capture the essence of each country’s fresh, seasonal and healthy flavours,” says Ammar. “Their first menu was a huge hit – the bakery in all our stores sold out on the first day.
“It’s been wonderful to work with them as they have so many creative ideas – their attention to detail is incredible. We call them ‘The Three Musketeers’ and we have had a lot of fun.
The brand’s new summer menu was the latest project spearheaded by the trio, with the popular Summer Melon Salad perfect for the warmer weather, drawing on local partnerships to include melon, cucumber, kale, crumbled feta, croutons, black olives and cherry tomatoes, topped with a maple balsamic dressing.
Eeetwell is keen to expand the brand further in the UK – where it first launched 10 months ago – and in Belgium and the Middle East, following a new launch in Libya this spring.
The company is proud of assembling a first-rate collection of franchise operators who are passionate about spreading its healthy eating message and willing to invest in a cleaner, healthier future for the food industry.
“We have some top operators working with us, which illustrates the willingness and excitement investors have towards championing this type of business model,” says Ammar.
He says eeetwell is also eyeing up the US market later this year, where tech start-ups are leveraging AI and blockchain management to track the sources of food. He adds: “Transparency about where food comes from and its nutritional information is a mega trend for the future, along with the personalisation of people’s food choices.
“Consumers are also generally shifting away from businesses without a purpose, towards brands that are a force for good – that’s how we see eeetwell continuing to succeed.”
To find out more about eeetwell UK, visit: https://www.eeetwell.com/