If you love any of the gourmet steak or seafood dishes that are exquisitely prepared and served at such 5-star Cairo establishments as the Four Seasons, JW Marriott, or Grand Hyatt, but prefer the atmosphere of a private and intimate dinner party chez toi, then you're in luck. The company that has been providing the best luxury hotels in Cairo with their high-end foods for the last 10 years has finally opened its doors - literally and figuratively - to individual customers. Gourmet Egypt first came to life in October 2006 under the direction of founder Jalal Abu Gazaleh. Gazaleh, who for over 10 years was a wholesale food supplier to luxury hotels in Cairo, created Gourmet Egypt in order to offer individual customers an outlet through which to purchase the finest foods available. With long-established relationships with international food vendor manufacturers, Gazaleh first set up shop through a call center to receive orders of hard-to-find luxury food items and deliver them crisp or frozen right to people's front doors. The launching of the home delivery food service was met with immediate success and experienced tremendous growth and increased sales simply by word of mouth. By 2007, plans were underway to open a walk-in grocery store and by early 2008, Gourmet Egypt set up shop for walk-in customers. While taking a tour of his Maadi-based shop - the only Gourmet Egypt grocery store currently open to the public - Gazaleh explained that the home delivery service evolved into an actual store because of the quality of the products sold and service offered. "The service level offered when placing an order through our call center should be no less than ordering room service at the world's finest hotels, reads the company's website. Consequently, the company did not need to advertise. The modern, state-of-the-art grocery store closely resembling the likes of well-established Whole Foods or Trader Joes, is a beautifully painted and arranged shop, in which all the various luxury food items are elegantly displayed. Gourmet Egypt sells much more than the average items on anyone's grocery list. Specializing in meat, seafood, pastas, and cheese Gourmet is relentless in expanding its selection. Regular trips overseas to search for new luxury foods are continuous in order to keep up with the growing demand. It is this dedicated effort to update and bring the finest selections of foods to the store that Gazaleh believes makes Gourmet Egypt so unique. "This store enhances your life through great food without hassles, adds Gazaleh. Well, all except one; the food is unprepared. But for many of Cairo's kitchen experts, this isn't a problem. A trip to the store reflects the excellent quality and high standards to which Gazaleh holds his products, service, and employees. The former head butcher for the Hyatt currently heads the meat department, in which fresh meat like kofta and bestseller Merguez sausages are prepared daily. Gourmet Egypt, according to Gazaleh, equally values excellent employee practices. Many of its employees are fresh graduates from universities across Cairo that are hand-picked and specially trained to work in the store. Employees are provided transportation to work, and everyone is on a first name basis. Even their business cards are absent of titles. Gazaleh believes this is essential to a successful business. "Happy people deliver good results, he says, adding that Gourmet Egypt's signature characteristic is that it supplies consistent quality, which would have been impossible if the staff hadn't been well-trained and well-treated. Some of the top sellers that customers should be sure to try are all of the freshly prepared meat, as well as frozen fish filets from Turkey, frozen Green Mussels from New Zealand, frozen salmon from Scotland, frozen red berries and assorted cheeses from France, as well as an intriguing black pasta featured in the center of the store known as "squid-ink spaghetti. All of the mentioned items come in various quantities though fresh meat can be purchased by a specifically desired cut or weight. All of the items are diverse in terms of pricing, ranging from LE 30 to over LE 300 a kg. Other featured items include freshly-made pasta flown in weekly from Italy; the Ravioli with Mascarpone cheese looked particularly delectable. Gourmet olives, sauces, and even deluxe BBQ sets are also available. In April and May alone, 30 new products were launched. In the store, routine temperature checks are performed repeatedly throughout the day to ensure that chilled and frozen foods are kept at the appropriate levels. The store also has an industrial strength generator that powers all the coolers, refrigerators, and registers in the store so that in case of any power outage or electrical failure, the quality of all of the food can be maintained. Something to watch out for this summer: Gourmet Egypt will expand its area of service by providing home delivery of its products to customers vacationing on the North Coast. The service will be available to vacationers Wednesdays through Fridays. If an order is placed by 9:30 pm, the items (whether chilled or frozen) will be delivered by 2 pm the next day by trucks specially equipped with both a freezer and a cooler. Home delivery in Cairo typically takes no more than three hours from ordering, depending on location and traffic. For more information please visit: http://www.gourmetegypt.comHome Delivery Service: 19339Location: 3 Badr Bldgs., Katameya Ring Road, Maadi, Cairo.
