Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2024
• First Four Seasons Position: Current

Employment History

• Wisk Foodstuff Trading, Dubai; Maison Mons Fromager Affineur, Saint-Haon-le-Chatel, France; Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, France; Gerant Fromagerie du Cannet, France; Restaurant La Palme d’Or, Hotel Martinez, Cannes, France; La Cote Saint-Jacques, Joigny, France; Chateau de Gilly, Gilly-lès-Citeaux, France; Hintlesham Hall Hotel, Ipswich, England; Chateau d’Artigny & Spa, Montbazon, France; The Lygon Arms Hotel, Broadway, England; Saint Pierre Park Hotel, Saint-Pierre-Port, Guernesey

Education

• Certificate and BAC+2, Restaurant Management, Lycée Hotelier Alienor D’Aquitaine, Poitiers, France; Wine degree, Tours, France

Birthplace

• Poitiers, France

Languages Spoken

• French, English, a bit of Italian

Roaming between tables high above the capital of Saudi Arabia, it is not enough for Philippe Caillouet to know that the initial tastes of cheese he serves will open a world of sensations on the palates of guests at Café Boulud Riyadh. He is equally cognizant of second tastes – and others that follow. “Consistency is very important for cheese,” he says of his role as Cheesemonger of the modern restaurant serving Chef Daniel Boulud’s twists on French cuisine at Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre. “From the products we source, to the care we bring them, and the knowledge we share with our guests, there is no cutting corners when it comes to cheese.”

Philippe has spent the better part of his four-decade hospitality career taking cheese seriously, and his expertise is sought in Europe and across the Middle East. In the bustling ‘Cheese & Wine Library’ of the first Café Boulud in the Middle East, he attends to guests like a sommelier, enquiring of their tastes, sizing up their adventurousness, and considering what they’re having for mains and drinking from the bar. Proper pairing is essential for cheese, he says, noting that the restaurant’s extensive cold cuts and non-alcoholic wine offerings “push us to try new things.”

Important, too, are proper serving temperatures, accompaniments, and presentations on the plate. Such considerations go a long way with Four Seasons clientele. “There are many people from Saudi Arabia who know more about Switzerland than I do,” Philippe notes with a laugh of his source country for Gruyere, Vacherin Mont d’Or, and the like.

There are some 60 varieties of cheese in Philippe’s caves at Café Boulud Riyadh, all imported directly from producers across Europe that he has known and worked with for years. Meantime, he is impressed with the service team’s enthusiasm for new arrivals, offering him opportunity to sharpen their tastebuds and broaden their knowledge. “I always prefer to aid in the growth of my colleagues.”

Hailing originally from the city of Poitiers along the river Clain in west-central France, Philippe was drawn to the service side of hospitality by the scope of responsibilities shared among those who make the front of the house flow. “Managers on the service side must know history, culture, and products, as well as how to communicate with the kitchen and train others,” he says, adding he found that far more appealing than sitting behind a desk.

Following study in restaurant management, Philippe plunged into the hotel scene in various regions of France before settling down in the French Riviera for a seven-year spin managing a Michelin two-star restaurant in Cannes. He was well prepared for success, having just been anointed with a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, a national recognition of excellence in service craftsmanship identifiable by the tri-coloured collar he still wears on his chef coat.

A student of wine throughout his career, Philippe realized early that his studies deepened his interest in cheese. “They’re very similar: One is dependent on terroir; the other on cattle and the grass they consume.” As his knowledge in the latter grew, he tapped connections with producers to launch a cheese shop in Cannes that became a favourite of organizers of notable events such as the Monaco Grand Prix and the Cannes Film Festival, as well as of yacht owners who sailed into the French Riviera from around the world.

Finally, in 2020, Philippe became Cheese Atelier Manager of Wisk Foodstuff Trading, a fourth-generation family business in Dubai that specializes in importing top-of-the-line food products for distribution in the Middle East. With his deep background at hospitality, his transition to Cheesemonger of Café Boulud Riyadh was as smooth as mascarpone.

The cheese that Philippe imports for Café Boulud Riyadh can be enjoyed as a course all its own, as a key ingredient in many dishes on the main menu, as well as to purchase to “take home” along with cold cuts, breads, and more from the Cheese & Wine Library. He also contributes his expertise and products to other onsite dining experiences, including private tasting events and cheese masterclasses, available at the Hotel.

“Again, it all goes back to consistency,” he concludes. “We want our guests to know they can expect the same high level of cheese, whatever their appetite.”