"THE MAINE MAN" - *caterer me

Commercial developer, serial gastropreneur and all-around tastemaker, Joey has dedicated the past 15 years of his life to creating authentic & inspired experiences. His work on wildly popular concepts across two continents, have launched nearly a dozen dining fads and has been crowned the Top Restauranteur in the Middle East this year by Caterer Magazine which also recognized him as the 4th Most Powerful Independent Restauranteur in the Middle East in their yearly ‘Power 50’ issue for the impact he has made on the Middle East Dining Scene. Born in Montreal and raised in Dubai, Joey's love for the restaurant business started at the young age of 18 and has endured for over 20 years. He has worked his way up the ranks from busboy, to waiter, to manager to head of concept development and marketing for the Morentzos Restaurant Group (MRG), a Canadian based restaurant development company that has opened over 80 outlets since 1989.  After leaving MRG in 2010, Joey set his sights on his native Lebanon, where he created, owned and managed four unique concepts, namely Brgr Co, The Angry Monkey, Cro Magnon Steakhouse & Bar and St. Elmo’s Seaside Brasserie.

Joey moved to Dubai in 2014 to set up Fighterbrands Ltd., a restaurant development that developed The MAINE Oyster Bar & Grill, Dubai's first homegrown New England Seaside Brasserie. Inspired by the summers he spent vacationing in Vermont and Maine, Joey transformed an undesirable garage location into a city hot spot. Aside from being the owner operator, Joey also designed the space himself an was very involved in all aspects of brand creation, menu development, recruitment and training. Most recently, Joey developed BARBARY Deli + Cocktail Club which has already cemented itself as a bastion of  serious cocktails, excellent food and great music. Over the years Joey has combined the most sought after talent to create some of the most compelling and sustainable brands in the industry. Having earned a reputation for his ‘fearless creativity’, ‘keen intuition’ and entrepreneurial spirit, Joey founded FighterBrands in 2013 as a way to ‘pay forward’ his passion and experience in creating, building and activating brands. FighterBrands continuously benchmarks best practices and monitors market trends in retail design, branding, menu development, food styling and marketing strategy.

“A Feast For The Senses” - * Ahlan Magazine

Buried in the depths of Barsha Heights, BARBARY is a by-product of the tawdry values, brazen spirit and musical energy of the neighborhood. Equal parts cocktail bar, retro club and delicatessen the room is a decorous blend of clandestine bar naughtiness with an illicit parlor feel. The brainchild of Montreal gastropreneur, Joey Ghazal, BARBARY is inspired by the great clandestine Parisian bars of the 1930s with its wooden floorboards, cushy mid-century inspired sofas, checkered terrazzo tiles, red velvet curtains, crystal chandeliers and dim lace lamps, giving the space an illicit parlor opulence. Named after the most famous courtesan in history, Madame Du Barry, the last ‘maîtresse-en-titre’ of Louis XV of France, whose rivalry with another famous libertine, Marie Antoinette, is very well documented. 

Head Chef, Rob Rathbone, has sourced the most interesting, rare and delicious ingredients that are simply and beautifully prepared. Your typical neighborhood Deli, BARBARY’s menu features a variety of premium cured meats, market salads, sausages, artisan cheese, bread & dips, sandwiches, home pickled products, grilled meat, fish and smoked brisket. Originating from the French word délicatesse meaning ‘delicious things (to eat)’, the Delicatessen originated in Eastern Europe during the 1700s and was later popularized in American Culture in the late 1800s. Master mixologists, will dazzle you with their skill and alchemy. Choose from a dizzying array of signature cocktails with names like the Bitter Suite, Mint to Be, the One Hot Ginger, the Pinky Swear, the Dirty Deli Martini and the Bloody Bary. DJs spin a delicious revival of 70’s and 80’s disco with a synthesizer twist, also known as Nu Disco or Electro Disco. With Theme nights like ‘Hotel Amour’ Thursdays, ‘Disco Pink’ Fridays and ‘Je T’aime’ Tuesdays, Dubai’s ‘It crowd’ can revel in the glow of BARBARY’s neon light.

YOU, ME, OUI….

www.barbary.ae

“CRO MAGNON MAHOGANY PANELLING AND POTTED PALMS COULD BE STRAIGHT OUT OF 1930S CHICAGO” - *Wallpaper

Opened in December 2011, CRO MAGNON Steakhouse & Bar marked the triumphant arrival of the boisterous American glamor steakhouse to Beirut’s Zaitunay Bay Marina.n Aptly named after the caveman era this carnivore haven is the epitome of hyper-macho OTT. Specializing in gargantuesque portions of Dry-aged USDA Prime Beef, bold cabernets, premium cigars, live jazz and an impressive array of fresh seafood. Developed by Montreal pit master, Joey Ghazal, CRO MAGNON is pure theatre and a destination hotspot for scenesters, surf n’ turfers, corporate expense accounters, accidental tourists and the Blackberry-pecking lunch crowd this bustling white-cloth eatery boasts an ambitious portfolio of International wine, a retail butcher, a felliniesque theatre kitchen, cigar bar and a hyper-attentive service staff that will tend to your every whim.  

Architect extra-ordinaire, Nabil Dada and concept developer, Joey Ghazal have conceived a jaw dropping industrial aesthetic and meatpacking vibe, shrouded in a carefully calibrated neo-speakeasy gloom. Vaulted Brass ceilings crown darkly polished mahogany-paneled walls hung with oil paintings of tuxedo-clad jazz musicians. Chesterfield leather banquets line the space with crisp white tables and sparkling Chinaware, giving a sense of order being restored. “We wanted to go for something very industrial, like a dockyard”, says Ghazal in an interview with the New York Times. What will stun, fool, bewitch, and ultimately obsess you are the lethal modern touches to this institutional haunt, such as the towering 500 bottle wine cellar, the open exhibition grill and the back-lit bar displaying a plethora of single malts. Inspired by the great steakhouse tradition of New York and Chicago of the 1930’s and 40’s, where bankers, politicians and mobsters would congregate to feast on the spoils of their success, CRO MAGNON is about living large. Big Steaks, big wine and big cigars, CRO is synonymous with a celebration of life and is a signature of timeless steakhouse TRADITION, STYLE, EXPERIENCE and VALUE. 

RARE EXPERIENCES,

WELL DONE…..

“ With its sleek decor and lobster rolls... reminiscent of Martha’s vineyard” - * The New York Times

An escape from the dreary restaurant grind, St. ELMO’S serves elevated pub grub in a retro-urban seaside setting. Packed with crowd pleasing New England fare like the rich and gooey mac-and-cheese, the classic fish & chips, New England lobster roll, fresh shucked oysters and the famous soft center chocolate chip cookie, St. ELMO’S has managed to capture the elusive style and spirit of the perfect ‘day at the bay’!. Developed by Montreal gastropreneur, Joey Ghazal, the first location opened in 2011 on the picturesque Zaitunay Bay in Beirut. “I wanted a place where sailors would come to meet girls” says Ghazal, who is referring to his inspiration for the nautical look that is simultaneously rough and quaint, in a struggling-artist sort of way.

Named after the patron saint of sailors, SAINT ELMO’S is designed by interior architect Aal Chammaa Batal and enfant terrible, Joey Ghazal. St. ELMO’S is slavishly decorated with the kind of carefully distressed vintage stuff that Joey and his friends scavenged at back alley garage sales and flea markets. Happy Hour at ELMO’S rises to a fever pitch as diligent booze hounds drink their woozie way with bone-warming speciality cocktails like the Signature Bloody Maria, the pitchers of Sangria, Margaritas and other house elixirs. By far the buzziest brunch in Beirut, the monthly Champagne Brunch Party is where Beirut's fashionistas flock to strut their stuff. DJ Richie, the original pirate from BCE, anchors the decks with his band of misfits downing hangover cocktails and Moet by the boat load.

ALL ABOARD….

“Top 5 Restaurants in Lebanon” - *Monocle

Food snobs have been pontificating on the future of posh dining in Beirut’s booming culinary scene for years. But if you want a first-hand glimpse at the shift from four-star soufflés to a more elemental style of cooking, look no further than BRGR Co, the classic throwback burger joint. Celebrity chef, Hussein Hadid and Par Contre restaurant group teamed up with Montreal concept developer, Joey Ghazal to create this heart-felt homage to the humble hamburger. Gourmet chef, Hussein Hadid, has renounced the usual fanfare to create this back-to-basics, bohemian style burger-keep. You may be asking yourself, what's Lebanon’s premier chef doing serving stacks of onion rings and hunks of unadulterated Prime burgers? Giving the people what they want, bien sur. 

Beirut’s dirty little secret, the menu of BRGR Co is a veritable ne plus ultra of comfort food, where ladies of leisure, accidental tourists, midnight habitués and Industry moguls converge on this unapologetic greasy-spoon to celebrate. The delicious details are what set these babies apart: Patties are made from a custom blend of fresh-ground, seasoned, juicy chuck topped with the pungent taste of aged American cheddar, in between burger-bun perfection. BRGR Co is designed as a former butcher shop turned burger joint, with a weathered feeling that harks back to another time.  Counter seating runs along the edge of the open exhibition kitchen, where burgers are flame grilled, swaddled in wax paper, and then delivered table-side with shakes that make your head spin.

BRGRLISCIOUS!....

“My Friends Know how I like to make a big statement” - *Remy Martin One Life Campaign

In partnership with leading french cognac house Remy Martin, Joey Ghazal gives you a little sneak peak into his life. "Life would be no fun if I didn't celebrate the small successes" says Joey: “True success is about achieving true balance". Words to live by… See more here.