A BUSINESS THAT CARES

This is the story of a wonderful group of people, with passion and vision not just for what they do, but for the community they live and do business in.

Because life is too short to just do one thing, and because I have always been passionate about knowing food, and making the food I know I like, in the past couple of years I have enjoyed a part-time evening job at one of the most special restaurants in Bucharest - KAIAMO. I had heard of them, of how they treat the food - ingredients, process of making the food - what/how they serve their clients, as well as about the chef working there. Radu Ionescu, a Le Cordon Bleu Institute graduate, with a Grand Diplôme de Cuisine et Pâtisserie, inspired me not just through his cooking skills, but also his journey: how he started without haughtiness, from small restaurants, he progressed to working in the kitchens of 5-Star hotels, culminating with a period of working in the kitchen of the famous chef Ollie Dabbous, at his extravagant location awarded 1 Michelin star.

I was looking for a place that would inspire me, that encompassed the care for the local & genuine ingredients and tradition, design and architecture, taste and character, but also the love for people: the ones who worked and served, as well as the people choosing this place to enjoy an exceptional experience. This was KAIAMO.

Since my recent assignment at Raiffeisen Bank, I don’t have the time to keep working regularly at KAIAMO, but have remained in touch with the team, visiting from time to time, making food with  them, and finding inspiration. During COVID-19 pandemic, they closed down for business, just like all restaurants and cafés all over Romania and in most countries globally. I had one more reason for inspiration and pride of being part of this group of amazing people when they decided to embark on a special project: meals for people who in the pandemic crisis days were serving in the health centers, on the streets, etc.

The initiative started on Good Friday, 17th April. The Kaiamo team knew there were other businesses (our alumni Red Angus Steakhouse, for example) preparing and delivering food for medical staff in various hospitals and they realized that there were also other teams, quite as important as medical teams. Easter celebration is very important for so many people around the world, as well as for Romanian people, and this year it was going to be very different for us all. They started to cook and deliver food to the authorities involved in keeping all of us safe during this global pandemic, to those overseeing the empty streets of our capital, whilst making sure we will be able to overcome this difficult time in our life.

“It was give-back time, we did not know how and when our businesses would open, but we knew there were people serving non-stop on various fronts, who needed help and support, and we could not sit and watch. We decided it was time we brought our input to the authorities in the front line confronting the Coronavirus in Bucharest. Just as vulnerable, fragile and exposed as all doctors and nurses of our country. Amongst the ones in need, we addressed:

• SMURD & Emergency Services

• NATIONAL POLICE (POLITIA NATIONALA)

• BORDER POLICE (POLITIA DE FRONTIERA)”

- Radu Ionescu,

Owner & Chef of Kaiamo

This campaign went on until May 17th, 2020, with more than 6000 meals prepared and delivered. In this initiative they teamed up with their partners from Metaminds, a Romanian company with over 10 years of excelling in integrating IT Solutions, we were able to offer up to 400 menus/ day to these front-line heroes”.

George Mucibabici Jr.
Vice President, Alumni Association &
Alumni Business Community Coordinator

with support from
Fabiana Papastefani

 

READ THE ENTIRE WORLD MAGAZINE WINTER 2020 EDITION ON ISSUU: