Connect with us

What's up TV

Biota: The Safe Haven You longed for it to Reopen

Published

on

A while ago, Cairo residents lost one of their favorite places when both Seqouia and Left Bank shut down, which housed most our memories and was a safe haven to many. We then waited eagerly for another place to take over and replace our memories with new ones and a few months back, our patience was rewarded when we were greeted with the replacement, Biota. It was after all, the location itself that we held very dearly and Biota certainly didn’t disappoint and met our high expectations.


After visiting the place, we had several questions spiraling through our minds and luckily we got the chance of interviewing the man behind it all and getting to know how he managed , at a young age, to replace a beautiful place with an even more mesmerizing one.

Here is what Omar Salem, the managing director, had to say about his success!
We started by asking the obvious which is how he was able to start off such a successful business, turns out it’s a family business that he was part of since 2015 when they started off with a branch in North Sahel and then started their expansion in Cairo. Explains his wide knowledge and experience in managing such a huge FMCG entity!


We have all wondered how he was able to attain the complex from Seqouia and Left Bank, to which he explained that one day while passing by the place, he saw that the place is going up for an auction following the end of their contact and that’s when he decided, ‘why not.’
At the time, he didn’t have a plan on what he was going to do with the place if he gets it but one thing he knew for sure was that he wanted to create a complex, which turned out to quite nice.

We were also lucky to have had an exclusive tour of the kitchen, let me tell you it wasn’t easy being around all these mouthwatering plates, Salem escorted us himself and told us that everything even the meat is done there to be under their watch and supervision.
When we asked him about his vision of the place, Salem told us: ‘I wanted the resemblance of having a good location along with the proper hospitality and this is what we try to do here.’


We then asked him about the concept of Biota and how he sees the place, ‘I want the people to come to Biota and have the chance to spend a full day, that’s why we also have fitness, beauty, art and fashion.’ Yes people, Biota just opened a beauty salon and they still have a lot in store for you in terms of delivering you with a full service complex that keeps up with your lifestyle.
‘These are the other elements added on to Biota that makes it something else, and not just a restaurant, but a full complex where people can find everything they need.’ Amen to that!


In terms of how he manages the complex, Salem further tells us that he aspires to make people feel like home, in any place that he runs, he makes sure to hire the friendliest staff, give them proper training, invest in them, all of which will eventually result in making everyone happy.
Biota certainly made it up for us and I, personally, can’t wait to create brand new memories in a place that already feels familiar and warm.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Celebs

A few questions with the superb dentist Dr. Ahmed Essam

Published

on

What is your greatest success as a dentist?

Q1: The greatest success as a dentist to me is when I see the patient’s joy after his life has changed, whether it is because we gave him/her a smile makeover or a new smile. In addition, if the patient had a problem for a while and has been to several dentists and could not solve it, and we were the reason to solve it, provide the proper treatment plan and treat him/her. The joy the patient has is considered the greatest achievement of my career. It makes me feel successful.

What would you do if a patient disagreed with your assessment of his or her dental health?

Q2: When a patient is not convinced with their treatment plan or when him/her have a certain point of view and they have been around and asked. Therefore, if they see that a certain treatment plan is right for them and I see otherwise and is not 100% right or right for his/her case, I explain to them all the options. In addition, I would also point out the pros and cons of the treatment. I also talk to them in depth about the treatment plan, even if it is going to take an hour in the first session. If they got convinced, then great, if they weren’t convinced I start showing them the result before I start working as a mock up, digitally or analog or even with pictures on the computer if they got convinced I proceed with my suggested treatment plan, if they weren’t convinced I have two options which are if the treatment is acceptable but I do not see it as the best option, the patient signs a consent sheet that they want to proceed with their chosen treatment plan even after every other option was thoroughly explained to them. The second option is if the treatment plan is not appropriate for the patient based on studies, then I tell him or her I will not proceed with the treatment at all.

As a dentist, you may have to treat patients who are deeply uncomfortable or even afraid of getting dental work done. How do you make patients feel comfortable, safe and relaxed while working with you?

Q3: First, of course, no one likes dentists, and a lot of people are usually frightened from the visit because of the pain, old experiences, and the procedure itself regarding the many devices used. Therefore, that is normal. The secret is in the diagnosis session with the specialized doctor and that is why we give the first session of the patient the most importance. Because we listen carefully to what the patient complains of, there is a possibility that the patient cannot accept the doctor, has a problem, has a bad experience from something specific, the anesthetic injection, and the pain that accompanies it, the syringe poke. In addition, there are also people that have a phobia of the chair in the clinic. Therefore, all that shows in the first session from the talk we have with the patient and how well we listen to them. Following that, we start to highlight the patient’s fears, what scares them the most from dentists; what he/she hates the most about the dentist’s clinic and makes him ignore going to the dentist. Therefore, we try to overcome that problem by showing him the opposite of what he thinks. As well as being keen about his specific fear until it is an experience that can be accepted by the patient. In addition, we also change his point of view on the dentist’s clinic or the dentist himself, and that is also one of our hardest moments.

How would you determine when dental X-rays are needed, and how would you conduct this procedure?

Q4: The dental examination or the diagnosis is not built around the doctor, there are several factors to reach the right diagnosis. Firstly, the patient’s complaint. Secondly, the dental examination itself, which requires me checking up the teeth with my eyes, loupes or with the microscope. Thirdly, the X-rays, the X-rays, are a crucial part of the tools responsible for an accurate diagnosis. I cannot say when I can use the X-ray and when can I not, it’s not an option. Therefore, there must be an X-ray. It differs if the X-ray is only a panorama and is enough, or a periapical X-ray or a cone beam X-ray. Therefore, it differs from one procedure to another, but it is impossible to build a complete diagnosis without seeing the X- ray, seeing the patient, hearing his complaint, and taking his pictures. In conclusion, the diagnosis must always include an X-ray.

Tell me more about yourself, why did you choose dentistry as a career?

Q6: When I talk about my specialty, which is make overs, beautifying or full-mouth rehab with implants or prosthesis. The patient comes to the clinic often with issues that include pain and just general problems with their teeth. In addition, the patient also complains about his/her self-esteem because of how their teeth look or the function of them not being able to eat etc. So, when I reach a successful outcome with the patient of them being able to eat and them regaining their confidence and being happy, as well as their teeth looking natural. That is what made me love the career more and hold on to it more, no matter how long the treatment process is or no matter how much it is tiring; that is the result that makes me happy and makes me want to continue in this career, and that is why I chose it.

What is your vision for the future of your clinic?

Q7: Regarding my vision for superb, I won’t be cliché and say that I want us to be the best clinic there is, but my vision is to change the thought of dentistry in Egypt. That is that at the end of the day we are doctors, and that is why it’s crucial that not everything we do is about selling. I do not sell a service; I am not a merchant, and I don’t have a commodity to sell. The most valuable thing I present is the dental health and the health of human beings, and that is the most valuable thing god gave us and ordered us to take care of. Therefore, that is my vision, which is to change the thought of dentistry. I do not sell a commodity. At the end of the day, I am a doctor and I need to treat patients the right way and change the thought of treatment here. At the same time, my vision is to also change the thought of being scared from the dentist and to change the thought of people thinking that they need to go to the dentist only when they are in pain or that they look at going to the dentist in a financial sense, meaning that they feel they are going to pay a lot of money or that they are being scammed. In conclusion, all of that is what I want to change according to my vision. Also, the reason for me naming the clinic superb is to be superb at everything we do as a team that presents all dental services in one place, as well as presenting interdisciplinary dentistry, meaning that not only one doctor checks up on you. but there’s also more than one specialist that will work with you to reach the best treatment plan and best outcome you can reach.


What have you done to prepare for a career in dentistry

Q9: I am a medical graduate and Oral and Dental Surgery from Al Qahera University; after that I became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. I took more than 300 accredited hours from different academies like the American and European academy. In addition, I also went to the college of cosmetic dentistry. I also have more than 250 hours accredited from the American Academy of implant ologist or Implantology Association in teeth implants and full mouth rehab. I believe that knowledge is endless. Therefore, every day, especially in dentistry something new appears. Every day we discover that something we used to do from 2 or 3 years now evolved and that something (technique) is not right anymore. So being always updated and always learning and always seeing new things is the most important thing. So, I still have a lot to educate myself on and I still have a lot of more knowledge to gain.

Continue Reading

Health & Beauty

An Inspirational Talk with The Smile Ambassador Dr Ahmed Al Kaffas

Published

on

By

Dr Ahmed Al Kaffas aka the smile ambassador is one of the pioneers in the field of dentistry in Egypt and we are honored for the chance we got to sit with him and chat about his lifestyle that got us to discover interesting sides of him that truly inspired us.


For starters, Dr Al Kaffas tells us that he always tries as much as he can to hit the gym even if he has a busy schedule at the clinic, and if he has the time to squeeze in exercise then we absolutely have no excuse to skip on workouts!

Also, we found out that he is a food lover who is loyal to our very own Egyptian cuisine! I mean oriental food is truly the best, what with the Molokhey and vine leaves, which are his favorite dishes.


When asked about his favorite actor, Dr Al Kaffas revealed to us his inner cinematic geek and told us that he enjoys the plot as a whole as well as the music and scenario of the film and so he doesn’t really have a favorite actor in specific.

‘I can’t imagine being in any other field other than dentistry, but if I have to choose then I think I would have went for business school instead’ he said when asked what he would have been if not a dentist.


According to him, social media has become a very important part in any profession and he himself find great interest in it.
The worst comment you have ever received on social media? His answer to that was ‘You’re too young.’

As a doctor, he encounters great deal of pressure and when we asked how he deals with it, he told us that he would shut off his phone and stay at home with his boy where he finds comfort in his company.


He tells us he respects the competition but that he is always prepared with new technologies to offer and a well-equipped clinic in order for him to stand out amongst other competitors.

When asked about his favorite part of the day, he showed great passion to his career by telling us that his favorite part is spending time at the clinic where he finds comfort in what he does best, not only that but he also tells us that seeing a patient satisfied and happy about his smile, gives him so much pleasure and faith in what he does.

Are you a risk taker? Dr Ahmed says he is not because he likes everything to be organized and planned, and that the craziest thing he has ever done is following our national team all the way to Russia for the World Cup and leaving everything behind.


What makes us different is that we love what we do and we like our results to be different than others’ and to offer the highest standards in dentistry.’ Dr Al Kaffas said when asked about what makes the clinic different.

For those of you who don’t know, Dr Ahmed Al Kaffas was awarded Dentist of the year 2019 in Insight magazine, and when we asked him about the award, he said: ‘I don’t really take titles into consideration, because what truly matters is the satisfaction of patients and delivering them with the treatment they deserve and to always exceed their expectations.’

Now that was one truly inspirational interview of a man who is multi-talented and very passionate about his work and keen on the comfort of his patients.

Continue Reading

What's up TV

Oscar Nominated Movie ‘Poisonous Roses’ Receives its 16th Award

Published

on

By

The Egyptian film, Ward Masmoum has succeeded in winning the award for Best Film at Morocco’s City and Cinema Festival, which now brings the total awards to 16 since its world premiere in last year’s international Film Festival Rotterdam.

The Oscar nominated movie Ward Masmoom (Poisonous Roses) is a story about a cleaning lady named Ta7eya who lives in poverty and in constant fear that her brother would one day abandon her for a better life abroad.

The film has already been awarded a number of local and international awards, including 4 at the Cairo Film Festival.

Adapted from a novel by Ahmed Zaghloul El Sheity, the film stars Mahmoud Hemeida, Safaa El Tokhy, Ibrahim El-Nagari, Merihan Magdi, and Mohamed Berakaa. 

 

Continue Reading
Event calender
Cinema calender

Cinema calender

Facebook

Fashion

Fashion2 years ago

DAWLY’S MESSAGE STIRS UP THE UNDERGROUND INTO AN AVALANCHE

A BLIZZARD TAKES OVER EGYPT WITH THE RISING TIDE OF THE UNDERGROUND! El Waili and Moscow drop a visually surreal...

Events2 years ago

In celebration of the New Year … Socialista hosts distinguishable designers at La fête de Noel

Saying goodbye to a very remarkable year in the fashion industry and approaching a new aspiring one, Socialista Events blends...

Fashion2 years ago

The Next Generation of Sustainable Fashion through Biotech Fabrics

Plant based materials, are revolutionizing the world of fashion fabrics, from pineapple  leather, rose silk, and recyclable material these materials are making a change in the world  of fashion. The planet had been in danger since the environmental catastrophe of global  warming, and increased levels of consumption. The sustainability of fashion, and our  lifestyles can make a wider change in the way the planet can be saved. Thankfully, when the  Fashion industry had been aware of the influence it has on contaminating the environment,  several actions were taken, by considerable industry names. The fashion industry had a  detrimental impact on the environment, through cotton harvesting, harmful chemical gases  released through the manufacturing of polyester and nylon, a million of textile waste  released every day. In an effort to cease the fashion industry harm to the environment, huge  names such as Stella McCartney, Adidas, Nike, Hermes, are choosing an environmentally  friendly biomaterial. Vegan leather has become one of the most sustainable alternatives to  save the planet. These Biotech materials range from, spider silk, algae, mycelium leather,  cactus leather, onion skin, coffee grounds, and even glittering sweat crystals. These  biologically adapted materials, are convenient and advantageous than any other material  used in history, causing less deterioration to the planet.  

Fashion2 years ago

2022 Color is Pantone’s Lilac Very Peri

A color about encouraging creativity and imagination, encourages personal inventiveness  and courageousness. A color that illuminates your personality and, thoughts, a color that  brings out the artistry within each individual’s creations, Very Peri – 17-3938 by Pantone is a  color made for the most erratic creations. Pantone a creative LLC company that had been  well established for their color systems, design, printing, manufacturing, and supporting the  management of color from design to production, amongst several materials. The  corporation is located is Carlstadt New Jersey, and founded by Lawrence Herbert. Since  2000, Pantone had been fascinating the world with its creations of colors and, deciding the  shade of the year. This annum, was a appealing purple blue, with red undertones. The  selection process requires trend analysis, and drawing from the worlds of entertainments,  art fashion, design, and several entities. As this color selection process is difficult and  requires lots of accuracy. Though Veri Peri, a deep darkened Purple with red undertones is a  vivid color for expression creativity, euphoria, and magical capabilities that youth hold  within them. If you’re a passionate creative with strong personal ambitions this is the color  for you.  

Categories

Top Posts

Trending

X