Multi-cultural Steak Queen
Swiss Made – hotelrevue Nr. 9, September 2025 - written by Daniel Tschudy
“Steak is a journey” is the mantra of Joan Tuaño Rumsey – on her journey from the Philippines to Switzerland, the Emirates, and now England.
The theme of “DNA” often comes up in the htr series «swiss made»: parents who travelled with their children and sparked their curiosity for tourism; a teacher who spoke about hospitality and inspired students to explore the business. Or, as in this portrait, a grandmother in the Philippines who ran a butcher shop and ignited her granddaughter Joan’s lifelong passion for meat. Joan’s father was also “infected by steak.” Back home he ran a grocery store and regularly supplied wild boar. In 1997, he carried this knowledge with him to the United Arab Emirates in search of a better future.
Joan was five years old when she moved to Abu Dhabi, growing up in a typical expat environment. She attended the Lebanese private school Choueifat. “The schooling was strict, and discipline was taken very seriously,” she recalls. “But those values of focus and discipline taught me to appreciate education, build self-confidence, and not to fear challenges,” she says, looking back.
At 16, her education path took her back to the Philippines to Enderun College. There, in collaboration with Les Roches School of Hotel Management, she studied Culinary Arts and developed her love for gastronomy. “We Filipinos love food,” she smiles. She also became increasingly drawn to Les Roches. Two years later she moved to Bluche near Crans-Montana. “I thought I had landed on another planet.” She remembers the mountains, the pure air, and that in Switzerland you could drink water straight from the tap.
84 nationalities in one swimming pool
“I was well prepared for Les Roches, because at the Lebanese school in Abu Dhabi I had learned English and French intensively – and was not bad at them. Soon I was a student ambassador, which boosted my confidence and allowed me to make an impact.” Joan Tuaño Rumsey had gone to Crans-Montana to study management. “But what I really learned was that as a woman from a developing country I could work independently and be seen as successful. The years in Switzerland were fantastic. Our class of 25 students came from all over the world, and we are still closely connected today.”
One memory stood out: the international spirit. “On September 8, 2012, Les Roches even set a Guinness World Record: the goal was to gather as many nationalities as possible in one swimming pool. In the end, people from 84 countries came together on campus. The event was celebrated with Crans-Montana Tourism and the local ski and snowboard school, filmed and posted on YouTube. It remains an unforgettable memory.”
Back to meat
Armed with the confidence gained in Switzerland, Joan returned – after a stint with Aman Resorts in the Caribbean – to the family business, Le Carne, in Abu Dhabi. Meat remains the focus there: around 1.5 tons are sold each month. Most goes directly to end customers, meat lovers who value the family’s expertise and quality. Behind the counter, in conversations with customers, Joan grew into a true meat specialist, steak consultant, and now also an author. “Two things were decisive for my career path: my grandparents’ work on the farm and my father’s experience in food retail. And the management training I was fortunate to complete at Les Roches.”
Today Joan enjoys family life in England with her eight-month-old son, but she is certain new challenges won’t be far away. The hospitality world is global – and as she puts it, “good food is needed everywhere.”
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Joan Tuaño Rumsey
The enterprising Filipina has packed a lot into her 33 years. She spent her early childhood near Manila, attended private schools in Abu Dhabi, then returned home in 2008 to study Culinary Arts and Hotel & Restaurant Management at Enderun College, which partnered with Les Roches. This led her to Crans-Montana, where she graduated successfully in 2012. In 2014 she worked two years as guest relations officer at Amanyara Resort in the Turks and Caicos Islands. In 2016 she joined her parents’ meat business, Le Carne, in Abu Dhabi and Cebu. While her parents continue to
run the shops, Joan pursued new plans: in 2024 she published her steak handbook and became a mother. She now lives in England with her British husband and son – and is already thinking about a sequel to her book.
Swiss Quality Education in Switzerland sets standards. htr hotelrevue presents alumni of Swiss institutions who are making careers abroad.
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This handbook is written for both professional chefs and ambitious home cooks. Author Joan Tuaño Rumsey – whose grandmother ran a butcher shop in the Philippines – discovered her craft in the family’s Le Carne business in Abu Dhabi. She later deepened her knowledge on study trips to Australia and New Zealand. Her collected experiences are woven into a blend of recipes and memoir. Focusing on beef and lamb, she traces the journey of steak from farm to table, offering practical tips for buying and preparing meat “so that it can be served juicy and tender.” QR codes link to videos and selected recipes.
Steak Simplified Published 2024 by Meze Publishing Ltd, UK 192 pages, ISBN-13 ■978-1915538239 steaksimplified.com
This article is a translated version of an original German publication. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, some nuances may differ from the source text.
Original article in Swiss Made – hotelrevue Nr. 9, September 2025 - written by Daniel Tschudy
