London Creative: Omar Al Khawaja

We caught up with Omar Al Khawaja, the owner of Four Winters, to tell us more about Four Winters and what his ideal Sunday is like in London.

1. ICE CREAM, WE ALL LOVE IT, BUT YOU HAVE TAKEN THIS TO A NEW LEVEL. WHERE DID YOUR LOVE OF THIS COOL DESSERT COME FROM?

I have always had a sweet tooth and like all of us, I love ice cream! I wanted to venture out in the dessert space and bring something new and cool to London. I met Zeid Zabian, founder and CEO of Four Winters through mutual contacts, who came up with this amazing concept and had opened 2 stores in Jordan. I fell in love with the concept, the brand, and of course the delicious ice creams and sorbets instantly! An instant passion for Four Winters awoke in me and I couldn’t stop thinking of all the innovations we could further explore to enhance the concept and all the places around the globe our brand could be in. We decided to partner with Zeid to bring the brand to London and other markets across the globe, and that was the start of what is so far a really fantastic journey!

2. THERE’S A REASON BEHIND THE NAME FOUR WINTERS. PLEASE CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO OUR READERS THE CONCEPT BEHIND THE TITLE?

It’s always winter at Four Winters! We use liquid nitrogen to freeze the ice creams, sorbets, and yoghurts in front of customers instantly, so we are freezing flavours in every season. Our menu changes seasonally to bring the freshest ingredients to our customers. We strive to deliver exciting desserts that are fresh, and do not contain preservatives or chemicals. That is the essence of the Four Winters name and the Four Winters slogan “We Freeze The Seasons!”

3. YOU’RE ON A MISSION TO BRING THEATRE BACK TO ICE CREAM MAKING, HOW DO YOU DELIVER THIS IN YOUR PARLOURS?

Our mission statement says: “We take ice cream personally, we are on a mission to bring surprise & delight back to ice cream!” We do this by innovating and updating flavours as well as introducing new product ranges. We use innovative technology to bring theatre to our liquid nitrogen ice cream. And last but definitely not least, we ensure the Four Winters family culture or what we call the “Penguin Family Culture” is ever present on our shop floors! The essence of our Penguin Culture is to put a smile on every customers’ face.

4. SOON WE WILL BE MOVING INTO SPRING. HAVE YOU GOT ANY ICEY SPRING TIME SURPRISES UP YOUR SLEEVE?

We have fantastic surprises this Spring. You will just have to wait until they are revealed! Spring has only just begun.

5. IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE PERSON, PAST OR PRESENT, WALK INTO YOUR PARLOUR IN PORTOBELLO ROAD, WHO WOULD IT BE?

I personally would have loved Muhammed Ali to walk into the parlour! I am his biggest fan! Hearing him speak and watching his matches as a child always motivated me and brought a smile to my face. I guess I would have liked to bring surprise and delight with ice cream to him as a thank you!

6. WHAT WOULD YOUR IDEAL SUNDAY IN LONDON LOOK LIKE?

Sundays are usually relaxing days. Most Sundays my wife and I will go for brunch or an early lunch with friends, walk around the bustling streets of London, before heading back home to relax. We also love to cook and go to the cinema.

Website: www.fourwinters.co