Dubai: Cooking experts and young chefs from around the region will get a chance to shine at this year’s Dubai World Hospitality Championship (DWHC) 2014.
The second edition of the championship, set to take place between October 30 and November 3, will focus on encouraging Emiratis and Gulf citizens to showcase their cooking talents and promote their products in the market at the event.
Ahmad Bin Hareb Al Falahi, President of DWHC, announced at a press conference on Wednesday that the exhibition at the Dubai Trade Centre will include 470 stalls featuring home products, hospitality products, and creative products.
The cultural event will include programmes, activities and competitions highlighting authentic cooking representing Emirati culture.
The event will conduct the International Tournament, The Emiratis Tournament, and the Local Tournament over five days.
The Emirati competition category will include seven teams made up of 10 participants from each of the seven emirates who will compete by preparing 10 local dishes.
It will also include four categories — traditional cooking, professional cooking, cooking as a hobby, and cooking for young children. “The Emirati tournament will give men and women the chance to showcase their culinary skills and compete by preparing main courses and desserts which will then be judged by a committee,” said Ahmad Mohammad Sharif, Vice-Chairman of the DWHC, at the press conference.
It will also include an Emirati Heritage Village where people can learn more about the UAE culture, and a station where international chefs will provide demonstrations.
“Because of the success achieved by the Dubai World Hospitality Championship last year and the development of the heritage village, the capacity of the village has been doubled,” said Al Falahi.
New activities to take place at the village at this year’s event will include poetry recitation, majlises, and other cultural and folklore activities.
International competitions
The international tournament has also been expanded this year.
“It will include professional chefs from around the world who have taken part in some of the most prestigious cooking competitions worldwide,” said Al Falahi.
The event will host a list of celebrity chefs and sport and media personalities who will participate in the competitions.
Young people will also get a chance to participate in the event. Newly added categories aim to educate children of different age groups about the Emirati cuisine and methods of making its traditional dishes at the event.
Along with the competitions, the event will raise awareness about the variety of Emirati dishes with the aim of introducing them in restaurants and hotels across Dubai, explained Sharif.
“We want to focus on spreading the culture of Emirati cuisine across hotels and among foreign chefs,” Sharif added.
