Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Al Qasr and The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management receive top honours at regional MLA Black Box Competition

Al Qasr, Madinat Jumeirah, took home the Silver Medal in the competition, and also won the award for Best Main Course, meanwhile the first-time entry of a team from The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, also managed by Jumeirah, spiced up the competition as students outshone professional culinary teams from prestigious five star hotels across the country. This was the first year that an academic institution participated, and The Emirates Academy clearly demonstrated its qualities by winning the most awards of the evening, including the Bronze Medal, Best Hygiene Award, and Best Starter.

Commenting on The Emirates Academy's participation, Ron Hilvert, Managing Director, The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, said: "It was a truly unforgettable evening, to see the proud faces of our students as they collected their hard-earned medal. These awards really highlight the standard of education and experience that is on offer at the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management."

Jumeirah also achieved Best Table Display, for the team from Mina A Salam, Madinat Jumeirah, and Jumeirah Beach Hotel excelled with Best Soup.

Marco Nijhof, Senior Vice President Gulf region, Jumeirah, commented: "As a young and rapidly expanding luxury hospitality company, Jumeirah is extremely proud to have received these medals from among such esteemed competition, and we would like to thank our colleagues across the Jumeirah culinary teams for all their hard work and dedication. We now look forward to the next stage of the competition."

Black Box is a prestigious culinary competition, sponsored by MLA (Meat and Livestock Australia). Dubai has now hosted six Black Box Awards, but with eighteen teams, this year saw the toughest competition to date. Each of the teams was given a Black Box of identical ingredients and one hour to compose and write a four course menu, which included the use of Australian beef and lamb. The following evening each team was asked to prepare and serve the menu in a banquet situation, which was assessed by eight international judges and attended by over 300 guests.