800 chefs to compete in 23 categories as Food Surprises enters third week

To be held in 23 categories over seven days, chefs representing leading hotels in the region will battle it out for a one of a kind culinary exhibition. The Emirates Culinary Guild, an association for chefs in the UAE, will be the facilitator of the competition, apart from playing a crucial role in the workshops and cooking demonstrations. The Junior Chef Awards are sponsored by French Dairy, Nestle, Al Otaiba, and Kenwood.

The event will be officially opened today at 5:30pm by Saeed Al Nabouda, Chief Executive Officer of DSS. The awards aim at providing an avenue for chefs to demonstrate talent and aid innovation in the food service industry. Held between 2pm and 9:30pm till July 11, the competitions will be conducted in sections and judged by renowned chefs who are respected authorities in the food industry.

Suhaila Gobash, DSS Sponsorship Manager said, "As DSS 2007 enters its third week, our events are becoming more popular by the day amongst all age groups. We are witnessing an overwhelming response in all our event locations which proves the success of our new strategy of diversifying our events to cater to a larger audience. The Junior Chef Awards is yet another event that will attract grown-ups as well as children. In the coming week, visitors to Dubai Festival City will be able to see a unique presentation of culinary activities."

Chef Uwe Michel, President of the Emirates Culinary Guild and Director of Kitchens at the Radisson SAS Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek said, "The Emirates Culinary Guild has been associated with the Food Surprises in a significant way over the past years and we have succeeded in presenting innovative events through our culinary shows and workshops during this period."

"The Junior Chef Awards is one among the highest recognitions accorded to chefs in the Middle East today and we are endeavouring to maintain that status through our events during Dubai Summer Surprises," he added.

Chefs below the rank of chef de partie will take part in the contest and vie for the prestigious award of 'Middle East Junior Chef of the Year'. Eligibility for this honour means chefs will have to take part in three contests; the first involving the preparation of a five-course meal, the second involving a starter and a dish made from a local catch of fish, and the third where the participant will have to prepare a starter and a main course dish of chicken.

Apart from the competitions, the chefs will demonstrate their culinary abilities through ice carvings done in a protected enclosure, four and five-tier cakes, fruit and vegetable sculptures and cooking shows.

The first week of Food Surprises was themed 'Vegetarian' and saw 30 chefs from Sydney International Courses in Dubai present a variety of cuisines through cooking workshops. The second week, themed 'Asian', focused on recipes from the Indian sub-continent, exploring different flavours and cooking techniques indigenous to the region. During the coming weeks, Food Surprises will cover cuisines from around the world.