More than 2,000 chefs to take up culinary challenge at Gulfood's Annual Salon Culinaire Competition

Organised by the Emirates Culinary Guild, the region's largest association of professional chefs, the Salon Culinaire will take place during Gulfood, from 25 - 28 February at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Consisting of a series of competitions, the Salon Culinaire will see the participation of professional chefs, pastry chefs, cooks and bakers in 23 classes and will test entrants for their gastronomic and artistic acumen while also evaluating teams on timing, efficiency and collaboration. Competition categories range from the preparation of five-course gourmet meals to baked goods, desserts and confectionery to creating free-standing ice and chocolate carvings.

Uwe Michel, President of the Emirates Culinary Guild commented, "With the world's largest congregation of food and hospitality professionals gathering at Gulfood, there cannot be a better platform for culinary professionals to showcase their competence and skills. The Emirates Salon Culinaire, created and managed by the Emirates Culinary Guild, not only offers both young and experienced chefs the opportunity to demonstrate extraordinary culinary flair and finesse to the public, but is also an excellent avenue for potential employers to source talent from the region and beyond."

Judged by a panel of 25 renowned experts that is mandated by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS), the Salon Culinaire meets the competition standards of world-class culinary events across the globe. The panel includes judges from Germany, Switzerland, Iceland, Singapore, Namibia, Hong Kong, Belgium, South Africa, France and Italy.

Also taking place during the four days of Gulfood is the Baking and Pastry Guild Middle East Competition, an initiative to recognise, reward and celebrate excellence in baking and patisserie making. Organised by the Baking and Pastry Guild in conjunction with the Dubai World Trade Centre, the competition will see regional pastry chefs and bakers display new trends, skills and techniques in 12 live baking and pastry categories and 4 static display categories.

With a growing demand for artisan and speciality foods in the regional retail F&B sector, the third edition of the competition has been expanded to include four new categories that will test competence and proficiency in baking and confectionery for retail.

"Being the world's largest trade show in food and hospitality, Gulfood offers extraordinary opportunities for knowledge exchange, innovation and recognition. The increasing participation of regional and international chefs in the Emirates Culinary Guild Salon Culinaire and the Middle East Baking Competition is a testament to the significance of these events. The international recognition these competitions offer not only benefit the participants but also the organisations they represent," said Trixee Loh, Senior Vice President of Dubai World Trade Centre, organiser of Gulfood.

Entries for both events - the Emirates Culinary Guild Salon Culinaire and Middle East Baking Competition - will close on 31 January 2013.

Gulfood is strictly a trade-only event and is open to business and trade visitors from within the industry only. Gulfood is open 11am-7pm from February 25-27 and 11am -5pm on February 28.