Grand Hyatt Dubai to present the first Middle Eastern Gourmet Summit

Affiliated with the World Gourmet Club, the umbrella organisation for all top level gourmet events around the world, the summit will provide a meeting place for leading chefs, restaurateurs, winemakers and hospitality experts to share the latest in international trends to guests and food connoisseurs in the region.

'With World Gourmet Club summits already in the US, Asia, Australia and Europe, Grand Gourmet Summit fills the gap for our part of the world, as gourmets from across the Middle East will be united by a common appreciation of the joy of fine dining and gastronomy,' enthused Peter Fulton, General Manager, Grand Hyatt Dubai.

A host of top chefs from around the world have confirmed participation including those from Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, Canada, Turkey, London and USA.

Throughout the week a series of morning cooking classes will allow participants to cook and dine with the guest chefs. One master class will star the award winning pastry chef Andrea Zanin who will be daring pupils to try new and flavourful combinations to create the dishes, desserts and chocolates of their wildest dreams.

Afternoon seminars include the Canadian master tea maker Garret Chan from T who will treat visitors to an insight into the simple luxuries of White, Green Oolong, Black and Herbal teas.
Did you know that tea blended with alcohol makes a fantastic drink? Garret will launch his innovative 'T' party during the evening at Grand Hyatt's Cooz bar where guests can sample T's Mountain Berry Martini and Green Tea Martini.

Themed dinner events entitled Chocolat and Port, Dom Perignon and Balik, will provide new cuisines and innovative fusions of taste to surprise the palate. Chef Fabio Brambrilla has already set off on his travels through rural Italy to select the perfect array of cheeses for the Italian Cheese and Beer dinner. Whilst Baron Francesco Ricasoli, the 32nd Baron of Brolio, Italy is preparing to leave his 12th century majestic castle to share his wine producing tips that have made the Ricasoli estate one of the most important wine producers over the last 300 years.

Fulton added, 'The close relationship between tourism and gastronomy is undeniable. Gastronomy is an essential element of a society's way of life that reflects the culture of its inhabitants and is thereby an attraction for visitors from lands with different customs, eating habits and culinary traditions. Places that are rich in food and wine are often also the greatest and most successful tourism destinations. Grand Gourmet Summit has much to offer residents and tourists in the region as well as those professionals in the hospitality industry.'