The great gulfood cook-off

Chefs check out the Salon Culinaire creations - several categories involve months of planning and preparation as chefs try to outdo each other's creat

Leading chefs explain why winning at the Emirates International Salon Culinaire is a major accomplishment for culinary professionals and how it can send a career into orbit.

Emirates International Salon Culinaire, the renowned cooking competition, has long been a highlight of the Gulfood show.

Beginning two decades ago with just 70 chefs from Dubai, the competition has since developed into an international event — with more than 1000 chefs from different countries around the world signed up to take part in 22 categories this year.

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Organised by the Emirates Culinary Guild, the F&B competition will run for the duration of Gulfood (from February 27 – March 2) and is open to all professional chefs, pastry chefs, cooks and bakers.

The competition is particularly important for young chefs who have the opportunity to showcase and develop their skills, says Emirates Culinary Guild president Uwe Micheel.

“I would say it is the biggest motivation to win a medal, it is always great to be a winner in something, whatever you do,” explains Micheel.

“For us the most important thing is to let the guys learn — they are learning from each other, they are learning in the time they train for the competition and they are learning because they are studying.

During the competition, they learn from their mistakes because the judges are explaining their decisions and each competitor has got the chance to get individual feedback, so they are also learning from what they have done wrong.”

There are also some more well-seasoned chefs in the competition, including Golden Tulip Al Barsha executive chef M V Nathan, who is eager to prove his credentials at this year’s Salon Culinaire.

“The competition touch is totally different from the practical kitchen atmosphere, so definitely the chefs have to go out of the box and think beyond their limits to create something unusual to compete and win the medals,” he enthuses.

And the thrill of winning a medal doesn’t end at the show, says Al Bustan Rotana executive chef Christophe Prud’homme, who has staff participating in a number of categories including Four Plates of Dessert; Friandises Petites Four Pralines Nougatines; Five Course Gourmet Dinner Menu and Practical Cookery — Fish and Seafood.

“Getting recognised with a medal in competitions is always a big deal for chefs, no matter how long you’ve been in the industry,” he says.

“I have seen it in my chefs here at Al Bustan Rotana. After winning in Salon Culinaire, the motivation just shoots up and the passion becomes stronger. The personal satisfaction of bringing home an award always translates to striving better at what the chef does in the kitchen, which ultimately is for the benefit of our guests,” he adds.