Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Crowds
at this week’s Speciality Food Festival were treated to live
gastronomy demonstrations and signature creations from local and
international masterchefs at two exclusive show-floor cooking areas
at the region’s only dedicated
trade show for niche food products suppliers and buyers.
With a series of renowned,
Michelin-starred Italian masterchefs taking to the stage at the 6th
Italian Cuisine World Summit (ICWS), the Chef’s Corner featured
leading chefs from regional hotels and restaurants cooking up their
favourites dishes.
The impressive line-up of
ICWS’s finest culinary talent included Chef Tommaso Arrigoni, star
of Italian television programme Detto Fatto; fellow TV
celebrity and author of La Grande Cucina dell'Alpenroyal, Chef
Felix Lo Basso of the prestigious, five-star Alpenroyal Hotel in Val
Gardena; and Chef Enrico Bartolini, 33, of Milanese restaurant,
Devero , who is also Italy’s youngest two Michelin-starred
chef.
Other leading culinary
personalities included Chef Graziano Prest of Tivoli
Restaurant in Cortina D’Ampezzo; Chef Angelo Sabatelli,
chief proprietor of renowned restaurant, Masseria Spina; and
Chef Tano Simonato, the owner of acclaimed Lombardi region restaurant
Tano Passami l’olio, famous for using more than 40 different
extra virgin olive oils as condiments to dishes.
The Italian theme continued at
The Chef’s Corner where Chef Dario Usai from Sicilian restaurant,
Sapori di BiCE, wowed visitors with his personal variation of
Arancini - a Sicilian speciality made with saffron, truffles
and a combination of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
“To cook for a live audience
in the open is a very different experience from the kitchen,” said
Chef Usai. “I chose to demonstrate Arancini because the ingredients
and the preparation is simple enough for visitors to enjoy authentic
Italian cuisine.”
With hundreds of bespoke
Italian culinary products being exhibited at the show, the Italian
Trade Agency ( ICE), the trade promotion office of the Italian
Embassy in the UAE and one of the main sponsors of The Chef’s
Corner, collaborated with dozens of Italian companies to supply
various products and goods used in The Chef’s Corner’s ‘Live
Cooking Shows.’ The Chef’s Corner also highlighted a top-tier
line-up of local talent including chefs from five restaurants
operated by Jumeirah Group, as well as Stephane Buchholzer from the
five-star Westin Dubai.
The Speciality Food Festival
2014 attracted more than 160 specialist exhibitors from 29 countries
and was 200 per cent larger than its 2010 debut. The show ran
adjacent to Sweets & Snacks Middle East, the region’s only
dedicated sweets and confectionary goods exhibition, and SEAFEX, a
dedicated seafood trade show for the F&B services and hospitality
industries.
