Egyptian chefs managed to put a new benchmark at their annual National Salon Culinaire’11 with high quality displays showcasing excellent skill level throughout the show.
This year's National Salon Culinaire'11, organized by the Egyptian Chefs Association (ECA), and hosted by the InterContinental Cairo Citystars in June, was held in conjunction with the WACS Africa & Middle East Forum. Chef delegates of regional WACS member countries came to Cairo to attend the Forum and take part in a tourism promotion for Egypt among WACS chefs worldwide with the slogan "Support Your Chef Colleagues in Egypt by Making Egypt Your Next Tourist Destination". The Forum was a great occasion for regional exchange and networking and a chance to show the world that Egyptian tourism is alive and well. All the delegates enjoyed their splendid stay at the hotel and were also very impressed with the excellent service of American Express Travel Egypt who provided all the transport, escorts and guides throughout their stay.
Although the hospitality sector is still recovering from the effects of the Revolution on the tourism industry, the Association welcomed this year even more sponsors and participants to the annual show than last year even. The trust and confidence shown by all the ECA members, colleagues and friends in the work of their Association was highly appreciated by the ECA Team. This year the National Salon Culinaire’11 had four main sponsors Heinz Egypt, Juhayna Food Industries, Makro Egypt and Unilever Foodsolutions, among many other side sponsors, who all contributed to making the Salon a great success.
It was clear from the complete absence of disqualifications at the Salon that the chefs understood and followed the rules closely this year. The category of wedding cakes was distinctive this year, with participants excelling in presentation and decoration. Wedding cakes and novelty cakes were to be cut and the interior displayed to allow the jury to judge on taste, texture and composition, not just decoration.
The Awards Ceremony was the highlight of the competition, with chefs encouraging their colleagues and cheering for the winners. This year's competition had a special feeling of national pride after the events of January 2011. To express this pride, the special theme colors of this year's event were red, white and black, the colors of the Egyptian flag. A parade of chefs was also organized so that the participants all walked into the El Saraya Ballroom waving flags while the National Anthem of Egypt was played. The event was graced by the presence of Hisham Za’zou, Senior Consultant to the Minister of Tourism, who attended the Award Ceremony and took care to congratulate the chefs on their great achievements.Â
This year's excellent results show that the continuous training efforts of the chefs to achieve higher level of skill and creativity have paid off.
With 155 individual chef entries and 7 team entries, the number of participation was among the highest, showing the confidence instilled in the Chefs Association and the importance of the annual event. It was also the first year ever in the history of 14 Salons that the Association actually ran out of medals and more medals had to be ordered. Among the individual participants there were 12 Gold, 18 Silver and 47 Bronze medals awarded, whereas among the teams there were 1 silver and 4 bronze medals given. The ECA Culinary Trophy was awarded for the second consecutive year to the team of the Hurghada Marriott Beach Resort, displaying fabulous skills levels and passion for achievement.
Despite his busy schedule, Chef Osama El Sayed, flew in from Dubai especially to support the good work of the Association and to encourage the chefs to always aim higher. As popular TV Celebrity Chef, Osama El Sayed delighted participants with his presence, who gathered around him to ask questions, take pictures or just to get some cooking tips. Chef Osama further supports the ECA by promoting the events to thousands of his fans through his on-line media network.
No culinary event would be complete without a celebration. In conclusion to the Salon and to celebrate the opening of the Culinary Training Centers, a grand Gala Dinner was attended by Cairo's top hospitality luminaries and friends, main sponsor Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and hosted at the Fairouz restaurant of the InterContinental Cairo Citystars. First the guests enjoyed the cocktails served by the Culinary Ambassadors of Egypt and accompanied by Ahmed Harfoush's jazzy tunes. Then, under Chef Hossam El Din's capable leadership, a five-course sophisticated fine dining menu followed. Performer Rula Zaki concluded the evening with entertaining the guests with her delightful singing. Ahmed El Nahas, Chairman of the Egyptian Chefs Association, received a recognition award for his years of dedication to the Association for the betterment of the chefs of Egypt. A special evening that will be remembered by many for years to come.
Egyptian Chefs Association, Head Quarter: 20 Salem Salem Street, Agouza, Cairo
Tel./Fax: +202 3762 2116 / 7 / 8 Red Sea Chef's Chapter: Corniche Street, El Ghezawy Bld., Red Sea, Hurghada
Tel: 065 3541920 or 010-2040-5677
Email: eca@egyptchefs.com
