For the fourth year in a row, the Meat and Livestock Australia Black Box Culinary Challenge, a global event for the cuisine of the future, beckons 16 culinary teams from UAE’s finest hotels to compete on June 9-10, 2007 at the JW Marriot in Dubai. This year’s MLA Black Box Culinary Challenge in Dubai as well as a series of successive Challenges in throughout the Middle East are qualifying events. Participating hotels will be competing for the title of their country representative at the next World Final to be held in Dubai in May 2008 during the World Association of Chefs’ Societies (WACS) World Congress. The Dubai Challenge will conclude with a gala dinner on Sunday the 10th of June at host venue, JW Marriott, with 360 guests attending to witness the teams compete for Dubai’s Black Box Culinary Trophy.
Endorsed globally by the WACS, the prestigious event is open to competing teams from the country’s leading hotels, restaurants and culinary schools that consist of three members, less than 32 years of age with a rank of Chef de Partie or below. Each team will also have a team captain who can be of any age or rank, acting in an advisory role.
The MLA Black Box Culinary Challenge- supported locally by the Emirates Culinary Guild- comes as further demonstration of Meat and Livestock Australia’s recognition that the development of innovation in foodservice is important in ensuring the continued demand for Australian beef and lamb throughout the world. In every participating city, MLA celebrates the talented young chefs who drive the cuisine of the future in a festive closing gala. Similarly in Dubai, the Black Box Culinary Challenge’s gala has become a key event on Dubai’s social calendar.
The teams are given a Black Box filled with mystery ingredients including Australian meat, spices, fruit and vegetables as well as dairy products and stocks. The teams are given one hour to devise a 4-course menu using all of the ingredients. The meal is prepared the following evening and is judged by a panel of international chefs at a gala dinner. Points are awarded for taste, skill, creativity and artistic merit.
To complete the ultimate culinary experience, competing teams provide a service team who are judged on their artistic talents in producing an elegant table display.
Rodney Sims, Technical Manager at MLA, commented by saying: “After influencing more than 3,000 young chefs around the globe and aiding the development of innovation in foodservice in every country the Black Box visits, we are delighted to take the Challenge to the next level by making this round a qualifying one. This June, not only will the UAE’s winning hotel will take pride in representing this country in the World Final. Apart from paying tribute to the skill of the young chefs, the Black Box competition is an event for these industry leaders and food lovers to celebrate the appreciation of food through good will.”
The competition was first held in Bali eleven years ago, to provide an international forum for promising young chefs to express their creativity and innovation using high quality ingredients. Since the first challenge in 1996, over 2,500 young chefs have demonstrated their talents at over 63 events held in 18 countries.
The MLA Black Box Culinary Challenge is fully endorsed by the World Association of Cooks Societies (WACS) with 22 countries scheduled to participate in 2007’s round of qualifying Challenges, which includes teams from Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt.
About MLA:
Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) is a producer owned, commercially focused company which is responsible for a range of activities including research and development and the development and implementation of marketing programs for Australian meat and livestock in Australia and throughout the world.
