ABU DHABI // Gourmet Abu Dhabi will have two new partners – the Emirati Kitchen and StreetFeast – for next February’s Abu Dhabi Food Festival.
Gourmet Abu Dhabi invites celebrity masterchefs from around the world to host cooking classes and themed dinners for food lovers in the capital.
But the event is aimed at the fine-dining crowd and tickets can cost more than Dh1,000.
And while interactive chef demonstrations are more affordable, they sell out quickly.
“The Abu Dhabi Food Festival has been designed to appeal to all price points and tastes, and will serve up the world on our plates,” said Sultan Al Dhaheri, acting executive director at the Tourism and Culture Authority of Abu Dhabi.
Emirati Kitchen, a three-day event running on the first weekend of the Abu Dhabi Food Festival, will feature five top Emirati chefs in workshops.
“It’s great to integrate the Emirati Kitchen into the festival,” said Uwe Micheel, president of the Emirates Culinary Guild. “Many expats and visitors do not know about Emirati cuisine and the young nationals are moving towards western food. It’s important not to lose this important part of the country’s culture.”
The event is also capitalising on a trend that is only just emerging in the UAE but is already popular throughout much of the world – the food truck.
The Arabian Gulf’s first StreetFeast festival will send a food truck across Abu Dhabi city, Al Gharbia and Al Ain, offering some of the world’s top street foods over two consecutive weekends.
In another change, Gourmet Abu Dhabi will no longer give out its annual awards to chefs and restaurants, in a move that disappointed Mr Micheel.
“The awards are great motivation for the chef,” he said. “Gourmet Abu Dhabi is a great event and has put Abu Dhabi on the culinary map. I do agree that some adjustments are always good but I think it’s a pity to lose the awards element.”
sjohnson@thenational.ae