Saudi Arabia is in the grip of a food boom. An explosion of international restaurants and franchises is taking place and with youth lapping up international cuisine like never before, one wonders if Saudi cuisine is dying a slow death. “Traditional Saudi cuisine is itself the Kingdom's identity. In order to cope with the international franchises opening up in the Kingdom, Saudi cuisine needs to be well-developed and simplified by professional Saudi chefs, and its presentation should be attractive to the youth. Businessmen, investors and media have a major role in modernizing and promoting local cuisine,” said Saudi chef Yasser Jad, senior manager in the in-flight kitchen of Saudi Arabian Airlines Catering. The Saudi Arabian Chef Association (SARCA), a group of chefs and culinary professionals operating under the umbrella of the international organization WACS (World Association of Chefs Societies), is the brainchild of Jad. The non-profit organization seeks to ensure that the country's local culinary art will retain its identity, thus heralding a revival of sorts in the Saudi food scene. Chefs and cooks from across the Kingdom were sweating it out in the kitchen last month as they competed to win in the Kingdom's first international culinary competition, “Salon Culinare 2010” comprising a live cooking event, Top Chef, and Art De Table Competitions organized by the SARCA. “Once I was invited as a judge in an international salon competition in another country. Since then, establishing such a professional culinary association in Saudi Arabia has been my dream. The goal is to help introduce culinary art to young Saudis and other expat chefs, to enhance their cooking skills and to boost their morale for such competitions,” said Jad. Around 29 Saudi chefs participated in the event, of which six won in different categories; while 127 of the over 200 competing expatriate chefs took home medals. The culinary team from Radisson Blue Hotel won the trophy on the final day of the competition. Saudi chef Essam Mohammed Kurdi from the senior department of Saudi Airline's in-flight kitchen, whose preparation of grilled shrimps in vegetable and mushroom sauce with cream, won him a bronze medal, said his biggest worry before the competition was “the presence of competitors from different parts of the world.” Jad said the competition was met with an enthusiastic response from the local culinary professionals. “We are planning to have more such competitions and on a larger scale to accommodate more participants.” In Saudi society, a man's place is definitely not the kitchen. So how does a chef fit into the Kingdom's social fabric? “Choosing to become a chef is not a bad idea. The trend of culinary business around the world is fast-growing and with new media attention and focus, through TV shows, online internet gourmet and cuisine schools, there is a lot of encouragement,” said Jad. Saudi Arabia may soon be on its way to becoming Middle East's culinary hub with gastronomic events like these on the rise, plus an increase in interest in the Saudi market shown by global food chains, a case in point being the planned launch of 11 restaurants by famous Indian chef Sanjeev Kapoor who was recently in Riyadh to make that announcement. “It is good news for us that the international food market has chosen our country for expanding their businesses,” Jad said. The spotlight on Saudi Arabia's food services, hotels and restaurants and food-processing factories is also intensifying with the Kingdom's rapidly growing tourism industry, propped up by the pilgrimage seasons of Umrah and Haj. For culinary professionals here, however, not everything is a piece of cake. “Lack of education in the culinary field is a major factor in Saudi Arabia. A chef has to travel abroad for specialized education in cuisines and culinary art. However, since most young Saudi chefs hold minimum experience it is a big challenge for them to find employment in the cuisine and food industry here. The private sectors seem to be expecting a lot from the chefs; they should be patient and allow them time till they are ready,” he said. However, Kurdi has a different view. “We do not face any challenges. Thank God, Saudi culinary experts are at par with those from other countries,” he said. According to Jad, 24x7 food channels like Fatafeat help to popularize cooking and the cuisine art profession in Saudi society. “These channels present food in an interesting, attractive and simplified manner for the viewers. We should have more Saudi cooking TV shows in order to educate people about Saudi cuisine as well as international cuisine, particularly because Saudi Arabia is a big country that has different regional cuisines. It will also help popularize the Saudi cuisine in the world,” he added. SARCA, founded in 2009, has not yet participated in an international competition because “we are still growing and we are in the process of training our member chefs so that they can compete internationally”. Jad said the SARCA training classes will be more frequent depending on the availability of chef trainers and a sufficient number of trainees to start a workshop. However, at present, for those craving a career in catering, there aren't many sweet options. “There are quite a few institutes offering 2-4 year diplomas in Hotel and Tourism, in which students get an overall view of the field, including, housekeeping, reception, hotelier account & purchasing, cuisine, banquette service, tour guiding, etc. Specialized courses need to be introduced to meet the demands of the Saudi market and those who are interested in professionally pursuing a career in this industry,” said Jad. Asked what aspect of cuisine Saudi society is not up to scratch, he said: “We need to improve and focus on the health factor. Life has become faster and stressful. Food characterized by a balance of fatless/low fat, low calorie, low carbohydrate, rich in natural fiber, fresh vegetables/ fruits, etc. should feature more on our menu.” Some food for thought, eh?
