day culinary celebration of new events, activities and promotions, has announced the first installment of coveted celebrity chefs who will be headlining the launch celebrations. Representing Arabian, Greek, French and Australian cuisines these culinary masters are set to entice and excite the tens of thousands of residents and visitors expected at the Middle East's only truly citywide food festival. The event promotes the diversity, creativity and multicultural nature of Dubai's culinary offering – from five-star gourmet dining to everyday restaurants and cafés for all budgets; international brands to a burgeoning scene of home-grown concepts influenced by traditional Emirati cuisine and the flavors of the 200 nationalities that live in Dubai. Serving up a mouth-watering epicurean showcase for Dubai Food Festival will be Australian legends and stars of the critically acclaimed Australian MasterChef series, George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan. Also joining them is the French-born star of ‘My Kitchen Rules' Manu Feildel; television favourite and restauranteur Matt Moran and the hugely popular restauranteur and author, Shannon Bennett. Adding to this star studded international line-up is the "Queen of the Arabian Kitchen", Chef Manal Al Alem, a highly celebrated figure in Middle Eastern cooking. Visitors to the festival, which will run on Feb. 25 to March 12, 2016, will have multiple opportunities to get up close to the stars, whether at the highly-popular and exclusive Dining with the Stars events, the family-friendly Beach Canteen on Kite Beach or at the interactive chef MasterClasses at distinguished cookery school, Scafa in JLT. "We are extremely happy to welcome this caliber of celebrity chefs as part of our upcoming Dubai Food Festival. The fact that these world class masters chose Dubai Food Festival to showcase their culinary mastery is clear proof that Dubai is steadily becoming a beacon for foodies and experts from across the globe," said Laila Suhail, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) that organizes the event. "This announcement is just one of many to come with the main objective being to drive more attention to the diverse culinary mosaic that Dubai, uniquely, offers to its visitors. We will continue to work closely with our partners within the restaurant sector in Dubai to ensure that they reap the benefits of this partnership and attract more visitors to Dubai." Dubai's gastronomy scene has continued to go from strength to strength, with a dazzling array of gourmet and avant-garde restaurant concepts to local haunts and hidden gems. And Dubai Food Festival's celebrity chefs are looking forward to immersing themselves to see what concepts they can take back home with them to weave into their own restaurant offerings. "I find traveling, experiencing other cultures: new tastes, new techniques, incredibly inspiring. Dubai has always proven exciting. I like searching Dubai for unique cooking techniques I can bring back to our kitchens. I am looking forward to being involved in the Dubai Food Festival and exploring what unique produce and cooking techniques Dubai has to offer," said Shannon Bennett, whose restaurant Vue de monde was awarded Restaurant of the Year in The Age Good Food Guide, 2013 and 2014. Also relishing his chance to explore Dubai's restaurant offering is British born and trained Chef Gary Mehigan - best known for his role as host and mentor on MasterChef Australia. "I always enjoy my time in Dubai, so I'm really excited about coming to the Dubai Food Festival in February. Dubai is famous for its eclectic mix of world class chefs and restaurants that boast some of the most exquisite locations, I also love digging a little deeper to find and experience some authentic and unique local Emirati cuisine," added the star, who co-hosts two shows on Australia's Lifestyle Food Channel, Good Chef, Bad Chef, and Boy's Weekend. — SG
