An expert line-up of internationally and locally respected chefs will make up the official judging panel for Saudi Arabia's first ever Inter-Hotel Culinary Competition – Mystery Box Challenge, taking place in Jeddah from today (April 4). Chef Yasser Jad – Founder & President of the Saudi Arabian Chefs' Association (SARCA) and Manager Food & Beverages at Saudi Airlines – will chair the jury, which will pit kitchens from some of the Kingdom's most exclusive hotels against each other in a brand-new cooking competition. Jad will be joined by WACS Certified Executive Chef Hossam Eldin Mohamed Soliman, President of the Egyptian Chef Association and Member and Accredited Judge of The World Association of Chef›s Societies (A-class), and Master Chef Adrian Mayer of Switzerland, in addition to a group of distinguished judges. The said jury will decide which hotel team manages to keep their cool when the heat is well and truly on in a competition hailed as a "first" for Saudi Arabia. "What this challenge is bringing to the market here which is new is a team of professionals – two chefs, one dessert chef, one helper and one waiter – from different hotels from across the Kingdom in the high-pressure environment of working from a Mystery Box," said Jad. "The challenge is representing the surprise factor of using unplanned food components as the chefs use materials revealed to them on the day to prepare the tastiest and most interesting dishes with the best presentation, in the shortest possible time. This will demonstrate the capabilities of the chefs in culinary art when they are under severe pressure and have limited time to create a full course menu, also known in the culinary world as a ‘Four Course Menu' including: cold starter, soup, main dish, and dessert." Endorsed by WORLDCHEFS through the Saudi Arabian Chefs' Association and the Saudi Arabian Chefs Table Circle, the culinary competition will run during the 5th edition of The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 2017. Chefs from the likes of the Radisson Blu, Crowne Plaza, Movenpick, and Dar Al-Ghufran hotels will be tasked with creating an extensive menu enough to be professionally served to four members of the jury in the form of four cold starters, four soups, four main dishes and four desserts – in just three hours. The judges will sample each, before crowning their winners based on the WORLDCHEFS-approved judging criteria namely: Timing (0-5 points), Mise En Place & Cleanliness (0-10), Correct Professional Preparation (0-25), Arrangement & Presentation Innovation (0-10 points), and Taste (0-50 points). Speaking about the Mystery Box concept – made famous by various international food television programs – Jad added: "Cooking TV shows such as ‘Master Chef Arabia' (Amateur Cooks( and ‘Top Chef' )Professional Chefs) – which I have personally participated in as jury judge – encourage chefs of all ages and categories not to fear the audience and be themselves in front of the given challenges and circumstances beyond their control in order to develop their culinary skills. This will also help them develop the necessary personality traits to become distinguished chefs of the future." The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia – organized by M.I.C.E Arabia and co-organized by dmg events – takes place at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events across three days from today (April 4), co-located with Stone & Surface Saudi Arabia. The Inter-Hotel Culinary Competition – Mystery Box Challenge is sponsored by Chbib Kitchens Company Ltd., RATIONAL, Alabna Est, and RAK Porcelain. — SG
