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CATHERINE W GICHUKI
DOHA
Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) has been promoting homegrown talent across all its forums, Haya Al Noaimi from the QNTC Marketing and Promotion Sector, has said.
She was speaking as two Qatari chefs joined other chefs to bring their culinary skills to the ongoing Chefs of Qatar Virtual Food Festival. The chefs have joined other renowned colleagues who are masterminds behind Qatar’s best restaurants where they are sharing their stories and signature dishes to bring flavours of the world to people’s doorstep. The Qatari chefs are Noor Al Mazroei and Hassan Al Ibrahim.
Organised by Qatar National Tourism Council in collaboration with Talabat and Qatar Airways, the Chefs of Qatar Virtual Food Festival will continue until May 12.
Noaimi told Qatar Tribune that Chefs of Qatar is the first-of-its-kind initiative in the region, and with the current lockdown and the absence of in-person events and festivals, QNTC is working with its partner hotels and other stakeholders to provide residents the opportunity to enjoy the country’s fine dining with absolute peace of mind.
“With the country taking all measures to control the virus and vaccinating all residents, we hope to return to our in-person events and festivals where we can showcase a much broader range of food experiences and participants from all over the world. We would like to highlight that during these difficult times and in the spirit of Ramadan, Chefs of Qatar aims to donate a meal to those in need through Qatar Charity for every order from the Chefs of Qatar collection in Talabat,” she said.
Talking about how QNTC is promoting the chefs in Qatar, especially the Qatari chefs, Noaimi said that QNTC has been bringing to limelight Qatar’s homegrown talent across all its forums such as Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition, Shop Qatar and Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF).
“While the Chefs of Qatar festival is introducing internationally celebrated chefs who are based in Qatar, it is also shedding light on Qatar’s own Qatari celebrity chefs who have made a mark at the regional and international level. For this purpose, we have teamed up with two Qatari chefs to create special menus with their chosen hotels. These exclusive partnerships are between Mondrian Hotel and Chef Hassan AlIbrahim and Park Hyatt and Chef Noor Al Mazroei,” she said.
Noaimi added that while their main food festival, QIFF features a number of activities for aspiring chefs, including masterclasses and cooking competitions, the Chefs of Qatar festival is specifically designed to introduce the country’s fine dining offerings and diverse range of restaurants from renowned chefs.
According to her, QNTC’s newly relaunched visitqatar website has a Chefs of Qatar page which features local and international chefs based in Qatar.
Noaimi added that QNTC was working with the hospitality sector to create opportunities like the Chefs of Qatar festival, enabling them to develop attractive offerings that drive revenue to their restaurants and showcase the country’s diverse dining experiences and celebrated chefs.
She said, “QNTC also initiated the Qatar Clean programme in close collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health for sterilisation and disinfection of hotels and restaurants. This follows strict guidelines for the safety of customers as well as staff at these establishments. The programme has made it possible for the hotels and restaurants to continue their operations during the pandemic, and for residents to continue to enjoy offerings.”
Chef Hassan AlIbrahim said that he chose Morimoto, the Japanese restaurant in Mondrian because the Japanese culture is rich and authentic when it comes to food.
He added that the Qatari cuisine is simple but very rich.
“I decided to combine the two cultures and bring out a fusion of the cuisines by having Qatari aroma and Japanese taste in one bit,” he said.
He added that one of the specific dishes he will be creating is hamour fish using teriyaki sauce which is the most famous sauce in the Japanese kitchen and cinnamon from the Qatari kitchen.
Chef AlIbrahim, who thanked QNTC for always providing support, said as a captain who travels to different parts of the world, he has been able to see various cuisines.
“I have access to different kitchens from all over the world and I reflect that in my cuisines,” he said.
Morimoto Executive Chef Timur Fazilov said, “A chef, a pilot and a founder of Qatar’s first Cooking Academy, Hassan is a very charismatic and an incredible partner to work with. While I am specialised in Japanese cuisine - the heart of my culinary expertise, I have always been interested in fusion, and this is what we did through our collaboration.
“With an idea of creating a bespoke menu and offering Qatar residents a one-of-a-kind dining option to enjoy from the comfort of their homes, we unleashed our imagination and create freely, while preserving the fine dining nature of the menu.”
Regional Vice-President Sales & Marketing, sbe group Mikel Ibrahim said, “We are pleased to collaborate with such a talented Qatari chef as Hassan AlIbrahim. Constantly creating new experiences, flavours and driving Qatar’s dining scene is part of Mondrian’s nature, and this collaboration reflects it perfectly. This partnership is also a true symbiosis between two chefs, who blended their skills and passion for fine dining in a unique menu crafted with the best local products - hamour, lamb chops and baby chickens – and the most refined Asian ingredients and techniques, including teriyaki, kochujang and a variety of spices.”
Talking about the culinary initiatives for the Holy Month of Ramadan, Mikel Ibrahim said that Morimoto, Walima, CUT and Hudson Tavern will be offering a la carte dining options to take away or to be delivered to doorsteps.
In addition to the menu with chef Hassan, Morimoto has also created another special menu available on Talabat’s ‘Chefs of Qatar’ section, boasting the best of Japanese cuisine - miso soup, buckwheat noodles, tempura shrimps, a selection of maki and sushi and a soufflé-like cheesecake with fresh blackberry jam and fresh fruit.
Walima will also offer several takeaway options with chef Sezar’s signature mixed grill, machboos and chicken teriyaki, while Hudson Tavern will continue to deliver its American classics – roast boxes with the finest quality US CAB Ribeye accompanied with classical sides, mustard, crushed pepper and traditional dessert.
Other chefs taking part in Chefs of Qatar are Salvatore Silvestrino, Chef Gina, Vinay Kumar, Mert Duran, Sezar Esper Eliass, Timur Fazilov, Marios Papadopoulos, Steffen Schnetzke, Marc Fery, Kamal Mers, Friedemann Heinrich, Steven Peter, Elias Gemayel, Maroun Gebrael, Hisham AlBrahim and Chaiwat Kawikitpraphat.
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18/04/2021
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