President Message

Dear Members and Partners,
We are proud of our team's triumphant return from the Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart, where they brought home 69 medals (41 gold and 28 silver). An outstanding effort by all the team members. Three chefs who received medals with distinction will grace our next cover.
The team of 20, along with our team of helpers, are featured in the March and April editions of the magazine. You can view their winning creations on our social media feeds as well as in Gulf Gourmet. A big thank you to the team's sponsor, Mr. Karim Al Azhari of Sounbula Mills, whose generous support enabled the team to travel and raise the UAE flag high on the podium once again. Well done, chefs. Let's gear up for the upcoming 2026 Luxembourg World Cup.
The Luxembourg World Cup will showcase the talents of our fantastic artistic team as they vie for victory. Additionally, we are hoping to enter a culinary team event called community catering in Luxembourg. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting endeavor!
The city was once again pumping with big events every week, showing us the industry is robust and heading in the right direction. A focus on food and beverage echoed across the city through a series of public events and tradeshows in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Our partner, ICCA, was prominently involved in all these events, particularly in the burgeoning Food Verse movement that is gaining momentum. We will be sharing more in the months ahead, featuring this in the upcoming Expo Culiniare in Sharjah from May 20 to 22, 2024.
We wish our members and partners Ramadan Kareem as we approach March and the Holy Month of Ramadan. Food waste and associated topics are brought to light during Ramadan every year. Technology is also making significant inroads into the food waste sector by recording and measuring food waste.
While it is a great topic to focus on, we should do it daily to truly make a difference and minimize waste in the long run. The topic is so broad that it should be examined in all areas of the industry. In our kitchens, we must ensure that young chefs are trained so that they can use 100% of the ingredients that are ordered. We also need to work with suppliers to assist in reducing our waste even before it enters the kitchens, whether it be through the use of pre cut meats, ready-prepared vegetables and fruits, or anything else. Whatever the case may be, we should consider what is affordable for the operation. Every operation is different. There is no cookie-cutter approach that fits all. Since the buffet is available for the entire meal period, can we use smaller bowls and guest plates with reduced sizes to prevent plates from being overfilled? Do we also encourage serving multiple, smaller amounts on plates?
Even for us in the ECG, we need to be mindful of what we do in our competitions. Food waste is a matter we have adopted in the judging guidelines, and it is evaluated and monitored during the competitions. Chefs are encouraged to only cook and bring what they need for mise en place. For example, if the regulations specify that there should be 150 g of protein, then you should not bring two kg to the competition since you would be penalized. In addition, we have introduced more practical cooking events where food will be eaten at the 2024 Salon Culinaire. One such event is the Alan Thong Young Chef's Golden Coffee Pot Challenge, which features an edible buffet for 24 people. The bread for this event is made fresh every day for the competition by our newest addition, the Sounbula Artisan Bakery Arena, meaning that even with our new classes, there will be zero food wast.
There are special practical cookery classes for students with Thryve from our partner, IFFCO Professional, where they will cook with plant-based products to promote sustainability around non meat products and also to offer choices to our customers on our menus.
These small initiatives that we are taking now are aligned not only with the UAE Federal Guidelines on Sustainability but also with the United Nations and our own Worldchefs guidelines. These small steps, which we hope will help later on, will also provide our chefs with an education and allow them to compete in competitions. The Guild's social media platforms are very active, and we encourage all our members to visit our Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Young Chefs pages. There you will discover great events that our Young Chefs Club organizes every month and a summary of their past events and forthcoming activities. They visited ICCA Abu Dhabi in February to receive equipment education. In March, they will travel to Bustanica to observe what is grown and available at its largest vertical farm.
I urge our partners to use the opportunity to introduce your production facilities to both the senior and the young chefs. We would like to thank Abu Dhabi Country Club for hosting our February meeting, and a big thank you to Chef Randal Elsisura and his team for their hospitality.
Once again, I wish all members, partners, and their families Ramadan Kareem and wish you all a peaceful holy month.

With Regards,
Andy Cuthbert
President and Editor