A group of junior culinary enthusiasts proved to be a lively ingredient at the Sharjah Food Festival, which is currently underway at four of the emirate’s leading tourist destinations. Organised by Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), the participating youngsters added a special flavour to the festival’s cooking zone at Al Montazah through their participation at the ‘Sandwich Challenge,’ which was supervised by a jury of three celebrity chefs.

The children participating in Sandwich Challenge were divided into two teams, with three boys forming the ‘Blue Team’ and three girls forming the ‘Pink Team’. Both sets of contestants competed in making tasty sandwiches, with the audience cheering on their respective efforts.

The Sandwich Challenge stipulated that each team had to prepare three types of sandwiches using ingredients supplied by the festival management, with the children also required to take into consideration food safety and hygiene rules. Both teams succeeded in creating delicious sandwiches within the allotted time limit of 30 minutes. Such was the quality of all the offerings that the jury panel adjudicated the contest to be a draw, with both teams declared winners of the competition.
Commenting on the result, Chef Samen, One of the judges said; “Everyone was a winner in the Sandwich Challenge. The boys and girls participating were successfully able to finish the task within the time limit and prepared delicious sandwiches that everyone could enjoy, vegetarians included.” Al Montazah managers awarded the Blue and Pink teams prizes for their shared win of the competition.

In another activity, visitors to Al Montazah made the most of the ‘Tips and Cooking Recipes’ activity, which was presented by chef Samen and chef Dynana. The culinary experts provided participants with professional advice on how to cook ‘Pepper Steak with Smoked Veggies.’ The chefs showed how the dish could be prepared in less than 30 minutes, revealing a number of culinary secrets and gourmet tips along the way.

Visitors to Al Montazah also enjoyed the comedy shows being performed by Japanese artist Senmaru. Wearing a kimono, the traditional Japanese garmant, Senmaru demonstrated Japanese tricks known as ‘Edo-Daikagura.’ Part of the comedy artist’s repertoire involved him using Japanese cooking tools to entertain the audience, with the gathered children especially expressing their delight with his performance.

The 10th edition of Sharjah Food Festival is being held under the slogan ‘Many Flavours, One Festival.’ It includes dozens of entertainment shows, as well as live cooking presentations by a group of celebrity chefs. Social media influencers are also participating in a number of cooking competitions at the event.