The 9th edition of the Sharjah Food Festival, organised by Sharjah Investment and Development Authority “Shurooq”, ended on a high note yesterday. The 11-day festival took place at four major locations in Sharjah: Al Qasba, Heart of Sharjah, Al Majaz Waterfront and Al Montazah, and included cooking competitions among media, sport and art celebrities, government employees, and families, and the participation of 11 acclaimed celebrity chefs who demonstrated their culinary skills in various Oriental and Western cuisines, as well as fun activities and awareness lectures

Celebrity cooking competitions attracted large audiences at Al Qasba, where visitors were eager to cheer on their favourite media stars that prepared Oriental and Western entrees and desserts. The cooking competitions among employees from Sharjah government departments and authorities allowed them to showcase their culinary talents and to network with one another outside the workplace. Family spirit and teamwork were visible in the family competitions, and a number of families won valuable prizes provided by festival management and the sponsors.

Al Majaz Waterfront hosted exciting fruit and ice carving competitions with the participation of celebrated international chefs. Visitors enjoyed watching the chefs turn ice into functional and decorative sculptures, and fruit into smiling faces for children.
The festival also lined up fun art and stage activities. Al Montazah hosted the performances of the clown and mime, Diego Spano, whose acclaimed portrayal of Charlie Chaplin has charmed audiences all over the world, Indian juggler, Jardo, famous for comedic shows with his cobra snake, and other international musical shows. The Heart of Sharjah hosted Emirati folklore bands that featured dances and songs from Emirati folklore and heritage.

Mr. Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, Chief Operating Officer at Shurooq, stressed that the 9th edition of the festival was a success due to the number, and variety, of its activities. He said, “The expansion of the festival this year to include four major locations was instrumental in increasing tourist traffic and making the festival’s activities accessible to all citizens, residents and tourists.” He added, “The resounding success of the festival this year has encouraged us to start preparation right away for the 10th edition, which will also offer an assortment of fun-filled activities for all members of the family.” Mr. Al Qaseer extended thanks to all government departments and authorities and to the festival’s sponsors who contributed to the success of the 9th edition of the festival. “We thank all our partners for the support and facilities they provided, which helped give tourists highly favourable impressions of our emirate, known as a prime culture and heritage destination,” he continued.

Fatima Al Shuweihi, Head of Events at Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) said, “It was a carnival-like atmosphere during the festival in Sharjah, with a clear increase in the number of visitors, proving that the festival achieved its goals. We have seen a surge in traffic in restaurants and cafes in all the tourist and leisure destinations, as well in retail outlets and public transport in Sharjah.”  
She added, “This year the festival attracted a number of the region’s renowned restaurant brands, which exhibited their menus at 15 stands at Al Majaz Waterfront, 15 stands at Al Montazah, and 20 stands at Al Qasba, in addition to the kiosks at the 1950s-style souq in the Heart of Sharjah.” Al Shuweihi said that the festival’s workshops and presentations, which focused on different ways to prepare nutritious food and tips for a healthy lifestyle, attracted huge crowds at the four locations. She praised the success of the competitions launched on social media, saying, “The social media competitions received high public interaction, with photo sharing and live video streaming for the festival’s activities contributing to the increase in turnout.”  

The festival also gave stay-at-home wives and mothers the opportunity to gain experience from a group of celebrated chefs and raised healthy eating awareness among children through a variety of children’s activities. Other children’s activities included cake decorating, pizza making and decorating at the Pizarro Academy for Young Chefs, and culinary adventures with characters from popular Nickelodeon cartoons. Families remarked that the festival was an ideal destination for them during the school break.
The 11 experienced chefs from different nationalities who took part in live recipe demonstrations and revealed the secrets of various international cuisines, included award winning chef, Tarek Ibrahim, famous for his cooking shows on Fatafeat TV; Chef Mark Abed, known for his television programme “Lel Shabaa” on DMTV; ; Chef Uwe Micheal, Director of Kitchens at the Radisson Blu Hotel; Saudi cuisine chef, Somaih Idrisi; Kuwaiti Chef, Hussein Al Ali, otherwise known as ‘Concept 15’; Emirati Executive Oriental chef, Musabbeh Al Kaabi; celebrated chef, Mehdi Katanbaf; Moroccan chef, Hakim Ben Adi, who has over 15 years experience in five star hotels; Egyptian chef, Yousef Darwish, who is the Executive Chef at Taj Palace, Dubai, and Indian Executive Chef, Akshay Nayyar, from Signature restaurant at Meliá Dubai.