Doha Food Festival Set to Serve Unique Contests on Menu

Doha, February 01 (QNA) - Qatar's hospitality sector will come into focus at the third Doha Food Festival which this year offers four gold medals to competing chefs from participating restaurants, hotels and cafes at a unique Black Box contest lined up by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) for the four-day event starting February 8 at the Doha Exhibition Centre (DEC). Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA) QTA Local Exhibitions Co-ordinator Hamad Al Khaja said, "We have planned a unique and competitive mystery Black Box contest, on each of the four days, for chefs from all the participating hotels and restaurants." The uniqueness of this contest is that the 'Black Box' will contain many ingredients not known to the contestants. Once the contest starts, chefs from four participating hotels will open the box, remove the ingredients and prepare a dish. "On each of the four days of the festival, the winner of the contest will receive a gold medal and the runners-up will get a certificate. Three chefs including one from QTA will judge the contests," Al Khaja said. Earlier, speaking at a media conference Wednesday QTA officials said, "Arabic, Asian, Mexican, European and 'fine dining' gourmet treats will be on offer as well as entertainment, raffles prizes with a DJ and performers to complete a festival ambience." QTA Chairman Ahmed Al Nuaimi said, "It is important for the QTA to organize such events for the community. Besides fun and entertainment, visitors will have the opportunity to taste dishes from other cultures. These events promote cultural awareness in our amazingly diverse community. We are excited to showcase Japanese food which illustrates the special friendship between Qatar and Japan." Japanese dishes will be displayed for the first time at the Doha Food Festival at a special Japanese Corner to mark the 40th anniversary of the country's bilateral relations with Qatar. During the festival a chef from the Embassy of Japan and a well-known chef from Tokyo will prepare food for visitors. Qatar's finest restaurants and top hotels are taking part in the food festival, offering gourmet cuisine to visitors at the DEC. Food from Malaysia, Italy, the Philippines, India, China and Lebanon, officials said. "Al Tawash Restaurant from Souq Waqif will showcase traditional Qatari cuisine," said Al Khaja and added, "Three Filipino restaurants Cocina, Chowking and Asian Traditional Restaurants have been added this year to accommodate the demands of the Filipino community here." The organisers have a dedicated play area for children with games from Jungle Zone, face painting and fun activities. Visitors will also be eligible to vote for the 'Best Food' on offer over the weekend. Interest and participation is increasing since the festival was launched in 2010. "Last year, at the second edition of the 'Doha Taste and Fun Food Festival' we had registered around 60 hotels, restaurants and cafes. This year we have 70 which clearly shows interest in this festival is increasing among visitors and participants from all over the Gulf," said Al Khaja. Entry to the food festival is free and the visiting hours are: February 8th from 2pm onwards, February 9th from 12 noon to 10.30pm; February 10th from 1pm to 10.30pm and February 11 from 12 noon to 10.30pm. (QNA)