Thursday 30 March 2017

Things to do at the Qatar International Food Festival 2017

The 8th Qatar International Food Festival is much bigger this year with the theme "A Different Side of Food". Hundreds of food enthusiasts are expected to throng the venue to sample mouth-watering cuisines offered by some of the best restaurants and cafes in the country.

When: Starting today (March 29), the 8th QIFF will be on for 11 days till April 8
Timings: 2pm to 10 pm on weekdays, and till 11pm on weekend
Where: Hotel Park overlooking Doha Corniche
Price: Food would be available in the range of QR5 to 35, apart from Dinner in the Sky priced at QR500.
Parking: Hotel park has four levels of underground parking with over 2,500 spots.

Accompanied by live entertainment shows, flavours from numerous countries will be available with their stalls at the Cultural Zone.

Divided in to zones, there will be 130 restaurants, hotels and food carts participating this year. Main zones will also include live cooking theatre, health zone bringing food-related awarness, Hotel zone will offer 4- and 5-star culinary experiences.

Also participating will be food trolleys and trucks that gained popularity during the Shop Qatar festival.

Daily fireworks display at 8pm and outdoor screenings of food-related movies from 9pm.

Live Cooking, Dinner in the Sky, garden picnic (inclusive of food basket and blanket), high tea and fine dining pavilion are special festive experiences this year.

Apart from Children's food zone, there will be a edutainment in the form of daily screenings of Siraj, Siraj, Qatar Foundation's 3D animation children's TV series.

Also book lovers could explore cook books and food-related literature at QIFF library.

Chef's Table will offer diners an opportunity to join international chefs for an interactive cooking and dining experience at the participating 5-star hotels. The charges vary from QR280 to QR1,500. You can book the table online through QIFF website.


Chef Andrew Bozoki
On March 29: He will serve Japanese Cuisine at Nobu Doha. The dinner is priced  at QR 1,250 per person.

Originally from Germany, Chef Bozoki began his culinary career in the country’s southwestern region of Baden-Württemberg. Leading the largest Nobu in the world, Chef Andrew Bozoki has over 15 years of international five-star hotel operations and restaurant experience. Bozoki joined Four Seasons Hotel Doha in December 2014 from the One & Only Reethi Rah Resort in the Maldives, where he served as chef de cuisine at the resort’s popular Japanese restaurant Tapasake. Prior to the Maldives, he served as sous chef at acclaimed Nobu Dubai, where he achieved success for his flawless technique, creativity and commitment to creating extraordinary guest experiences.

Chef JULIEN AL KHAL
On March 30: He will serve Pan-Arab Cuisine at Marsa Malaz Kempinski. The dinner is priced at QR995

“Unbeknown to him, Julien Al Khal started his career under the nurturing care of his talented grandmother. Realizing his love and passion for the culinary world, Julien enrolled to The Swiss Business School for Hotel & Tourism Management. After passing with Distinctions Julien began his journey to success, applying his passion and knowledge to every opportunity that was presented to him. Starting his culinary journey at Cuisine Et Vin in Lebanon, Chef Julien has had the opportunity to work in well-known establishments such as: Louis Phatheon Beach Club Hotel in Cyprus, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts Dubai, Crowne Plaza Kuwait, Sheraton Park Tower Hotel London, Spice Management Group Lebanon, Blends Management Company Lebanon and to present at Marsa Malaz Kempinski, The Pearl – Doha.

Chef Julien has been sure to not just place his magic touch into the dishes he creates, but has ensured that everything from the design of his kitchens to the spices he sources are of the best quality for himself and his staff to create memorable dishes.

“I want to create a memory for my diners, a picture may be worth a million words but a flavour can be associated with a feeling of warmth, nostalgia and love. The dishes I create should entice your taste buds and remind you of that moment you shared with a loved one, colleague or friend!””

Chef SANJEEV KAPOOR
On April 1: He will serve Indian Cuisine at Melia Doha. The dinner is priced at QR1,500.
Sanjeev Kapoor’s is more than a chef. He is one of the most famous faces on Indian show-business. His show has run for more than 18 years, a record that has not been broken yet. He was also part of the “Master Chef India” jury panel, on Seasons 3 and 4; and his books are bestsellers with more than 200 titles, translated into 7 languages.

His popularity and contribution to Indian cuisine granted him the “Best Chef of India” National Award. Today, he’s ranked 73rd on the Forbes list of top 100 Indian celebrities.

In addition to these achievements, he was invited to the Rachel Ray’s cooking show, representing India as “Food Ambassador”. Recently, he was one of the speakers at “Worlds of Flavour” at Graystone, California; an international festival organized by the Culinary Institute of America.

Chef XUDONG ZHENG
On April 4: He will serve Chinese at Marriott Doha. The dinner is priced at QR280.

Xudong Zheng, a chef hailing from China boasts a decade’s worth of experience. Having worked in big cities like Lahore, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Zheng currently is a chef at the Asia Live Restaurant which is located in the Doha Marriott Hotel and has been working here for almost 3 years.

Due to his experience in different cities, he has an idea of the taste preferences of different countries. Apart from all this, some of his achievements from his glittering career is winning the “Manager of the 2nd quarter” at the Doha Marriott in 2016.

Adding to this, his article “Chef has own recipe for success in Pakistan” was published in the Chinese newspaper, China Daily in the year 2013. He has numerous experience in different types of restaurants. His valuable knowledge in the Chinese cuisine will definitely be a treat for Chinese food lovers.

Chef MANAL ALALEM
On April 4: She will serve Arab Cuisine at Sheraton Doha. The dinner is priced at QR1,000.

Chef Manal Al Alem has a wide experience in cooking and recipe preparation. She spent 30 years working with recipe testing, tasting, and teaching in order to produce recipes with guaranteed nutrition, mouth-watering taste, and look.

Since 1983, she has played a major role in producing new dishes and enhancing existing merchandise items for big F&B manufacturers. She participated in advertising food products, and in judging cooking competitions in the Arab world. Additionally, she contributed in many cooking related festivals, interviews, forums, meetings, and conventions.

Chef ALI ZAFAR
On April 5: He will serve Indian cuisine at Marriott Doha. The dinner is priced at QR280.

Born in India, Ali Zafar has over a decade’s worth of experience in the field of Kitchen Management. Ali specializes in Indian Cuisine; Awadhi, Rajasthani, Kashmiri, Gujrati, Kebabs, Biryani and much more.

Apart from working in India, he has also worked in Thailand, The Lux Resort in Maldives and is currently working at the Doha Marriott Hotel at the Taj Rasoi Restaurant. He has worked in the states of Punjab, New Delhi, Kolkata, and Bangalore. Graduating with a Bachelors in Hotel Management from IHM-Kolkata, Ali went on to achieve his Executive MBA from the Karnataka University.

Working with Indian cuisine does bring in the prospect of some mouth-watering food which will satisfy the tastebuds of those who will be tasting it.


Chef ERHAN AFCAN
On April 8: He will serve steakhouse specials at Marriott Doha. The dinner is priced at QR480.

Erhan Afacan, a Turkish born chef boasts a really good career with bags of experience under his name. He is an ambitious and hardworking chef and is always on the lookout for challenges and opportunities. Having done his Culinary Arts from the Anatolia Cooking Occupation School, Erhan is well- versed in 3 different languages i.e. Turkish, English and Russian. His experience in the culinary world is one to admire.

He has worked in Kazakhstan, UAE, Russia and his home country Turkey and has cooked amazing food wherever he went. However, one of his achievements was in Sochi in 2014 where he was catering for the mountain venues of the Games in which he made a daily VIP buffet for sportsmen and journalists. Some of the important people he cooked for in Sochi are The Russian President Vladmir Putin and American Actor “Steven Seagal” Apart from this, he has won the “Best opening of the best signature restaurant “and due to this he appeared in the Timeout magazine. A chef of his stature is sure to serve nothing but the best.

Chef FAWAZ ALOMAIM
On April 6: He will serve his specialities  for QR1,500 at Sharq Village and Spa.

Chef Fawaz Al Omaim boasts an experience of more than 9 years in dining operations. During this time, he has provided operational consultancy to numerous restaurants in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Having stayed in the USA for almost a decade, Fawaz developed his cooking talent in a multi-cultural environment.

He has also contributed in most of the Gulf-based festivals, including the Qatar International Food Festival. Recently, he was involved in contributing to the cooking for charity initiatives in the Syrian refugee camps in Turkey and Jordan.

(Source: The Peninsula)

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