Special Features
The Emirates Culinary Guild
The Emirates Culinary Guild (ECG) is the UAE’s association of professional chefs. It is a non-profit-making organisation dedicated solely to the advancement of the culinary art of the UAE.The World Association of Cooks Societies (WACS) is a 52-nation fellowship comprising the world’s various professional chefs’ organisations.
The ECG received its charter into WACS at a ceremony in Stavanger, Norway on June 28, 1994, during the WACS 26th World Congress. WACS endorses the ECG as the authorised UAE culinary institute. The ECG, thereby, has an international culinary focus and multi-national support for the staging of its various competitions, seminars and events.
The aims of the ECG, broadly, are:
To enhance internationally the culinary prestige of the UAE.
To encourage UAE nationals to consider a career within the hospitality industry.
The ECG’s competition calendar is spread over a two-year period. Within each period, as an absolute minimum, the Guild will organise: 12 MiniPlated competitions, 2 Junior Chef of the Year live-cookery competitions and 1 international Emirates Salon Culinaire. Competitors entering the various competitions can qualify for inclusion into teams that travel to various countries to represent the ECG in international professional culinary competitions. The Guild also awards bursaries to some competitors to enable them to travel abroad and receive work experience in high-class establishments.
In addition to the professional competitions and events, the Guild also liaises with Dubai Municipality and Government of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in the organisation of various culinary expositions during the Dubai Shopping Festival and the Dubai Summer Surprises promotion.
The highlight of the ECG’s competition calendar is the biennial Emirates Salon Culinaire held in conjunction with the GulFood and Equipment Exhibition at Dubai International exhibition Centre . The four-day culinary extravaganza comprises cookery demonstrations, live-cooking competitions, live ice carving, buffet and banqueting showpieces, pastry showpieces and bakery and confectionery creations. The whole of the Emirates Salon Culinaire is an event dedicated to the celebration of food and its accoutrements displayed in all their pleasing forms. Entry to the salon competitions is open to all those professionally involved in the preparation of food, be it in hotels, restaurants, hospitals, the armed forces, police or other institutions.
Email: theguild@eim.ae
