Background Banner

Classes Boost Awareness of U.S. Beef among Chefs in United Arab Emirates

Published: Apr 04, 2019

Promoting U.S. beef to chefs and representatives from the foodservice, tourism and hospitality sectors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), USMEF sponsored two separate classes during the Emirates International Salon Culinaire. Funding for the USMEF classes “Gastronomic Creations” and “Practical Cookery” was provided by the Beef Checkoff Program. USMEF is a contractor of the Beef Checkoff.

Professionals from the UAE foodservice, tourism and hospitality sectors from eight countries learn about the quality of U.S. beef through a pair of USMEF classes and educational sessions during Salon Culinaire

Organized by the Emirates Culinary Guild (ECG) and held in conjunction with the Gulfood trade show, the 2019 Salon Culinaire included a series of competitions featuring more than 1,000 chefs from eight countries. The event also attracted about 200 exhibitors.

Chefs participating in two USMEF-sponsored classes during Salon Culinaire were taught about U.S. beef’s quality and unique attributes

“U.S. beef benefited from several branding opportunities during this event, with the Beef Checkoff and USMEF logos on banners, on the commemorative awards, on the official jacket for judges, on social media platforms promoting Salon Culinaire and in the official magazine of the Emirates Culinary Guild,” said Eliane Elia, USMEF representative in the Middle East. “It is important to note that priority was given to USMEF to sponsor the two beef classes instead of Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), which had sponsored Salon Culinaire classes for 12 consecutive years.”

Chefs in the USMEF classes prepare dishes using U.S. beef as the main ingredient

USMEF also had an opportunity to participate in the Salon Culinaire Education Arena, where one hour each day was dedicated to highlighting U.S. beef cuts such as brisket, short ribs, back ribs, chuck and ribeye, while sharing information about U.S. beef’s quality and attributes.

Gastronomic Creations required chefs to prepare a five-course gourmet dinner with U.S. beef as the main ingredient, while the Practical Cookery class had chefs present three identical main courses using U.S. beef as the main protein. In all, 131 chefs from hotels, resorts and cooking academies competed in the classes. Contestants were evaluated by a panel of 30 international culinary experts.

“We further enhanced U.S. beef’s image in the Middle East and amplified its image to a large and important audience, including menu influencers and decisions makers,” said Elia. “Competing chefs are now more familiar with the utilization and characteristics of different U.S. beef cuts and will feel confident preparing several innovative dishes with U.S. beef as the main item.”