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U.S. Beef Headlines at Dubai’s “My Dad Can Cook” Competition

Published: Apr 02, 2014

One hundred pairs of fathers and their children participated in the “My Dad Can Cook” competition in Dubai

One hundred pairs of children between the ages of 8 and 10 and their fathers prepared their favorite U.S. beef recipes recently as they vied for the top Masterchef honor at the Dubai Food Carnival in a fun “My Dad Can Cook” competition organized by USMEF.

Under the watchful and skilled eye of chef Uwe Micheel, president of the Emirates Culinary Guild and director of kitchens at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Dubai, the children and their fathers worked with their favorite U.S. beef cuts and discussed their cooking methods with the judges. The contestants were narrowed from the original 100 teams to 30 to a final four before the winning father/daughter team was selected.

Part of a two-day Dubai Food Festival that drew more than 20,000 visitors, the competition was organized by the Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai in collaboration with USMEF. Support was provided through the Beef Checkoff Program.

“The Dubai Food Carnival and the cooking competition received a lot of exposure due to the sizeable audience and the many promotional and social media tools used to publicize them,” said Simon Bakht, USMEF representative in Dubai. “There was a diversified audience of parents, children and chefs, which gave us a good opportunity to create a better awareness and understanding of the quality and wholesomeness of U.S. beef.”

All of the contestants prepared their favorite dish using cuts of U.S. beef. The winning father and daughter and their family received a U.S. steak dinner at the Palm Grill, a roast U.S. beef dinner from Boulevard Gourmet, and prizes from other sponsors including a family weekend at the Radisson Blu Dubai Deira Creek complete with limousine transportation. Runners-up received a variety of food and beverage prizes and chefs knives featuring the USMEF and Beef Checkoff logos.

Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently hosted the Gulfood show, one of the largest food industry trade shows in the world. An up-and-coming business travel and tourism destination, the UAE is among the top export markets for U.S. beef in value per pound of product. In 2013 the UAE purchased 5,010 metric tons of U.S. beef – 99 percent of it muscle cuts – valued at $55 million.