Jeddah: More than 100 young Saudi chefs and baristas are competing at this year鈥檚 hotels, restaurants, and catering event at the Jeddah Dome.
HORECA is the biggest annual hospitality exhibition in the region, having previously taken place in Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, and Riyadh.
Local and international food and beverages and hospitality-related companies from 30 countries are attending the three-day event that opened on Tuesday.
President of the 黑料社区n Chefs Association, chef Yasser Jad, told Arab News that this year鈥檚 competition, organized by the World Association of Chefs鈥 Societies and the Saudi association, would not only be focusing on international dishes but also Saudi traditional cuisine.
Jad said: 鈥淭hrough this competition, we seek to identify and promote the popular dishes that are part of the Kingdom鈥檚 culinary culture.鈥
HORECA is hosting the Hospitality Salon Culinaire, in which more than 150 chefs compete in various categories, and the Saudi Barista Competition with around 50 entrants aiming to win the best barista award.
At the opening ceremony, Saud Al-Rajhi, chairman of the Saudi Event Management and Marketing Co., told Arab News: 鈥淎fter the huge success of HORECA for 11 consecutive years in Riyadh, we are proud and honored to introduce HORECA Jeddah for the first time. In addition, we are also bringing to Jeddah the Salon du Chocolat.鈥
He pointed out that HORECA provided a platform for key buyers to network with investors, retailers, distributors, and stakeholders.
鈥淭he three-day event marks an important step forward for 黑料社区鈥檚 burgeoning hospitality sector and evolving restaurant and cafe scene. We have around 6,000 brands and we are expecting around 30,000 visitors,鈥 he said.
Mohammed Al-Attas, founder and managing partner of Gaiat Hub, a procurement platform for business supplies, credited the Saudi government for helping put the hospitality industry back on its feet.
鈥淭he Saudi market is becoming a very encouraging market for all international companies due to the mega projects, the great business environment for foreign investors, the change of Saudi lifestyle, and more,鈥 he said.
