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The 10th International Culinary Competition of Southern Europe was held this year from 3-6 March 2017 at the International Exhibition & Congress Centre of TIF HELEXPO in Thessaloniki (Greece), as part of the 26th International Exhibition of Food, Beverages, Machinery Equipment and Packaging Detrop and the 6th International Wine Fair Oenos.
The 10th International Culinary Competition of Southern Europe was organized by the Chefs Association of Northern Greece in cooperation with TIF-HELEXPO and was supported by World Association of Chefs Societies (Worldchefs). The 4-day competition was attended by 450 eminent Chefs and Culinary students, who competed in 34 categories based on the rules, regulations and judging criteria as specified by WACS and were evaluated by 23 international judges. Also, the Worldchefs President Thomas A. Gugler attended the 10th International Culinary Competition.
The National Culinary Team of Cyprus was announced as the ‘Best Team of the Year’. The team of Cyprus used local products of the Macedonian Cuisine in an effort to strengthen the actions taken by the Hellenic Region of Central Macedonia in collaboration with the Chefs Association of Northern Greece for the promotion of the gastronomic tourism and the promotion of the Macedonian products internationally.
The award for the “Best Chef of the Year” won a participant from Latvia, while the award for the “Best Culinary School of the Year” was awarded to School Intercollege of Cyprus. Moreover, as the “Best Student Chef of the Year” and as the “Best Student Pastry Chef of the Year” were announced students from the School Intercollege of Cyprus, while the “Top Class Trophy School” winner, according to the number of medals, was ‘IEK DELTA” from Greece. The countries that took part in this year’s International Culinary Competition of Southern Europe were: Greece Cyprus, Taiwan, Turkey, Serbia, Ukraine and Latvia. The judges who honored us with their presence were from 17 countries: Greece, Cyprus, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Croatia, Turkey, Germany, France, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Montenegro, Taiwan, USA, Latvia.
The 10th International Culinary Competition of Southern Europe was framed by several parallel events, which had as an aim to showcase the high nutritional value of Greek food and beverages, the benefits of the Mediterranean diet and their export prospects in the global culinary map. Undoubtedly, among the parallel events that stood out were those that took place in the stand of the Region of Central Macedonia, where Chef Argiro Barbarigou, Elias Mamalakis, Aris Tsanaklidis, George Stylianoudakis, Monk Epifanios and members of the Chefs Association of Northern Greece prepared and presented excellent dishes using recipes of the Macedonian Cuisine.
The 10th International Culinary Competition of Southern Europe constitutes the great feast of professionals and it is part of the continuous efforts made by the Chefs Association of Northern Greece not only to showcase new talents in cooking, but also to promote Greek cuisine and culture, to enhance Greek status within the international chef community and to reinforce the awareness of Greek cuisine which could increase Greek food market and tourism.
The Chefs Association of Northern Greece would like to thank all those who supported this effort, all the contestants for their participation, as long as its members who contributed with their valuable assistance in the successful outcome of this Competition. Finally, the Chefs Association of Northern Greece feels the need to thank the HELEXPO – TIF and all its collaborative partners. Thanks to their generous contribution and ongoing trust we managed to achieve a successful and memorable International Culinary Competition of Southern Europe 2017.
To see more from Argiro Barbarigou, please visit: www.argiro.gr
