7^th May 2018, Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia: Recognized
worldwide as one of the Holy Cities of Islam, Makkah is also finding a name for
itself in the culinary world as three of its leading hotels have been awarded
as the best hotel kitchens in Saudi Arabia.

Chefs from Anjum Hotel Makkah,
Swissôtel Al Maqam Makkah, and Le Méridien Towers Makkah were
awarded bronze, silver and gold places respectively, at the Kingdom’s second
annual ‘Inter-Hotel Culinary Competition – Mystery Box Challenge’.

The competition, which took place in Jeddah as
part of the 2018 edition of The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia last month, witnessed
its most competitive line-up to date – with eleven kitchens from some of the
Kingdom’s leading hotels cooking up a storm in a bid to be crowned champion.

Endorsed by WORLDCHEFS, the Saudi Arabian Chefs’
Association and Culinary Partner, Unilever Food Solutions, it is the only event
of its kind in the Kingdom celebrating the excellent standards of its hotel
restaurants.

Each participating team was given three hours
to whip-up four courses using ‘Mystery Box’ ingredients only revealed to them
once they stepped inside the kitchen, the final dishes presented to a panel of
judges from WORLDCHEFS (The World Association of Chefs’ Societies).

The winning menu for Le Méridien Towers Makkah included a ‘Mixed Bean Salad’ for the starter,
‘Traditional Sweet Corn Soup’ for the soup, ‘Stuffed Chicken Breast with
Peaches’ as the main course and an ‘Orange Crème Brulee with Caramelized
Pineapple, Banana and Crispy Puff’ for dessert.  

Upon winning the gold medal, Anas Mohammed
Ayyub Ansari, Head Chef at Le Méridien Towers Makkah said: “This feeling
is indescribable – all chefs dream to be crowned as Saudi Arabia’s top hotel
kitchen and we are very proud to win the gold for our hotel, Le Méridien Towers
Makkah.

“The judges
commented that they appreciated how we kept our dishes
modern in presentation, maintaining the
authenticity of the dish yet the taste spoke volumes about how passionate we
are about our food.”

Chef Yasser Jad,
Founder & President of the Saudi Arabian Chefs’ Association (SARCA) and
Manager Food & Beverages at Saudi Airlines, chaired the jury, a line-up of
expert local and international chefs.

Jad commented: “This year we raised the level of difficulty of
the competition significantly by limiting the number of items in the ‘Mystery
Box’, with chicken the only protein provided, for example.

“This ensured that teams had to be creative in
order to give their own signature take on each dish. The winning team from Le
Méridien Towers Makkah stood out with their chicken main stuffed with peaches,
a unique, Mediterranean take on the dish. This team was very professional and
managed to create flavorsome dishes with the limited ingredients available.

“Other chefs stuffed the chicken with dates
which maintained an Arabic touch. All of the menus were very impressive and to
a high standard. We look forward to returning to The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia
next year with a more challenging competition format and new ingredients for
the chefs to work with, in order to raise the bar even further.”

The Inter-Hotel Culinary Competition will
return for its third edition at The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 2019, taking place
across three days – 21-23^rd April 2019 – at the Jeddah Centre for
Forums and Events.

Find out more at: www.thehotelshowsaudiarabia.com

ENDS

For more information and / or images, please
contact: Heather Macpherson, Senior PR Manager, dmg events hospitality and
design portfolio on heathermacpherson@dmgevents.com or +971 56 545 1630

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia is part of the dmg
events hospitality portfolio which also includes: The Hotel Show Dubai, The
Hotel Show Africa, Middle East Hospitality Awards and The Leisure Show Dubai.
dmg events’ hospitality
division is pioneering some of the world’s largest, most comprehensive and
innovative events dedicated to hoteliers, restaurateurs and leisure
professionals.

About dmg events
An international exhibition and publishing company, dmg events produces
market-leading exhibitions and conferences for the global energy, construction,
coatings, hospitality and interior design industries.

dmg events is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the
Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT) an international portfolio of
information, media and events businesses listed on the London stock exchange.

dmg events Middle East, Asia & Africa

Founded in 1989, dmg events has operated in the
Middle East since 1995 and owns many leading brands including The Big 5
portfolio of construction events, INDEX – the Middle East’s largest event for
the interior design industry and The Hotel Show, the longest running and most
important event for the hospitality industry.

Headquartered in Dubai, UAE and with satellite
offices in India, South Africa and the UK, dmg events Middle East, Asia &
Africa organizes over 45 events across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, North
America and Europe. For more information visit www.dmgeventsme.com

About DMGT

DMGT manages
a diverse, multinational portfolio of companies, with total revenues of almost
£2bn, that provide businesses and consumers with compelling information,
analysis, insight, events, news and entertainment.  DMGT is also a
founding investor and the largest shareholder of Euromoney Institutional
Investor PLC and ZPG Plc.

For more
information visit: www.dmgt.com