Sharjah International Book Fair To Welcome Top International Chefs As Part Of Cookery Programme

The 33rd Sharjah International Book Fair has announced a stellar list of renowned international chefs taking part in the Fair’s Cookery Programme, being held at Expo Centre Sharjah from 5-15 November 2014, as part of what is now the fourth largest book fair in the world.

In this edition of the fair the Cookery Corner, welcoming internationally-renowned and published chefs specialising in and introducing visitors to a wide range of cuisines, including Norwegian, Kuwaiti, Indian, Moroccan, Lebanese and Shami foodstuffs, as well as an International Kitchen and an aspiring and talented Emirati teenage chef as the programme’s Guest of Honour.

These chefs will take part in a ‘Cooking with Chefs’ programme within the Cookery Corner of the Fair, an interactive element that has been a visitor favourite and a major draw in recent years.

This year’s chef line-up is arguably the most impressive yet. Deema Hajjawi will be presenting her native Lebanese cuisine on 12th November from 11:00-11:45. She began her career in 2000 when her husband and brother established their family business, Flavors Catering.

Dr. Lakshmi Nair is a Malayalam TV anchor who mainly anchors cookery shows. She will be presenting a variety of Indian cuisine on 7th November from 18:30-20:00, and believes cooking food is as enjoyable an activity as eating.

Another chef who will be presenting Indian cuisine, on 10thth November from 11:00-11:45, Dhruv Baker was born in Mexico and moved to India when he was four-years old, and has lived in Spain and Tanzania, which like all top chefs, has influenced his use of ingredients and techniques.

Tina Richardson will be running the international kitchen on 9th November from 16:30-17:15. After hanging up her apron strings and managing a busy farm shop with an outdoor kitchen and cooking at major food shows, Tina moved on to be a consultant helping set up farm shops and delicatessens source top ingredients.

Kuwaiti cuisine will be demonstrated on 6th November from 11:00-11:45 by Wafa Al Kandari, a self-taught Kuwaiti chef passionate about cooking.

And Anil Kumar is culinary director of Food Wise, a celebrity chef, a Senior Member of the Emirates Culinary Guild and a founding member of the Asian Chefs in UAE forum, and will be presenting different Indian cuisines on 14th November, from 18:30-20:00.

Besides these chefs, various others will travel from around the world to engage the public in trying new foods, learning about different cultures, discussing food literature and demonstrating cooking techniques. They include Manuela Kjeilen from Norway, Assia Otham from Morocco, Gourmand World Cook Book award-winning author Vandana Jain, and Guest of Honour Bader Najeeb Al Awadhi - an eighteen year-old aspiring Emirati chef who began baking at 13 years of age, and who has talent and ambition to match.

The 32nd edition of SIBF, which was held in November 2013, saw the participation of approximately 1010 publishers and exhibiters from 53 countries, including 23 Arab and 30 non-Arab countries. Its cooking programme, alongside its cultural activities, have emerged as internationally-recognised features on the cooking literature calendar.

Emirate:  Sharjah

Date: Oct 26, 2014

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