Here’s your chance to cook alongside a Michelin-starred chef.
The 15-day Italian Cuisine World Summit, which began in Dubai on November 7, has brought in 40 Michelin-starred chefs from around the world to offer cookery classes to the public until November 21. From homemade pasta to main courses and gelatos, the sessions cover a diverse range of topics and are a major draw at the summit, which is now in its sixth year.
But if you’d rather someone else did the cooking, make a reservation at one of the 20 restaurants hosting the visiting professionals, who will serve up their signature dishes right through the event at some of Dubai’s most popular Italian restaurants, including Roberto’s, Cavalli Club, Eataly, Armani/Ristorante, Casa Mia, Frankie’s and Don Alfonso.
“There are more than 200 restaurants with an Italian name in Dubai,” says Rosario Scarpato, the summit’s organiser. “There are many phenomenal, stubborn Italian chefs in Dubai who insist on serving only authentic Italian food, using high-quality products. They respect tradition, with a creative twist.”
Another highlight of the summit is The Piazza Grande Food Show at the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club this weekend, which offers great food at affordable prices. The event is free to the public and includes kids’ activities, music, acrobatic pizza performances and an array of competitions for professionals that visitors can watch (there’s a separate area for those who want to bring their pets).
Scarpato believes the food scene in Dubai is thriving. “Dubai is the perfect city for a summit of this magnitude. It is full of energy and people who appreciate the finer things in life. Dubai has a formidable hospitality infrastructure and a vocation to be a world food capital.”
The Piazza Grande Food Show is at the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club on Friday from 2pm to midnight and on Saturday from noon to midnight. The Italian Food Summit runs until November 21
Also, two cookery classes will be held each day until November 21 at the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management. Morning classes run from 9.30am to 12.30pm and include lunch. Afternoon classes run from 2pm to 5pm. Each class costs Dh250. To register, call 055 780 4746.
sjohnson@thenational.ae