F&B exhibition and culinary challenge in the Maldives

The Hotel Asia 2010 Exhibition and Culinary Challenge, an event to promote F&B and hotel equipment in the Maldives is to be held from 5-7 July this year, with Sri Lankans forming 30% of the exhibitors. This is the 10th consecutive year that the event is being held and is the largest event in the Maldives that showcases food, drink, foodservice, hospitality and hotel equipment industries.

Celebrating its 6th edition, Hotel Asia has established itself as a must attend event for the Hotel/Resort and Foodservice sectors and is regarded by many as one of the most important industry events in South Asia. About 5000 visitors are expected from the resorts and the business community.

Countries participating are India, Sri Lanka, Dubai, U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Malaysia, South Africa, Germany, France and Switzerland.

The Culinary Challenge is being held for the 6th consecutive year concurrently with the exhibition, with the resorts in the Maldives taking part in the competition.

During the challenge, visitors will be able to meet hundreds of food and beverage executives over a span of three days making it a dynamic marketplace for face-to-face business and industry innovation.

About 40 resorts are taking part in the event with 300 entries coming in from the Maldives. There is no Sri Lankan representation from the resorts or hotels with the target being on the Maldivian chefs.

The culinary challenge is one of the highly anticipated events at Hotel Asia where many chefs from the local resorts and hotels take part vying for top honours.

Alan Palmer, world renowned chef and Member of the World Association of Chef's Societies (WACS) will be the Chief Judge for the event. The certificates issued at this Culinary Challenge are highly recognised worldwide and are considered a major achievement in the eyes of the participants.

Sri Lanka is notably the dominant country participating at the exhibition with fifty stalls, out of a total of 140 stalls being run by 32 companies participating from Sri Lanka.

The Maldivian President and the US Ambassador to the Maldives will be present at the Inauguration which is to take place on 5 July.

During the event a series of seminars will be conducted for chefs, with eminent Sri Lankan chef Gerard Mendis set to conduct a seminar on behalf of Unilever.

www.dailymirror.lk