Dubai, UAE, March 03, 2019 – The ExpoCulinaire 2019 which opens tomorrow in Sharjah will see strong participation from the American Egg Board (AEB), the research, education and promotion arm of the U.S. egg industry. AEB will be showcasing the benefits of U.S. eggs and egg products to over 5,000 trade visitors that are expected to visit the three-day event which will be held at the Expo Centre Sharjah from March 4 - 6. 

 

The UAE and Saudi Arabia represent 90 percent of the GCC Food and Beverage market, mainly supported by the growing number of tourists. With more than 1,109 restaurants opening their doors in Dubai alone last year, the city comes second only to Paris in terms of restaurants per million residents according to a recent KPMG report. Additionally, U.S. fast-food brands are also a favourite among the growing number of younger residents with high amounts of disposable income.

 

John Howeth, AEB Senior Vice President, Market Development said: “We are actively looking for new markets and opportunities to expand our customer base and support our egg producers. The Middle East is an extremely important market for us, with U.S. export for shell eggs almost doubling in 2017 versus 2016 with the UAE alone accounting for 72% of the overall volume exported to the region. The ExpoCulinaire offers us the perfect platform to showcase our nutrition-packed, affordable and high quality-eggs. The event also gives us the opportunity to highlight the benefits of our products to a large regional and international audience.”

 

ExpoCulinaire is a series of culinary competitions accompanied by a new trade exhibition that is dedicated specifically to the culinary community. The event will also feature the Worldchefs accredited 22nd Emirates International Salon Culinaire which consists of a series of practical and display-based culinary competitions. Entry to the competitions – single competitor and team events, is open to professional chefs, pastry chefs, cooks, and bakers. 

 

As part of its participation at ExpoCulinaire, the AEB will also power the Emirates Culinary Guild (ECG) Young Chef of the Year competition. The competition will inspire young chefs and encourage them to develop and improve their culinary skills. Competitors will participate in three categories for the best Young Chef Trophy, which include:

 

1. Emirati Dishes: one of which must be Balaleet, made with U.S. whole frozen eggs

2. Live category: chicken butchery and omelettes (omelettes with U.S. frozen eggs or shell eggs)

3. Poached eggs: using U.S. shell eggs, with a Hollandaise sauce made with U.S. shell eggs

 

Please visit the AEB booth (D21 & C22) where visitors can sample local and international dishes during demos by three local Dubai chefs- Majed Al Sabagh, Founder/ CEO of Chef International Centre, Rabeh Adel Amir, Arabic Sous Chef Radisson Blu Hotel DDC, Micheel Uwe, President of Emirates Culinary Guild - to learn about the various benefits of US Eggs, including how versatile U.S. Egg products are. 

Visitors can also discover how U.S. Eggs maintain their nutritional values thanks to the hygienic process starting from laying up until packaging.