logo
Qatar International Food Festival 2025 kicks off with anunforgettable culinary showcase

Qatar International Food Festival 2025 kicks off with anunforgettable culinary showcase

Times of Oman13-02-2025

Doha: Visit Qatar inaugurates the14th edition of the Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF) with a grand opening ceremony at Hotel Park today, kicking off a ten-day long celebration of gastronomy and entertainment. The festival will feature over 100 local vendors, 27 international restaurants and cafes, and plenty of entertainment shows.QIFF 2025 is set to be the largest and most exciting edition to date.
The festival promises an unparalleled culinary experience, showcasing global and local flavours, while also reflecting Qatar's vision to strengthen its position as a leading destination for cultural exchange and tourism.
During his opening remarks, Eng. Abdulaziz Al-Mawlawi, CEO of Visit Qatar, said, emphasised QIFF's significance in positioning Qatar as a premier global destination for gastronomy and hospitality. He said: 'The Qatar International Food Festival has evolved into a global platform that celebrates culinary excellence while reflecting Qatar's rich cultural diversity and commitment to innovation. Its continued success underscores the pivotal role of the hospitality and dining sectors in advancing Qatar's tourism landscape, serving as a key driver in delivering world-class experiences to visitors and residents alike.'
Among the highlights of this year's festival is the experience of the epitome of culinary excellence at the Michelin Guide Village, where you can savour exclusive creations from some of the world's finest Michelin-star chefs.QIFF Ring, which is a competition Arena, wherevisitors will witness chefs cook and compete oncentre stage.
In addition, a Cooking Studio will welcome renowned chefs from both Qatar and abroad, hosting interactive workshops and cooking classes. For those seeking a truly unique experience, Dinner in the Sky offers an exhilarating dining adventure suspended 50 meters above the ground, providing guests with stunning views of the entire festival and the Doha skyline.
This year's festival expansive location is divided into immersive districts, each offering unique dining experiences and interactive activities. The Flavours within Qatar section celebrates Qatar's rich culinary landscape and showcases both traditional street food and fine dining, while the Latin Food District offers authentic dishes such as tacos, empanadas, and ceviche, providing a taste of Latin America.
The International Flavours District brings together global street food and gourmet flavours, while the Healthy Corner focuses on plant-based and sustainable cuisine. The Coffee &Bakeries Corner serves as a haven for coffee and dessert enthusiasts, offering artisanal coffee and a wide range of sweet treats.
The QIFF VIP Area provides an exclusive, luxurious dining experience with gourmet food, personalised service, and top-tier decor, offering a refined atmosphere for guests seeking a premium experience. Families are also invited to enjoy daily movie screenings, kids' workshops within QIFF Juniors, and other engaging outdoor activities, ensuring entertainment for visitors of all ages.
QIFF 2025 runs until February 22nd, offering visitors an unmissable chance to indulge in the world's finest flavours, explore new culinary trends, and enjoy the dynamic atmosphere that has become synonymous with this signature event.
Visitors attending QIFF are advised to park at the DECC parking facility and access Hotel Park via the designated tunnel. Alternatively, those using the DECC Metro Station can reach Hotel Park with a short walk.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Oman Air, Amouage take Rock Rose to the skies
Oman Air, Amouage take Rock Rose to the skies

Observer

time28-05-2025

  • Observer

Oman Air, Amouage take Rock Rose to the skies

Muscat - Oman Air has partnered with collaborator Amouage to introduce an exclusive sweet creation for Business Class guests. The national airline and iconic fragrance house have unveiled a bespoke dessert featuring the treasured Omani Rock Rose, grown on the slopes of Al Jabal Al Akhdar (the 'Green Mountain'). Guests will receive one composition intertwining raspberry, pear, and saffron on inbound flights. From May 2025, the signature rose-inspired dessert can be experienced on all Oman Air Business Class long and medium-haul inbound routes. Available for a limited time only, this exquisite floral dish, created by Michelin-starred Chef Peter Gast and inspired by Amouage's Guidance Eau de Parfum, brings a new dimension of storytelling and sensory delight to the airline's award-winning Business Class menu, offering guests a refined taste of Oman at 30,000 feet. The carefully crafted, seven-petal creation is a refined balance of delicate textures and layered depth, revealing unexpected contrasts with every bite. Beneath its soft pink exterior and crisp chocolate shell, its petals part to unveil a velvety cream and a delicate crunch that lingers on the palate. During flight, where perception shifts, this delicacy is designed to hold its integrity, allowing each nuance to unfold effortlessly, just as intended.

ROBERTO'S MUSCAT UNVEILS AN EXCLUSIVE FOUR HANDS DINNER WITH CHEFS GIANDONATO TAFURI AND FLORIN RESMERITA
ROBERTO'S MUSCAT UNVEILS AN EXCLUSIVE FOUR HANDS DINNER WITH CHEFS GIANDONATO TAFURI AND FLORIN RESMERITA

Muscat Daily

time27-05-2025

  • Muscat Daily

ROBERTO'S MUSCAT UNVEILS AN EXCLUSIVE FOUR HANDS DINNER WITH CHEFS GIANDONATO TAFURI AND FLORIN RESMERITA

Roberto's at The St. Regis Al Mouj Muscat Resort will transform into a stage for culinary artistry as two exceptional chefs come together for a five-Course Four Hands Dinner on Wednesday May 28th 2025. Executive Chef Giandonato Tafuri from Roberto's Muscat and guest Chef Florin Resmerita from Roberto's Doha join forces to create a singular expression of flavor and finesse—a bespoke tasting menu that marries Italian soul with global inspiration. This collaboration is a true meeting of minds, where signature techniques and bold culinary philosophies converge. Each course is thoughtfully crafted and plated with precision, reflecting the chefs' shared vision of elevating Italian cuisine through fresh coastal ingredients and the delicate, enchanting essence of Omani saffron. 'Bringing Chef Giandonato and Chef Florin together is about more than pairing skill sets,' notes Fabio Marzano, General Manager of Roberto's Muscat. 'It's about connecting our Roberto's family across the Gulf and bringing this extraordinary culinary experience to Oman. It showcases how Italian roots can flourish uniquely in both Muscat and Doha—different expressions, yet united by the same authentic culinary language.' Chef Giandonato, born into a family of chefs and seafood farmers in Puglia, honed his skills through early apprenticeships and years of collaboration with Michelin-starred masters across Italy and the Middle East. After leading Roberto's kitchens in Dubai and Doha, he now steers the Muscat venue with a signature approach that melds coastal simplicity with meticulous detail. Chef Florin began his culinary path in Greece and spent over a decade in Italy perfecting the essentials of Italian cuisine. Having refined his artistry in the Michelin-starred kitchens of Gordon Ramsay and Alain Ducasse, he now brings his globally informed sensibilities to Roberto's Doha, where he curates immersive dining experiences that respect tradition while embracing innovation. The exclusive five-course menu takes guests on a journey of contrasts and harmony, from the luxurious Manzo, Caviale e Uova—black Angus tartare adorned with Kristal caviar—to the bright Ricotta, Salmone e Lime, and the comforting warmth of saffron-infused Ossobuco Croquette. The meal continues with torched red mullet risotto, handmade plin pasta filled with wagyu cheek and foie gras, and charcoal-grilled wagyu striploin topped with delicate carbonara foam. For seafood lovers, a baked seabass offers an elegant alternative. The finale is a decadent dark chocolate and hazelnut dessert, brightened by notes of mango and yuzu. This dinner is more than a meal—it's a narrative told through textures, flavors, and a shared passion for Italian culinary excellence. Priced at OMR 48 per person (minimum two guests), the experience will begin from 6PM at Roberto's Muscat. Seating is limited, and advance reservations are highly recommended.

Top chef Georgiana Viou: blending cuisine across continents
Top chef Georgiana Viou: blending cuisine across continents

Observer

time17-05-2025

  • Observer

Top chef Georgiana Viou: blending cuisine across continents

Georgiana Viou calls herself a "UFO", championing free and daring cuisine straddling two continents, from Cotonou's lively street markets to the kitchens of her Michelin-starred restaurant in Nimes, southern France. In the alleys of the historic Saint-Michel market in Benin's bustling economic capital, unchanged since her childhood, Viou goes from stallholder to stallholder. At one she buys bright purple aubergines "like in the south of France", at another four spices and smoked long peppers -- which are often used in traditional medicine. "I'm sure that apart from the preparations they make to treat themselves, the people here have never thought of putting that in food," said Viou, 47, who runs L'Ami restaurant at Cotonou's luxury Sofitel hotel. "I try to look at these products differently." Franco Beninese Chef Georgiana Viou of the one-star Michelin Restaurant Rouge at the Margaret Hôtel Chouleur in Nimes, France, smiles as she poses for a portrait in her Restaurant L'Ami at the Sofitel Hotel in Cotonou, on January 12, 2025. L'Ami opened its doors this year, offering "French bistronomy with a local touch" such as pesto risotto with tchayo (African basil), red mullet with local nere mustard and hibiscus pavlova. Viou, in her trademark felt fedora hat, is keen to push boundaries and blend her two worlds. "It's also interesting for me to win over my public. Little by little, we'll move towards things that get a bit closer to our culinary heritage, while keeping French cuisine as the technical foundation," she said. "I once made a shrimp tartare with raw okra. I know Beninese people called it a scandal," she added. "People don't necessarily get me, they don't necessarily understand. But that's OK... that's my personality, this thirst for freedom but freedom in every sense of the word." Franco Beninese Chef Georgiana Viou (2nd R) of the one-star Michelin Restaurant Rouge at the Margaret Hôtel Chouleur in Nimes, France, briefs the staff before the service at the restaurant L'Ami at the Sofitel Hotel in Cotonou, on January 12, 2025. - Inspiration - Born in Benin in 1977, "Gigi" as her friends call her, was inspired by her mother, who ran a small "maquis" or popular restaurant in Cotonou. She described her as "my foundation, my origin" in her recent book "Oui, Cheffe ! Du Benin a l'etoile Michelin, itineraire d'une battante" ("Yes, chef! From Benin to Michelin Star: Journey of a Fighter"). In the book, which came out in March, she also recounts difficult moments in her life: a rape at aged 14, secret abortions during her studies, divorce as an adult. When she arrived in France in the early 2000s, she first enrolled in applied foreign languages at the Sorbonne university in Paris. But it was in the southern city of Marseille, where she arrived in 2004, that her passion for cooking gradually became her vocation. Viou, who has three children, entered several amateur contests before taking part in the "Masterchef" competition on French television in 2010, then opened a cooking workshop. Recognition from the industry came at Rouge, her restaurant in Nimes, which was awarded a Michelin star in 2023. Franco Beninese Georgiana Viou, chef at the one-star Michelin Restaurant Rouge within the Margaret Hotel Chouleur in Nimes, poses during a photo session on March 21, 2025. - Pass it on - In the kitchen when AFP visited, she replaced the usual meat dish on the menu with red mullet stuffed with black pudding topped with afiti -- fermented nere seeds. Once crushed, the beans give off a strong smell similar to Maroilles, a cow's milk cheese from northern France. "It's a sort of umami. Once you have that, of course you can add fish or meat. But if you don't, it doesn't matter because it's already going to strongly flavour your dish," said Viou. She then took a blowtorch to add a "smoky" touch, which she describes as being in her "DNA" as she grew up "with the smell of charcoal and smoked fish". As a side, she offers fonio, a popular grain in west Africa which she takes out of a plastic bag roughly closed with sticky tape, brought straight from her last trip to Cotonou. Franco Beninese Georgiana Viou, chef at the one-star Michelin Restaurant Rouge within the Margaret Hotel Chouleur in Nimes, poses during a photo session on March 21, 2025. For the sauce she added onion, garlic, pastis and fish guts. "That's Marseille!" she said of the city that has inspired her for the last two decades. "I grew up for 20 years with flavours, aromas, ways of cooking that are etched into me. Coming here to Nimes, I felt that it was time to bring those things back and put them into what I'm doing," she added. The Michelin star isn't the be-all and end-all for her, though. "If this star is just for me to put there and brag about saying, 'Ah, I'm so great, I'm a star', I'm not interested," she said. "I now want to pass on to other people what I've learned." That transfer of knowledge is what she intends to do in her home country. "We don't have a... proper hospitality school, we can't buy tickets to leave. That's OK, I'll come to you. I'll show you a bit of what I know how to do," she said. —AFP

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store