The stakes are high for the upcoming final round of the four-nation LG SolarDOM Regional Cooking Competition as contestants from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran and South Africa renew their quest to win the prestigious contest.

The final contest will be held at the Murooj Rotana Hotel in Dubai on November 18. Celebrity chefs Wadie and Taleen will be on hand to inspire the contestants to create their masterpieces.

Over 20 finalists have been short-listed from previous editions held in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Iran and South Africa. The finalists will showcase their talent by creating enticing culinary delights in the team and individual categories. Last year, contestants from Iran took home most of the culinary honours.

The winners of the Dubai round were Nazek Nabhan and Rasha Arkoub in the individual category and Noura Mohammad and Nadia Khan in the team category. Abu Dhabi finalists were Suha Al Saadi and Fadia Al Halik in the individual contest and Futoon Al Saadi and Ahlam Huseein in the team competition.

In Saudi Arabia, Eftikhar Tashkandi Abduladiam and daughter Sahar A Sharif and Sheereen Bukhari Shawkat and her mother won in the individual category while Hanan and sister Ahlam Al Ghamdi Mohammed won in the team category.

As for South Africa, the two winners of the individual category were Bennie Swanepoel and Judith Makhubele and in the team category Tremaine Theron and Sandi Blignaut. In Iran, Maryam Malek Zadeh and Sanaz Salemi were the two individual winners while Mayam Eftekhari Vakili and Fereshteh Asadi won in the team category.

'The LG SolarDOM Regional Cooking Competition is about the universal love we share for good food. It is also to celebrate the people who take great pride in their cooking skills while recognizing their talent,' said president, LG Electronics - Middle East and Africa - K W Kim.

The LG SolarDOM Regional Cooking Competition is a highly anticipated culinary event of the region and has attracted an overwhelming response in the previous editions. The event is divided into two broad categories - individual and team.

Judges will select winners on the basis of cooking style and presentation. LG is generously offering a host of exciting prizes to both participants as well as spectators. In the team category, winners will receive $3,000 in cash while runners-up will receive $2,000. Individual category winners will get $2,000, first runner-up $1,000 and the second runner-up $500.

Jordanian singing sensation Diana Karazon will present some of her chart-topping songs to enthrall audiences as they cheer their favourite teams.
The next-generation LG SolarDOM is the world's first counter-top light-wave oven to combine both conventional oven and microwave oven technologies. The oven outsmarts conventional cooking appliances in terms of design as well; an acknowledgment confirmed by the iF Design Award, one of the world's most pre-eminent design achievements.- TradeArabia News Service