International and regional masterchefs will ‘go local’ with a dazzling array of local produce at the first Dubai Food Carnival next month.

The two-day food, beverage and entertainment extravaganza will be held at the Dubai Festival City from February 21-22.

As part of an initiative to raise community awareness of the abundant high-quality meats, vegetables and fruits available in the UAE, locally-sourced produce will constitute the majority of ingredients used in a series of exclusive epicurean promotions and public cooking demonstrations in The Chef’s Dome, a dedicated live cooking area, said a statement.

With some of the biggest names in global gastronomy already on-board - including international TV sensation, Chef John Torode; Lebanon’s Maroun Chedid, voted 'Chef of the Year 2013' by the Toques Blanches du Monde; and India’s culinary maestro Sanjeev Kapoor - the regional culinary scene will be represented by Manal Al Alem, the ‘Queen of the Arabic kitchen’; Tarek Ibrahim, Fatafeat TV celebrity and Meat & Livestock Australia Mena’s corporate executive chef; Mohammad Orfali, executive chef, Fatafeat TV; Uwe Micheel, director of kitchens at Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek, and president of the Emirates Culinary Guild; and Toh Chye Siong, chef de cuisine at the award-winning Hakkasan Dubai.

International celebrity Chef Silvena Rowe, the star of BBC food shows Country Show Cook-Off and Saturday Kitchen, is leading the locally-sourced charge. As well as teaming up with Greenheart Organic Farms to run Silvena’s Souq, a dedicated organic market where Carnival-goers can purchase fresh, locally-grown produce, Chef Rowe, Consultant Chef at the five-star H Hotel Dubai, will inject a fine dining element into the carnival with six exclusive, organic-themed lunches and dinners at Carnival Rowe – a specially-designed, celebrity restaurant.

With seating capacity for Carnival Rowe’s three daily seating sessions - 12:30 to 3:00pm, 5:30 to 7:30pm and 8:00 to 10:00pm – limited to a maximum of 50 diners at a time, Rowe’s  signature three-course menu costs Dh225 per person and advance tickets can be bought direct from Time Out Tickets (www.itp.net/tickets/#dubai), said the statement.

Organised by Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the Dubai Food Carnival is part of the inaugural Dubai Food Festival, taking place across the emirate from February 21 to March 15.

Tickets to the Dubai Food Carnival are Dh60 ($16) per person. Children under 12 enter free.  – TradeArabia News Service