RIYADH — Mayada Badr, the CEO of the Culinary Arts Commission, said that the authority is striving to see Saudi chefs gain world-class expertise by providing them training from international organizations and bodies specialized in culinary arts. Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency, she said that the commission has a database of more than 100 Saudi professionals in the culinary arts and is developing this by working with professionals in this field. “The commission recently held meetings with many of these professionals from various regions of the Kingdom to discuss their needs, as well as the challenges they face. There will be more such meetings to exchange experiences through conferences, exhibitions, and events that the Ministry of Culture will hold over the coming days. Specialists from international organizations and bodies will be invited to share their expertise as part of the authority’s drive to develop this sector and provide it with great opportunities in the future,” she said. Mayada said that the authority had announced, during the launch of its Vision in March 2019, about organizing the National Cuisine Festival on an annual basis to introduce Saudi cuisine and its various dishes. “The commission also launched on April 16 this year the “Legacy of our kitchen” initiative to document Saudi cuisine recipes through digital or printed platforms. This initiative aimed to create a database of Saudi recipes, enrich the cultural content of local cuisine, serve the culinary sector in the future, discover the talents of local chefs and boost interactions among those interested in cooking Saudi traditional recipes, in addition, to encourage young people to exchange traditional recipes with the generations that preceded them,” she said. Mayada pointed out that there was a tremendous response for the initiative with the active participation of various segments of Saudi society. Many participants presented original recipes with most of its ingredients from the local Saudi environment. The winning recipes will be printed in a book and showcased in the Saudi Cuisine Library. Mayada revealed that the authority will launch an international media campaign to promote the Saudi culinary heritage worldwide in addition to participating in the most important international culinary events. “The commission will organize a Saudi food week in partnership with embassies abroad so as to ensure the culture sector’s contribution to economic growth. It will also encourage the establishment of companies and institutions concerned with the cooking sector, as well as to build partnerships between the cultural sector and the private sector in the field of social responsibility,” she said while emphasizing that this would contribute to opening broad horizons that serve the objectives of the ministry. According to Mayada, the commission is also keen on enhancing the role of the cuisine sector in supporting culture and providing interaction channels with the community by strengthening the Saudi cultural identity through its cuisine and increasing its cultural features locally and internationally. The authority is also exerting efforts, in partnership with the private sector, to carry out studies to contain “throwaway” culture of food waste. Mayada Badr, known as the “queen of macaroons,” graduated from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Paris. She received her training under internationally-acclaimed chefs. She has represented the Kingdom in many international cuisine events. As chief of the authority, Mayada will be responsible for regulating and developing the cooking sector, improving its ingredients, and supporting and encouraging practitioners in it. The authority is one of the 11 cultural bodies launched by the ministry to manage, promote, and advance the Kingdom’s cultural sector.