RIYADH — The Culinary Arts Commission, one of 11 new authorities set up by the Ministry of Culture last year, signed on Sunday a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Le Cordon Bleu International Institute. The MoU is set to establish an educational institute in Riyadh that will provide advanced academic programs in Le Cordon Bleu"s culinary and hospitality sector, using its brands, educational resources, and expertise. The MoU was signed by the Culinary Arts Commission CEO Mayada Badr and André Cointreau, who represented the Le Cordon Bleu Institute. The ceremony took place at the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture in Diriyah at Riyadh, in the presence of the Vice Minister of Culture Hamed Fayez, who"s the Vice-Chairman of the Culinary Arts Commission, Hamed Fayez, French Ambassador to the Kingdom Ludovic Pouille, and the General Supervisor of Cultural Affairs and International Relations at the Ministry Rakan Al-Tawq, and the Counselor for Cultural Cooperation at the French Embassy, Catherine Lee Thomas. The commission seeks from this initiative to enrich the sector with training courses in agriculture and nutrition, provided by Le Cordon Bleu, and establish an integrated curriculum for Saudi cuisine, and provide support in embracing and guiding Saudi chefs who wish to start businesses and restaurants. Also, it will provide the opportunity for Saudi students to enroll in exchange programs at Cordon Bleu schools outside the Kingdom and for Cordon Bleu international students abroad to visit the institute in the Kingdom as part of exchange programs. The memorandum of understanding comes as part of the efforts made by the commission to raise the efficiency of the culinary arts sector in the Kingdom by providing international expertise to be accessible to citizens practicing culinary arts and to attract the most prestigious culinary and hospitality academies and institutes to the Kingdom.