MAKKAH: Eastern Province Gov. Prince Saud bin Naif recently attended the first graduation ceremony of male and female students of the Saudi Culinary Academy at the headquarters of Asharqia Chamber in Dammam. The graduates completed their culinary academic career over two years. They joined the Saudi-Swiss International Diploma Program to become world-class professional chefs, falling in line with the goals of Vision 2030 to empower youth in various fields. Prince Saud presented certificates to graduates of the Saudi diploma in culinary art. The founder and chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Culinary Academy, Rania Moualla, stressed the academy’s keenness to support Saudi youth in the culinary arts to produce world-class chefs, resulting in the graduation of 18 diploma students, certified by the Technical and Vocational Training Corp. and the Swiss Academy. The graduates will have access to rewarding jobs at international hotels and restaurants, as well as bachelor’s degree scholarships abroad or may return to the academy as teaching assistants. Moualla said: “We have started with the next cohort of culinary apprentices and are currently providing training for 42 students, 10 of whom are from NEOM. We are delighted to gain the trust of our neighboring country Oman as we provide training for 24 culinary students there as well. “An exceptional mention is one of our first projects to showcase Saudi cuisine through a book, and I am delighted to introduce the first copy to Your Highness, signed by all of our students,” she said. Moualla said that the academy’s nonprofit endeavor was to communicate the cultural heritage of Saudi cuisine to the world. This was in addition to training talented students and empowering them to become professional chefs in an effort to nationalize the cuisine industry and outline the role that the academy occupies scientifically, culturally, and socially to serve the community.