Empowerment and Inclusion advocate Marilena De Costa on living and thriving with Multiple Sclerosis
lifestyle4 days ago
A handful of Dubai restaurants emerged as the winners of the first edition of the Food Elite programme by Dubai Municipality (DM). The 'elite' recognition was handed out in three categories of restaurants — those located in hotels, standalone eateries and quick service ones.
Mediterraneo restaurant in Armani hotel Burj Khalifa was the winner in the first category while Cucina restaurant in Marriott Palm Jumeirah came second and Brasserie Boulud at Sofitel Dubai the Obelisk was placed third.
In the standalone category, Clap restaurant at DIFC Gate Village emerged winner. Leila restaurant in Downtown Dubai and Bab Al Mansour at Mohammed bin Rashid boulevard came in second and third respectively.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
In the quick service restaurant category, Trader’s House, Dubai World Trade Centre was placed first while McDonalds in Blue Tower was runners up. Albaik in Diyafa came in third.
The announcement came at the 18th edition of DM’s food safety conference which began in Dubai on Monday. The programme honoured restaurants in Dubai that have consistently demonstrated leadership in food safety excellence combined with commitment to sustainability, nutrition and social responsibility.
Sultan Al Taher, Director of Food Safety Department at Dubai Municipality, shared that the awards were unique in its scope. “We looked at best practices around the world,” he said. “There are several awards but their scope is quite limited. Either they have only food safety or only sustainability. We cover all several aspects in this one program.”
According to him, over 400 restaurants applied for the awards and ten were shortlisted in each category. “This year, we had placed some restrictions as only restaurants with a Grade A rating could apply,” he said. He also added that the civic body is looking at expanding the categories for next year. In a later session, food safety expert Mohamed Mohamady highlighted that all shortlisted 30 restaurants will receive a detailed report with areas of strengths and improvements.
Kayan Al Jaff, Head of Mission and Advisor, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) called the awards “innovative” and said it served two purposes. “Recognising these restaurants gives them the drive to do better as far as sustainability is concerned,” he said. “The second, and most important thing that is that you are giving them a platform where they can see others that have done the same thing and learn from each other. When you recognise these restaurants and companies, even if they are new or small, it gives them hope for the future. And that is really important.”
He said Dubai Municipality has always been a pioneer for such initiatives and as a next step, more farmers should be recognised for their efforts.
ALSO READ:
Empowerment and Inclusion advocate Marilena De Costa on living and thriving with Multiple Sclerosis
lifestyle4 days ago
A sneak peek into the exciting motoring moments and events in the UAE
lifestyle4 days ago
Alleno, known for 'modern cuisine', on his go-to ingredient choices for a quick meal
lifestyle4 days ago
It is concealed behind a secret entrance in Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort
lifestyle4 days ago
Ahead of the KT Events' DXB F&B Awards on November 27, jury member and chef and podcaster James Knight-Paccheco talks at length about his culinary journey
lifestyle5 days ago
Pet Corner has the largest e-commerce platform with over 10,000 pet products
lifestyle5 days ago
International Booker Prize-winning Georgi Gospodinov was in town for the Sharjah International Book Fair
lifestyle1 week ago
When in doubt about where to begin, consider ADEPT
lifestyle1 week ago