Qatar festival brings together food and culture lovers

Food lovers have begun to converge on the Hotel Park to savour local and international cuisine at the eighth Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF), which opened on Wednesday.

The 11-day culinary celebration also started greeting visitors with a variety of signature dining experiences, including Dinner in the Sky, Garden Picnics and High Tea/Fine Dining.Senior officials of Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and Katara Hospitality, ambassadors of various countries, and other dignitaries graced the opening of the event, which also featured entertainment and cultural performances.QIFF welcomes visitors who want to learn from renowned chefs to the QIFF Cooking Theatre, which runs live demonstrations daily from 4pm to 9pm. It features Food Network’s Andy Bates and Graham Elliot on stage to share their secret ingredients and techniques. “The QIFF Cooking Theatre is a long-standing feature of the festival and we are excited to bring it back this year with a slew of world-renowned chefs,” QTA’s festivals and tourism events Mashal Shahbik said.“The variety of cuisines, skills and techniques they bring offers something for everyone. It is truly a space for connoisseurs and novices alike to learn all about how to handle, prepare, cook, present and even photograph food,” she noted.QIFF features live cooking demonstrations.Elliot, one of the most recognised cooks in the US today, will take to the Cooking Theatre stage twice on the first weekend of QIFF: March 31 at 8pm and on April 1 at 7pm. “It is my first time visiting Qatar and I am extremely excited to interact with the amazing people and show them some of the things that I do. More importantly, I can't wait to try some incredible food at QIFF – especially some of the signature Qatari dishes that I haven't experienced before, such as Mathrooba – and learn about the country’s food, culture and history,” he said.Later in the week, Bates, a champion of British food and family-style cooking, is set to take to the stage for three consecutive days. Fans can catch him presenting live on April 3 at 9pm, April 4 at 8pm, and on April 5 at 9pm.Bates, who is also coming to Qatar for the first time, is keeping his two recipes at the Cooking Theatre a surprise. “The first recipe is a British classic made the 'propertarget="_blank"'>