Freshly baked bread was on offer at the Posh Picnic
Visitors stopped by the BBC Good Food ME stand to say hello
Everything’s The inaugural international Fine Foods Festival held last month at Meydan saw a unique coming together of local producers, chefs, suppliers and foodies. Photographs CRIS MEJORADA
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he Grandstand C area of Meydan was a hive of foodie activity from October 3-November 2, with the relative calm of the roads and parking area belying the excitement in the air, inside. The debut International Fine Foods Festival, a unique event which combined a market-style shopping area (Posh Picnic), chef competitions (Golden Toque), short seminars and author interactions (Cookbook club), stood out as a first of its kind in the region, with its focus on sustainable, wholesome food. Exclusive media partner BBC Good Food ME was there too, supporting the event. According to festival organiser Claire Tinston, “The mark of an affluent society is that 96 BBC Good Food Middle East December 2012
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it has the luxury to question. This region has a high disposable income and so we are able to afford foods which are of the highest value. But it also means that we have an educated consumer who asks questions about those foods and where they come from. As the market is saturated with processed goods, it is time we focused on sustainability, and sourcing food as close to its natural state as possible. It is easy to accept what is available but takes courage to question the norm.” It was definitely a brave step for Claire who almost singlehandedly spearheaded the entire event, from concept to execution, driven by her personal passion for the issue. What was
Local producers and farmers displaed their wares
encouraging was the warmth with which the event was received. IFFF brought together UAE’s foodie community, whether it was culinary personalities like Michael Kitts and Suzanne Husseini, or food suppliers, restaurateurs, chefs and independent growers, in a way that was unusually democratic. “We believe that we have levelled the playing field by allowing all involved in the International Fine Food Festival to showcase their produce on the same platform at our Posh Picnic, and not allowing marketing budgets to provide an unfair advantage. We have managed to showcase the smaller producer who is at the heart of food,” explains Claire.