The third international Almaty Food Fest 2024, a major gastronomic event, finished in Almaty. For the first time, the festival featured a culinary competition among chefs from eight SCO member countries. The main goal of the festival is to promote the city’s tourism potential, and it was organized by the Almaty Tourism Department.
A New Level of Gastronomic Experiences
This year’s Almaty Food Fest stood out with numerous innovations that captivated both participants and guests of this grand event. Among these innovations was a special festival menu offered by the city’s restaurants, including Beefeater, TSEH, Grand Zina, Nuala, and others. A key requirement for this special menu was the use of a key ingredient symbolizing Almaty – the apple. Restaurateurs and chefs approached this task with meticulousness, surprising the audience with a diverse range of offerings, such as goose pâté with pickled apples, camembert with apple sauce, apple sorbet, and, of course, apple desserts.
International Culinary Traditions
Almaty Food Fest 2024 also featured a panel discussion with the industry experts. The roundtable focused on improving education quality, implementing a variety of training programs and professional development courses for chefs and culinary professionals, and using local products and ingredients as keys to successful industry development.
Discussion participants included representatives from the prestigious French culinary school Ecole Lenôtre, chefs, managers, restaurant business leaders, media representatives, bloggers, and culinary college and university students specializing in ‘Restaurant and Hotel Management’.
One of the festival’s most anticipated events was the participation of special guest French Michelin-starred chef Mr. Jérôme Coustillas. His master-classes, participation in panel discussions, and willingness to share his extensive experience inspired both professionals and culinary enthusiasts to explore new discoveries. Notably, Mr. Coustillas was also a member of the jury for the international culinary competition among SCO member countries.
International Culinary Competition Among SCO Member Countries
As previously mentioned, for the first time, Almaty Food Fest 2024 hosted a culinary competition featuring chefs from eight SCO member countries: Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus.
- Kazakhstan and China have centuries-old relations. Since the time of the Great Silk Road, our countries have engaged in cultural and economic exchanges. It is a great honor for us to participate in this international gastronomic festival. We are pleased to present our national dishes and introduce them to the event’s guests, – said Jiang Wei, Consul General of China in Almaty.
The competition program was judged by:
• Jérôme Coustillas, France, Michelin-starred chef, consultant
• Artem Kantsev, Kazakhstan, Brand chef of ‘Qazaq Gourmet’ restaurant, guide to Kazakh cuisine
• Mia Kuprava, Georgia, President of Gault&Millau Georgia, international gastronomic expert
• Galiya Toxeitova, Kazakhstan, Head of Almaty Tourism Department
• Serik Akishev, Kazakhstan, Journalist, TV host - Participating in the chef competition was a significant challenge for us and also valuable experience. It was a unique opportunity to showcase ourselves and exchange knowledge with top professionals from different countries. We hope to participate in this prestigious competition again next year, impressing the audience with our culinary skills and unconventional approaches to cooking’, – shared competition participant Sanjar Nurmukanov, brand chef of the TSEH restaurant.
The winner of the competition was Fateme Alizadeh, a chef from Iran, who received a unique opportunity to intern at a Michelin-starred restaurant in France. The second place was awarded to Nazira Alimatova from Uzbekistan, and the third place went to Anton Krupenin, a chef from Russia. Additionally, the prizewinners of the culinary contest were awarded with commemorative gifts and trophies.
Ending on a High Note
Almaty Food Fest 2024 traditionally featured a broad program of events: world cuisines (over 50 restaurants), farmer and hand-made stalls (over 30 participants), gastronomic contests, raffles, masterclasses, culinary shows, and musical performances.
Almaty Food Fest 2024 was not only a celebration of culinary art and mastery but also an important step toward recognizing Almaty on the international gastronomic stage, aiming to attract prestigious rankings such as Michelin and The World’s 50 Best Restaurants & Bars to the city.
For more information about the festival, visit the Instagram account @almatyfoodfest2024.
