HostMilano, the leading fair for Ho.Re.CA, retail and the hotel industry, continues to work towards the next edition (which will be held at Fieramilano Rho from 13 to 17 October 2023), through a new initiative involving one of its most interesting markets: the Middle East.

Based on innovation and technology, Dates Connection got under way in July. It is organised by Fiera Milano in collaboration with the Emirates Culinary Guild and with the support of Saudi Arabian Chefs' Association, Qatar Culinary Professionals and Jordan Restaurant Association.

At the centre of the contest, which will call at Riyadh, Dubai, Doha and Amman before moving to Milan, is an ancient foodstuff that is enjoying a “second youth” thanks to new cooking techniques, from vacuum to ultrasound, low temperatures and new-generation ovens: dates. Their new role will be seen in the interpretations of chefs and pastry chefs taking part in this exciting competition, with the most original voted on at the end.

Dates Connection began in July with invitations to chefs in the five countries involved: Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Italy. It divides into three stages.

In the first stage participants make a video in which they prepare their recipe. An international audience of food experts, engaged through the Emirates Association of Chefs, HostMilano and other associations, will then vote on their favourite video by giving it a ‘like’ on the Emirates Culinary Guild’s YouTube channel.

Between September 2022 and February 2023 the national semi-finals will be held, at which the two chefs with the most votes will battle it out live at a famous restaurant in Italy in front of a qualified panel of judges; the winner will then be chosen through a weighted evaluation between the online public votes and the jury votes of fellow chefs.

The five finalists from each country will then compete in person in a grand final that will be held in Italy in 2023, at a still top-secret venue (to be revealed in the coming months).

The event will also be an opportunity for networking between supply and demand with the different players in the supply chains, from manufacturers and importers to producers of enabling technologies and industry media.

According to Research & Markets data, the world’s dates market recorded sales of 12.8 billion dollars in 2021, a figure that is expected to rise to more than 18 billion dollars by 2028. The main exporter is Saudi Arabia, which accounts for one fifth of the total grown. The third largest exporter is United Arab Emirates, with 12%. The biggest importer of dates is Europe, where there is a demand for over 160,000 tonnes a year, worth approximately 500 million dollars.