Take an ancient foodstuff and transform it, using today’s technologies and most innovative kitchen equipment. This is a worldwide culinary trend, and a concept that will be showcased at HostMilano, where top companies will be presented from 13 to 17 October.

One of the latest expressions of this concept was The Dates Connection, an event promoted by HostMilano and TUTTOFOOD that centred around innovative date-based recipes dreamed up by international chefs. It was a coming together of different culinary cultures and creative sensibilities, but also an important networking and business development opportunity.

A passionate process that went on for months and involved chefs from five countries: Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Italy. The focus was on an ancient fruit whose great versatility was demonstrated by the recipes presented.

At the national semi-final of the U.A.E. – organised with the support of the Emirates Culinary Guild and the U.A.E. Restaurant Group and the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, a training school for hotel chefs and managers – 34 United Arab Emirates chefs were challenged, firstly online, with videos of the 38 date-based recipes being made published on the Emirates Culinary Guild YouTube channel. Voting by the public and the guild’s management committee decided the three semi-finalists: Michael Kitts of The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, who presented a date and banana soufflé; Chanaka Sankalpa Petris, the chef at the Pullmann Hotel Dubai Deira City Center, who offered a date cake, and Grant Marais, the chef at Publique, whose braised beef entrecote in barbecue sauce with dates won him his place in the final.

All eyes are now focused on that final, which will be held in Milan, while at TUTTOFOOD 2023 - at Fieramilano from 8 to 11 May 2023 – the winning chef will give a show cooking demonstration. The question is, who will be judged to have made the best use of this familiar yet exotic ingredient?