The four finalists travelled from Ammam, Riyadh, Dubai and Bassano del Grappa to the prestigious Don Lisander restaurant in the heart of Milan, all hoping to be chosen as the winner of The Dates Connection, the international contest organised by HostMilano and TUTTOFOOD to highlight the value of the fruit of the date palm as an ingredient in innovative recipes.

The task of evaluating the four dishes, which were all high quality and highly creative, fell to a panel of judges: chef Daniele Chiari of Saudi Arabia Protocol; chef Antonio Danise, head of Italy’s National Chefs Association; Andrea Sinigaglia, director of ALMA (the International School of Italian Cuisine), and Saad Alyahya, director of the gourmet food trading company Ejan in Saudi Arabia.

The hotly-contested prize eventually went to Sanjay Thakur, the chef of Saudi Airline Catering. Chef Thakur is well known in the international scene also for his Guinness Record, having opened the highest pop-up restaurant on the Himalayas in 2015. Chef Sanjay Thakur distinguished himself during the roadshow for his braised beef short ribs with "Sukari" dates and at TUTTOFOOD 2023 he gave a highly memorable show cooking demonstration on the Taste Arena stage.

Conceived by TUTTOFOOD and HOST Milano to explore the potential of using of dates as an innovative ingredient in modern cuisine, not only in the Middle East but also in Italy, The Dates Connection has been an authentic culinary journey that links the Middle East with Europe, reaffirming the international standing of these two top Italian shows.

The journey started in July 2022 with the support of key stakeholders in the Middle East and Italy: Jordan Restaurant Association, Jordan Chef Association, UAE Restaurant Group, Emirates Culinary Guild, The World Association of Chefs Societies and the Italian Chef Federation . Taking part in the competition were over 80 chefs based in the territories involved – demonstration of a wide interest in the exploration of the possibilities that dates have as an ingredient in all kinds of recipes.

The involvement of the National Center for Palms and Dates of Saudi Arabia, official sponsor of the competition, was key to the success of the event. It also participated as an exhibitor in TUTTOFOOD for the first time, introducing to a large public of professional buyers a selection of Saudi dates, of which the country has over 300 varieties.

Through this competition, HostMilano and TUTTOFOOD are continuing their joint efforts to bring innovation to contemporary international cuisine, promoting the use of new ingredients and of innovative, healthy cooking methods.