RIYADH: On behalf of Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, honorary president of the Saudi Alzheimer’s Disease Association (SADA), Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar inaugurated the third International Alzheimer’s Conference at the headquarters of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in Riyadh on Monday.
Following the inauguration, Prince Saud bin Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdulrahman, chairman of the SADA board of directors, signed partnership agreements with private-sector organizations including the Saudi Electricity Co., the Saudi Investment Bank, Dallah Al-Baraka Group Holdings, Abdulmohsen Al-Hokair Group and Home Experts Holdings.
Prince Faisal thanked King Salman for exerting immense care in treating the elderly in this program. He also thanked the philanthropists who have come forward via their organizations to help in this venture.
Describing Saudi Arabia as a land blessed with philanthropy, righteousness and solidarity, Prince Faisal said Islam preaches the same principles in treating the elderly in society.
He added that the conference will inform participants of the latest advances in the field of Alzheimer’s, and is a good opportunity for the Kingdom to announce its achievements in treating the disease in the past seven years.
The prince commended the efforts of Princess Madawi bint Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Abdulrahman, vice chairman of the SADA board of directors.
KACST President Prince Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed also addressed the gathering at the inauguration.
Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder named after German physician Alois Alzheimer, who first described it in 1906. Scientists have since learned a great deal about the disease.
Alzheimer’s gets worse over time and is fatal. It is the sixth-leading cause of death in the world and the most common form of dementia, a general term for loss of memory and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life.
Other types of dementia include vascular dementia, mixed dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia.
SADA’s vision is to create a world without Alzheimer’s, while optimizing awareness of the disease and the quality of living for affected individuals and their carers.
Riyadh governor opens Alzheimer’s conference
Riyadh governor opens Alzheimer’s conference
Saudi chef wins culinary competition
- Event aimed to empower chefs’ ability to showcase talent on global scale
- Bayan Abdullah Al-Sudani: It (has) encouraged me to participate in more challenging spaces
RIYADH: A Saudi has won the Saudi Elite Chefs competition at Horeca Riyadh.
The event, which was organized by the Culinary Arts Commission of the Ministry of Culture, in alignment with the ministry’s long-term goals, aimed to empower Saudi chefs’ ability to showcase their talent and creativity on a global scale.
Speaking to Arab News, the winner, Bayan Abdullah Al-Sudani, shed light on how the competition equipped her with confidence for the future, saying: “It was a big challenge, and I faced off against strong chefs. It (has) encouraged me to participate in more challenging spaces.”
On her future plans, Al-Sudani wants to give back to the industry, and added: “I look forward to opening the Bayan Academy soon so that I can support chefs and help them with the pastry sector specifically.”
Celebration and achievement were echoed throughout, and it was evident at the event that the culinary industry in the Kingdom is hungry for growth, recognition, and global competition.
Seba Zarea, general manager of strategy and program delivery at the Culinary Arts Commission, told Arab News of the many facets of the industry that the ministry was prioritizing.
Zarea said: “This competition is just one of the initiatives that the Culinary Arts Commission is working on. There are also local scholarships (and) vocational training. We are also working on attracting the best culinary schools to Saudi. For example, Le Cordon Bleu is opening next year in Misk City.”
Zarea stressed the rewards of events like the Saudi Elite Chefs competition, adding that the winner had a fast track to Bocuse d’Or and the World Pastry Cup — representing global opportunities to place both competitors and Saudi cuisine on the map.
Zarea added: “Food is a soft power and, in terms of tourism, food is a universal language so we codified the Saudi cuisine, an initiative started four years ago, and we came up with more than 1,300 codified recipes, items, and local produce from the Kingdom.”
Zarea went into depth on some of the behind-the-scenes efforts that have helped create the food that the Kingdom is able to showcase.
She shared the example of the Wild Plant Initiative, a program designed to explore plants of various regions in the Kingdom to discover new ingredients that can be integrated into Saudi cuisine.
These efforts go into helping to build an industry that is rooted in culture, creativity, and passion.
In the same way that the Saudi Elite Chefs competition provides its winners and participants with the tools to bring their success to global attention, the Culinary Arts Commission works to elevate the Kingdom’s cuisine through tourism and hospitality.
Zarea said: “This sector is the easiest way to showcase the culture.”
