RIYADH: The Ministry of Housing has announced that 84 percent of projects have been completed in the Saudi capital.
The projects are in a 5 million sq. meters of land located west of the King Khalid International Airport (KKIA).
These include 2,242 plots of land with infrastructure, water networks, electricity, communication facilities, in addition to 606 apartments.
“These will be allocated to qualified beneficiaries who have earlier applied for residential homes,” the ministry said.
This is part of a project that provides for the provision of 2,848 housing units that include integrated facilities for qualified applicants.
The ministry added that it is currently working to provide more residential homes for Riyadh residents. It also said that the houses will be in accordance with the different sectors of society in Riyadh which have the largest number of population.
As of last year, the population in Riyadh touched 4.9 million. About 68 percent of the number is Saudi. The ministry added that it has stepped up efforts to provide residential homes in various cities and provinces in the Kingdom’s regions.
“But we do it appropriately and in accordance with specifications on quality that was agreed on with the contractors,” the ministry added.
The ministry said that these residential homes will be followed up with other projects in the near future, in light of strengthening its partnership with the private sector.
“The partnership aims to come up with other options to meet the increasing demand for residential homes,” the ministry said.
Such options, it added, could include the construction of high-quality condominium units which have become very popular in other countries.
84% of Riyadh housing projects completed
84% of Riyadh housing projects completed
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.”
