Television cooking competition, Star Chef, which offers cooking enthusiasts an opportunity to star in their own cooking show, is airing on Fatafeat TV, the Dubai-based cuisine television channel.

The competition which is sponsored by Kraft Cheddar commenced in May and has drawn more than 4,500 entries from contestants all across the Middle East, a statement from the company said.

With entries having closed in October, the top 10 contestants who have been short-listed by a judging committee will battle it out for the Star Chef title. The weekly elimination challenges will air until January 15, 2012.

In the final episode, which will be aired in January 2012, audiences from across the region will be able to vote for their favorite contestant and the winner will then win the title of ‘Star Chef’ and receive a contract to host a cooking show on Fatafeat TV in 2012, the statement said. 

“Kraft Cheddar has been pioneering exciting opportunities that reward and recognise consumers who have a passion for cooking. Whether it is giving somebody the opportunity to write and launch a cook book or giving them a contract to star in their own television cooking series, Kraft Cheddar has been making culinary dreams come true for consumers across the GCC”, said Jayachandran Balachandran, marketing director Kraft Foods, GCC and new markets Mena.

“Star Chef is one of the biggest and most exciting programmes this region has ever seen, given that we have received a record number of entries from cooking enthusiasts and aspiring chefs all over the GCC,” Balachandran said.

Kraft Cheddar Cheese has pioneered many culinary opportunities for consumers across the GCC with the most recent being the company helping a Saudi woman to realise her life-long dream of becoming a celebrated culinary author and chef.

Kraft Cheddar Cheese supported her in the production of her very own cook book and offered her a contract to star in her own cooking show on Saudi TV.

Ohood Sohail, who is a 26-year-orld nutritionist by qualification and a lecturer at a cooking academy in Jeddah, has long been a fan of the brand, the statement said.

Her book, called Delightful Recipes with Ohood’s Touch, contains 40 nutritious and tasty recipes from salads, starters, soups to main courses and desserts, all containing the ‘Al Aslee’ and distinctive taste of the popular cheddar cheese, it said. – TradeArabia News Service