French dish earns Tunisian chef working in Saudi Arabia third spot in online contest

Cairo: Tunisian chef Brahim Ben Hassen, who has developed a culinary passion since an early age, has ranked third in the World Association of Master Chefs (WAMC)’ online international competition Chefs Bench 2020.

Since 2010, Ben Hassen has been living and working in Saudi Arabia as an executive chef in a four- star hotel and two sea food restaurants. His culinary experience is diverse.

At 18, he finished training at the Tourism Boujaafer Sousse in his homeland. At the time, many of his co-workers said he was too young to be a chef. However, his perseverance and penchant for food spurred him on.

He has since experienced a variety of cuisines such as French and Italian and even Chinese food sculpture and fruit design.

His passion or food has taken him to several prestigious hotels in his homeland and elsewhere where he has mastered and diversified culinary skills. He travelled to other countries such as Libya where he served as a private chef for the country’s head of state for two years, according to a WAMC statement.

During all those years, Ben Hassen also learnt the art of Indian food and expanded his knowledge of traditions and methods of the Oriental food cuisine. “My passion to kitchen doesn’t have an end,” he said after learning that he came in the third in the WAMC Chef Bench world Competition.

His winner in the competition was a French recipe of sautéed shrimps in garlic lemon sauce made with garlic butter, dill lemon juice, black pepper, salt and garnished with carrots zucchini green bean onions potatoes and tuiles.

With a network of chapters in over 40 countries, WAMC aims to promote food culture around the world.