Cook-off at the MLA Black Box 4th Global Grand Final

Here's one summer thriller that's not to be missed. It is seasoned with suspense, featuring an international star cast from 19 countries and a lipsmacking climax. And best of all, it's happening right here in Dubai.

Yes, the MLA Black Box 4th Global Grand Final is in town. Organised by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), the event features teams of young chefs from 19 countries converging in Dubai for the ultimate cook-off, which starts today.

The rules of the challenge are simple. This morning, a box of mystery ingredients, the black box, will be opened at the Madinat Jumeirah, the venue for the competition.

World ingredients

Inside the box are a selection of the finest produce from all over the world such as Australian beef and lamb, Norwegian seafood, herbs, sauces and spices.

The chefs have one hour to create a four-course menu inspired by the black box. Every single ingredient in the box must be utilised by the chefs. And they just have 24 hours to prepare a feast for competition judges and 600 guests at a gala dinner tomorrow night.

Lucky guests at the gala dinner get to sample a smorgasboard of 19 different menus from the teams.

Chefs from leading hotels from around the world are in attendance for the event, including the Willard Intercontinental Hotel Washington DC; the Hotel Equatorial, Ho Chi Minh City; Salt by Luke Mangan from Japan; The Westin Beijing; The Grand Hyatt Amman, Swissôtel The Stamford from Singapore; the Disney Hollywood Hotel from Hong Kong, and others.

“The concept of this event is to encourage young chefs to think out of the box,'' said Rodney Sims, MLA Technical Manager for the Middle East and Africa region.

“What's most exciting is seeing how the 19 teams put together their menus, using the same set of ingredients.''

What's in the box?

The MLA Black Box Culinary Challenge has been running since 1996. So far 1,900 chefs from 19 countries have participated in over 50 events. The competition was designed to showcase Australian meat and food ingredients.