“Food is Culture” returns for its seventh edition in 2022, delivering a cultural experience to audiences in the Kingdom of Bahrain that bridges together two creative worlds, namely culinary and visual arts. This year, all “Food is Culture” activities are organized by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities in collaboration with “Al Liwan” by Seef Properties in its outdoor area in Hamala. The event will take place on Saturday, February 19, 2022, in the presence of Her Excellency Shaikha Hala bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, Director-General of Arts and Culture at the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, in addition to a number of artists, cultural figures, media personnel and those interested in the arts.
Her Excellency Shaikha Hala bint Mohammed Al Khalifa said, “Once again, we return to present to you what is new in the worlds of the arts and culinary arts through the seventh edition of the Food is Culture project. This is part our strategy to protect and promote the ancient Bahraini kitchen, which is a key aspect of our intangible cultural heritage.” She added, “This cultural achievement comes with thanks to the strong partnership between various public and private agencies, and this year we are cooperating with Al-Liwan for ‘Food is Culture’ to provide distinctive cultural activities that reflect the richness this event has always achieved throughout the past seven years.”
Her Excellency expressed her desire for the Culture Authority to continue with the “Food is Culture” as it uniquely enhances the activities of the creative and artistic movements in the Kingdom of Bahrain, highlighting that this initiative is made to create new spaces for innovation, and through it the discovery of many local talents from chefs, designers and artists to come up with a creative body of works that open new horizons.
From his side, Mr. Ahmed Yusuf, Seef Properties CEO said: “We are happy to embrace the 7th edition of this prominent event at Al Liwan, whose unique components embody the Bahrain authentic history and deep-rooted culture. Hosting this event at this exceptional development embodies the tireless endeavors of Seef Properties to harness and employ its resources towards supporting the national efforts that aim to promote Bahrain’s various sectors in order to cement the Kingdom’s leading position as a modern urban front and a favourite tourist as well as an important economic hub,”
He further added: “It’s a great pleasure for us to contribute to the great success which the 7th edition has accomplished through attracting an elite of local talents, whom we hope to support and shed light on their capabilities to raise awareness about the Kingdom’s distinguished young energies that are capable of creativity and innovation in various fields.”
As always, “Food is Culture” seeks to provide an exceptional experience to the public in the Kingdom of Bahrain, where a group of chefs and artists from different backgrounds work in pairs to showcase the results of their collaboration through a presentation of unique dishes, recipes and innovative artworks.
The lineup for this edition of “Food is Culture” brings together three pairs, namely: Executive Chef Junior Gomez from “Mirai” with sustainable fashion designer Nouf Alshekar; chef Manal Alsaleh with abstract creative Mohamed Taqi; as well as owner of “Agora” Abdullah Alnoaimi with the multimedia artist Maryam Haji. Audiences will interactively engage with the topics each pair has explored during the “Food is Culture” activities, tasting the dishes and marveling the artworks that are a result of this collaboration in a presentation that engages all the senses.
The panel will be moderated by one of Bahrain’s most prominent food bloggers, Hind Alrumaihi, from @thecravelist as she accompanies all the chefs and artists.
Noof Alshekar is a fashion designer with a passion and creativity that started at a young age. Noof was always fascinated by the beauty of art, architecture, and jewelry. As a result, she created the brand, NS by Noof, in 2009 a niche brand of bejeweled bags that each carries a story, an identity, and its own persona. Chef Gomez is a Brazilian Chef based in Bahrain since 2015. Since he began working at Mirai he has won seven prestigious awards, four best Japanese Restaurant and three times winner of the most favorite restaurant in Bahrain.
As for Mohammed Taqi, his work is characterized by the philosophy of humanity. He looks deeply to reach the bigger picture, focusing on the essential aspects of the depth and the human dimension, by simulating through his paintings the emotions in the language of abstraction and chromatic expression. Manal Alsaleh started following her passion into the culinary world at the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, and she began experimenting in this new field and launched her brand @tablefor.5 through social media.
Mariam Haji is a Bahraini multi-disciplinary fine artist who currently lives and works in Helsinki, Finland. She represented the Kingdom of Bahrain in Finland’s most prominent art festival, in addition to her participation in many international events and forums. She was the winner of Bahrain’s 38th Annual Fine Arts Exhibition. While Abdullah Al Noaimi did not focus his studies on the culinary arts, he was always so passionate about Greek cuisine. After years of work, he launched the @agora.food store, restaurant and cafe, which is headquartered in the Kingdom of Bahrain and has branches all over the world. From Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
It is worth noting that Al Liwan project by Seef Properties is one of the leading tourist destinations in the Kingdom, as its details and areas are inspired by the authentic Bahraini history and its deep-rooted cultural heritage. The project is located in the Hamala area in the Northern Governorate, and is considered the first real estate development project of its kind in the Kingdom, occupying 122,000 square metres. The project has been designed to offer a community that embraces in its vibrant green areas, quality and unique elements, including 136 stores and restaurants of prestigious brands, topped by 117 residential units with stunning views offered for rent, as well as an entertainment centre that is the first of its kind in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in addition to seven advanced cinema theatres, a 1.6 km promenade and an integrated sports centre.