Culinary Arts Commission

The Culinary Arts Commission is the entity responsible for culinary arts activities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It aims to develop, maintain, and encourage innovation in the areas of cooking techniques, recipes and quantities, ingredient sourcing, food preparation, and presentation.

The Culinary Arts Commission was established in February 2020 as one of the eleven cultural commissions whose establishment was approved simultaneously by the Council of Ministers.

The commission is entrusted with the development of this sector, enhancing its components, establishing relevant mechanisms and controls, and serving as a reference and effective entity within it. The commission aims to promote Saudi dishes locally and internationally, take pride in the heritage of culinary arts and talents in this sector, and work towards establishing a Saudi culinary culture. Furthermore, it seeks to transform the Kingdom into a hub for unique experiences and make the sector a source of livelihood for society.

The Culinary Arts Commission has a public legal personality and enjoys financial and administrative independence. Its operational budget is allocated annually by the Ministry of Culture. It is organizationally linked to the Minister of Culture, and both the Labor Law and the Social Insurance Law apply to its employees.

The commission is based in the capital city of Riyadh and is led by a board of directors chaired by the Minister of Culture. The board is responsible for managing the commission's affairs and making all necessary decisions to achieve its objectives.

The Culinary Arts Commission's strategy consists of five main pillars that cover its mandate. This includes identifying and preserving the culinary heritage and assets in the Kingdom, providing a unique and world-class dining experience for residents and visitors, promoting local traditional stories and narratives, enhancing and developing the culinary profession in the Kingdom, and fostering innovation in culinary-related production and services.

Based on these pillars, the commission implements twelve practical programs, including developing stories and visual and auditory libraries for culinary arts, supporting the local sector and unifying food menus, leading Saudi culinary events, international exchange and promotion program and food diplomacy, food tourism program in different regions of the Kingdom, and the Saudi concepts program to enhance and develop food.

In accordance with its organizational arrangements, the Culinary Arts Commission carries out several tasks, including the registration, documentation, publication, and promotion of Saudi and international dishes and their recipes. It also invests in and establishes companies related to the culinary arts or contributes to their establishment. The commission organizes conferences, exhibitions, events, and competitions related to the culinary arts. It represents the Kingdom in regional and international organizations, bodies, and forums dedicated to the culinary arts. Additionally, it encourages research, studies, and development in the culinary arts. The commission grants licenses for activities within its domain and establishes a database for the culinary arts sector.

The Culinary Arts Commission supports Saudi workers and practitioners in the culinary arts. It enables local talent to specialize in the sector and encourages financing and investment in its areas of expertise. Additionally, it proposes standards and measures specific to the culinary arts sector and coordinates with relevant entities to support the protection of intellectual property rights in the sector. The commission also participates in regional and international unions, organizations, and entities.

It implements sector-related educational programs, provides scholarships for talented individuals, and utilizes modern technologies to execute its initiatives and executive programs. In line with this direction, the Ministry of Culture launched a unified e-platform for cultural scholarship for the first time in the Kingdom's history on January 19, 2020. The commission aims to regulate and develop the culinary sector in the Kingdom, enhance its components, and support and encourage practitioners within it.

The Culinary Arts Commission aims to develop the culinary sector, support individuals and entities working in this field, and promote traditional Saudi cuisine through documentation and promotion. Its objectives include:

- Identifying and preserving the elements and history of national culinary arts.

- Promoting through unique content and locally crafted stories.

- Offering world-class dining experiences to citizens and visitors.

- Developing and enhancing Saudi culinary professions.

- Encouraging innovation and evolution in culinary production and services.

The Culinary Arts Commission implements several programs and initiatives to achieve its goals, based on its strategy in this regard. Some of these programs and initiatives include:

Culinary Arts Incubator Program

It is a comprehensive support program for entrepreneurs, chefs, and project owners in the Food and Beverage (F&B) sector. It aims to empower their innovative ideas and develop their projects through an incubation program that includes a selection of experienced mentors, trainers, and expert chefs. These mentors provide advisory, guidance, and workshop services in various areas. The program aims to invest in Saudi capabilities in the culinary arts sector, provide investment opportunities for male and female entrepreneurs in the cultural and culinary sectors, raise standards in the cultural and culinary sectors by developing high-potential startups, and enhance the culinary arts sector by attracting the best global practices in the cultural field.

Our Culinary Legacy Initiative

Our Culinary Legacy Initiative is one of the first initiatives of the Culinary Arts Commission. It focuses on encouraging, motivating, and supporting the Saudi community, from novice to professional chefs, in preserving and documenting Saudi recipes. This initiative aims to document and preserve recipes of the top traditional dishes in Saudi culture, foster enthusiasm and engagement among Saudis interested in cooking traditional Saudi recipes, and discover the talents of local chefs who will enrich the culinary sector in the Kingdom. It also aims to inspire the new generation to share traditional Saudi recipes passed down through generations and educate the community about various traditional dishes from all regions of the Kingdom through the publication of a cookbook encompassing all these dishes.

The Culinary Arts Commission has achieved several accomplishments since its establishment. One of the key achievements was receiving the World Culinary Region Award for 2024 in September 2022. This prestigious award, granted by the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts, and Tourism (IGCAT), was given to Aseer Province. It was received during the Salon del Gusto-Terra Madre event organized by Slow Food in Turin, Italy. Aseer Province became the first province outside of Europe to win this global title.

As part of its support for culinary arts in the Kingdom, the commission organized the first edition of the Saudi Feast Food Festival in Jeddah in 2021. The second edition of the festival took place in Riyadh in 2022. These festivals aimed to celebrate the national food heritage by providing educational and cultural experiences for all segments of society.