One of the oldest and luscious cuisines in the world, Azerbaijani cooking boasts rich traditions. The history of our national cuisine is as ancient as the chronicles of our people, which places great responsibility on our chefs, the masters in the field, to represent our culinary art, the jewel of our culture. 

The launching ceremony for the Master of Culinary Arts award to recognize the local chefs was held at the International Mugham Centre on 13 February. The award was co-established by Azerbaijan Chefs Guild and Nigar Amirbayova, the project manager for ‘Diyar.az’ gastronomic map and vice-president of The World Federation of Restaurant Sport. 

Acclaimed experienced chefs, science and cultural figures, entrepreneurs, media and public representatives from all over the country took part in the culinary celebration, titled the Mugham of National Cuisine. 

The participants first observed a minute’s silence in memory of our valiant sons and daughters, who sacrificed their lives for the territorial integrity of our country, and the victims of the recent tragic earthquake in Turkey. 

Nigar Amirbayova, co-organizer of the event, said the award is meant for chefs with years of experience and distinguished in their professional fields, as well as the representatives of culinary arts. The goal is to recognize the veteran chefs of Azerbaijani national cuisine and those, who have contributed to promoting the field, with the ‘Master of Culinary Arts’ award and to introduce them to younger generations. She especially highlighted the role our chefs play in representing our national cuisine globally. 

The musical choice of the evening was the performance of Karabakh Shikastasi mugham by the eminent khanendes. 

Ilkin Alakbarzadeh, Chairman of Azerbaijan Chefs Guild, said that the event has brought together true craftsmen with 45-50 years of experience, who have commendably represented our national cuisine in the world. The goal is to introduce our experienced chefs working and living throughout the country to a wider public. ‘We will award around 40 chefs from the capital and the regions. We have also invited young aspiring chefs from vocational schools. As the younger generation gets to know our veteran chefs closer, it will encourage them to improve and strive to represent our national cuisine globally. We have talented beginners in the field and I hope that they will contribute to thriving of this art’, Alakbarzadeh noted. 

He also spoke about the projects the Azerbaijan Chefs Guild is involved to promote our national cuisine. 

The speakers at the event included Tahir Amiraslanov, president of the National Culinary Association, Samir Dubandi, Chairman of the DAIR Hotels and Restaurants Association, and Suleyman Kursak, Chairman of the Turkish Denizli City Society of Young Chefs, who all thanked the organizers and spoke highly of the role our acclaimed chefs have played in representing and promoting the true Azerbaijani cooking at various international festivals. 

They also talked about the intricacies of the culinary art, sharing pearls of wisdom with the younger chefs to help them study our national cuisine more profoundly, preserve our traditions in the field and promote it globally. They all agreed how important it was to focus on training in the field and motivating more young people to join and stay in the profession. 

The audience then enjoyed a film about Azerbaijani chefs produced by Baku Media Centre. Famous chefs around the world sent congratulatory videos to their Azerbaijani colleagues. 

The awarding ceremony started soon afterwards. Both the master chefs and other professionals in the culinary field were honoured to receive the Master of the Culinary Arts award. 

The awardees expressed their gratitude to the organizers for the recognition of their hard work. 

The guests were then treated to ‘Shah Pilaf’, a true masterpiece of the Azerbaijani cuisine. They also got to enjoy different Azerbaijani dishes and desserts. After gastronomic pleasure, the audience then proceeded to watch a sketch from the Cloth Peddler operetta, performed by eminent artistes in the country. 

Tahir Manafov, a chef of fifty years, shares his impressions on the event: ‘I have been in the field since the age of 15 and I am proud of what I do. I am in love with my job. No matter what profession one chooses, they must study the deepest secrets of their trade. Seeing all the professional veteran chefs all in one place makes me happy. I am very grateful to the organizers. We will continue sparing no efforts to educate the young generation of chefs, share our expertise and mould them into true professionals.’ 

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