Accra, Oct. 20, GNA - Executives of the Ghana Chefs Association on Friday visited four hotels to interact with fellow chefs as part of activities marking the International Chefs Day, which falls on October 20.

The day being celebrated the first time in Ghana was used by the Executives of the Association to educate other chefs, who did not know about the existence of such a day and to also discuss chefs' welfare. The team led by Mr Stephen Cofie Dzilah, President of the Association, visited NOVOTEL where they interacted with Mr Jean-Louis Conrad, the Food and Beverage Manager, and the chefs.

Both the Management of NOVOTEL and the Executives of the Association commended Ms Phidelia Menariri, the Executive Chef of the Hotel, for being an outstanding woman chef.

Ms Menariri is also the Second Vice Chairman of the Association. Mr Dzilah noted that around the world there were only few women chefs and Ghana was proud to have a woman chef in a hotel such as NOVOTEL.

He urged the Chefs to come out with recipes for local dishes since Ghana was likely to be on the international map of chefs and, therefore, the need to publicize the local recipes for international approval. At the Labadi Beach Hotel, Mr Gary Lane, an Executive Chef, who is in the country on a special assignment, pledged his continual support and assistance to the Association.

He said he would be glad to give expert advice to the members of the team while participating in their programmes.

Mr Lane led the group to inspect the kitchen and to interact with fellow chefs while encouraging them to register for a forthcoming competition for chefs.

Cresta Royale Hotel hosted the Executives to lunch. Met on arrival by Mr Saiid Ali Khan, General Manager of the Hotel, who is also a Board Member of the Association, he encouraged the Executives to continue with their good works even though there were obstacles to the formation and growth of every association.

Chef Ibrahim Ahmadu of the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel met the group on their arrival and led them to inspect the kitchen and expressed gratitude for the visit.

The group later visited the VRA Catering Department where Mr Dzilah is the Executive Chef and inspected the kitchen. He told the GNA that the visit was also to encourage chefs, who were not members of the Association, to join. He said the major objective of the Association was to seek the welfare of chefs all over the country while working to improve the local dishes to international standard.

Mr Dzilah said Ghana joined the African Chefs Association last year and expressed the hope that they would soon be members of the World Association of Chefs (WACS).

Chefs are the professional heads of any catering establishment, responsible for planning menus and bringing variety to food preparation to make them attractive.