It’s every food lover’s heaven at the Sofitel Resort and Spa as the country’s up and coming chefs showcase their culinary skills for the next two days.

The annual competition is also being billed as the new addition to Fiji’s popularity in the global tourist market as chefs carve their menus through locally produced food for locally inspired dishes.

Tourism Minister Faiyaz Koya who opened the Salon Culinaire says the annual event has grown in stature and will be the catalyst in propping Fiji as a destination of exquisite cuisine for the future.

“As you know our local chefs are very creative and the competition brings out the best in them. Apart from their own expertise, there’s also the issue of them using local ingredients which is great for us in terms of pushing the hotels to use as much local produce as possible.”

The competition will end tomorrow with an award gala night dinner.