The Culinary Arts Commission, one of 11 new agencies established by the Ministry of Culture last year, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Le Cordon Bleu International Institute on Sunday.

The MoU calls for the establishment of an educational college in Riyadh that will offer advanced academic programs in the culinary and hospitality sectors of Le Cordon Bleu, utilizing the company's brands, educational resources, and experience.

Mayada Badr, CEO of the Culinary Arts Commission, and André Cointreau, representing the Le Cordon Bleu Institute, signed the Memorandum of Understanding.

The ceremony was held in the Ministry of Culture's Diriyah headquarters in Riyadh, in the presence of the Vice Minister of Culture Hamed Fayez, who's the Vice-Chairman of the Culinary Arts Commission, Hamed Fayez, French Ambassador to the Kingdom Ludovic Pouille, and the General Supervisor of Cultural Affairs and International Relations at the Ministry Rakan Al-Tawq, and the Counselor for Cultural Cooperation at the French Embassy, Catherine Lee Thomas.

The commission hopes that this initiative would also enrich the sector by providing Le Cordon Bleu training courses in agriculture and nutrition, and setting up an integrated curriculum for Saudi cuisine, and providing support in embracing and directing Saudi chefs who want to start businesses and restaurants.

This will also allow Saudi students to participate in exchange programs at Cordon Bleu schools outside the Kingdom, and foreign Cordon Bleu students to attend the institute in the Kingdom as part of exchange programs.

The memorandum of understanding is part of the commission's initiatives to strengthen the efficiency of the Kingdom's culinary arts industry by making international expertise available to citizens practicing culinary arts and luring the most reputable culinary and hospitality academies and institutes to the Kingdom.