The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has launched a new AED360 million ($98mln) Abu Dhabi Culinary Investment Fund that will help introduce leading brands to the UAE capital over five years.

The fund will establish a culinary school to aid with recruitment, training, and other staffing resources in the sector.

The newly launched, Abu Dhabi Culinary Investment Fund (ADCIF), will co-invest with local asset partners and incentivise top chefs, top restaurants, and culinary educational institutions, to enter the Abu Dhabi market, , Abu Dhabi media office said in a statement.

Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General for Tourism, DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “The Abu Dhabi Culinary Investment Fund is part of our ongoing commitment to elevate the culinary scene across the emirate and create new dining experiences. There is no better time or place to bring best-in-class chefs, restaurants, and hotel brands to the capital.”

“This fund, in combination with the culinary school will ensure that Abu Dhabi appeals to even more visitors around the world, who can experience increasingly diverse and high-quality dining in the emirate, centred on our tradition of emirati hospitality,” Al Geziry said.

The main requisites for fund applicants are brands or chefs recognised by leading awards committees and global culinary guides, with a multi-regional presence – operating in more than one country.

Applicants should offer a premium casual, lifestyle, or fine dining experience, without yet having an existing presence in the region and would be making their debut in Abu Dhabi – with a one-year period of exclusivity to the emirate.

DCT Abu Dhabi is set to announce the first two recipients of the new Abu Dhabi Culinary Investment Fund in the coming months.

(Writing by Seban Scaria seban.scaira@lseg.com; editing by Daniel Luiz)