InterContinental Muscat's culinary team delivered a standout performance at Horeca Oman 2026, the Middle East's premier hospitality and foodservice trade exhibition held annually at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event brings together hotels, restaurants and industry professionals from across the region to compete in live culinary categories spanning pastry, bakery, canapés, live cooking and full menu presentation.
This year, ten chefs from InterContinental Muscat represented the hotel across a range of categories, bringing home one Gold and eight Silver medals – a result that builds on the hotel's strong showing at last year's competition and reinforces its standing among Oman's leading culinary teams.
Sebastian Thomas, General Manager of InterContinental Muscat, said: "We are incredibly proud of our culinary team's achievements at Horeca Oman this year. These results are a true reflection of the talent, discipline and passion our chefs bring to InterContinental Muscat every day, and I am especially pleased to see so many of our Omani and regional team members recognised on this platform. Their success reflects the standard of excellence we strive for across every outlet in the hotel."
Matthew Piercy, Director of Food & Beverage at InterContinental Muscat, added: "Competing at Horeca demands weeks of preparation, precision under pressure and real creativity, and our team showed all of that on the day. What stands out most is how many of our chefs improved on their results from last year – that kind of consistent growth comes directly from the practice, mentoring and attention to detail we build into our kitchens year-round. I could not be prouder of each of them."
Horeca Oman 2026 – InterContinental Muscat Winners
Name Position Category Medal
Asaad Al Salti Commi 2 Best Éclair Gold
Abhilash Yadav Chef De Partie Best Macaroons Silver
Vasantha Rao Jr. Sous Chef Pastry – Three Plated Dessert Silver
Rajendra Rawat Chef De Partie Best Baguette Silver
Shatha Al Hamdani Commi 2 Omani Modern Twist (Live Cooking) Silver
Al Adraa Al Habsi Commi 3 Omani Modern Twist (Live Cooking) Silver
Dheeranda Singh Commi 1 Cold Canapés Display Silver
Mohammad Othman Demi Chef De Partie Burger Challenge (Aussie Beef) Silver
Abolfazi Hossein Mehrimamghesi Chef De Partie Barilla Competition (Live Cooking) Silver
Baburam Ale Chef De Partie Three-Course Set Menu Display First-time entrant
The hotel's culinary team will continue to compete in regional and international culinary competitions as part of InterContinental Muscat's ongoing commitment to developing local and regional talent and upholding the highest standards of culinary excellence.
