This Culinary Experience Puts El Gouna on the Global Gastronomy Map
Across four days, 35 Flavors of El Gouna will reimagine Egypt’s Red Sea through gastronomic experiences and world-class hospitality.
There are destinations that evolve with time — and then there are those that shape it. For thirty-five years, El Gouna Red Sea has redefined coastal living in Egypt: an ecosystem of art, culture, entrepreneurship, and design where innovation and leisure coexist by the water. Having long played a role in Egypt’s culinary scene, it now takes a definitive step forward — turning its gaze toward the future of food.
This November 19th-22nd, El Gouna introduces Taste El Gouna — Egypt’s first-of-its-kind dedicated culinary platform in partnership with Flavor Republic Ventures. The landmark event titled 35 Flavors of El Gouna. The four-day culinary experience brings together global culinary mastery and Egyptian ingenuity to celebrate the town’s 35th anniversary with 35 Michelin stars, and 35 local ingredients that tell a story of place, flavor, and possibility.
Curated in collaboration with Atelier Norbert Niederkofler Temporary, 35 Flavors of El Gouna will unfold across the coastal city’s many districts — a Red Sea journey through dinners, seaside brunches, and masterclasses. At its helm is Norbert Niederkofler, the pioneering chef behind the “Cook the Mountain” philosophy — widely known as “the ethical chef.” His Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler, awarded three Michelin stars and a Green Star for sustainability, embodies his belief that cuisine is a vehicle for respect — for nature, for seasonality, and for the communities that make it possible — guided by a zero-waste philosophy that transforms responsibility into creativity.
During the culinary experience, Niederkofler will lead masterclass titled “Cook the Red Sea,” adapting his mountain-born ethos to Egypt’s coastal landscape. “Cook the Mountain is my way of being, my way of acting. Exploring Egypt and its local ingredients is truly inspiring — an opportunity to discover the richness of its flavors and create experiences that go beyond taste, becoming pure emotion,” he explains.
Local chefs and students from the German Hospitality School in El Gouna will also join immersive masterclasses led by Norbert Niederkofler and Tamara Rigo (Cook the Red Sea), exploring sustainable cooking practices and contemporary patisserie — extending El Gouna Red Sea’s ethos of education, innovation, and community growth.
Across four days, 35 Flavors of El Gouna will reimagine Egypt’s Red Sea through food and
thoughtful hospitality.
Opening Dinner — November 20th
A curtain-raiser for collaboration. Chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants and rising talents unite for one progressive culinary performance — a dialogue between generations, told through small plates and big ideas.
Brunch at Smokery Beach — November 21st
Under the late-morning sun, the rising stars join young talents from the Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler team for a seaside brunch that celebrates the art of grilling and the spirit of exchange, each dish a meeting of mentorship and mastery.
Dinner at Botanica — November 21st
As night falls, Botanica opens its doors with an aperitif by the rising stars, followed by a five-course gala dinner crafted by chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants. The experience marks the debut of El Gouna Red Sea’s newest restaurant — a pioneering hydroponic dining concept — where the seed-to-table philosophy comes vividly to life.
Finale Dinner — November 22nd
The closing act belongs to the rising stars — a four-course dinner that brings the festival full circle, celebrating collaboration, creativity, and conscious craftsmanship.
MEET THE TEAM
Culinary Legends
Norbert Niederkofler ‘The Ethical Chef’
Norbert Niederkofler Group, Italy
Architect of “Cook the Mountain,” three Michelin stars and a Green Star. His practice centres on responsibility, terroir, and emotion — a blueprint for future-forward, ethical gastronomy.
Himanshu Saini
Trèsind Studio, Dubai
A visionary redefining Indian gastronomy, Saini is the creative force behind the first Indian restaurant to earn three Michelin stars. His approach merges precision with poetry, transforming Indian culinary heritage into modern fine-dining artistry.
Fabrizio Mellino
Quattro Passi, Italy
Italy’s youngest chef to helm a restaurant awarded three Michelin Stars and a Green Star, Mellino carries forward his family’s legacy with inventive Mediterranean cooking rooted in Campanian tradition and contemporary finesse.
Daniel Hadida & Eric Robertson
Restaurant Pearl Morissette, Canada
Co-founders and Executive Chefs of Pearl Morissette in Ontario’s Niagara region, they bring international experience from Michelin-starred kitchens and a shared commitment to regenerative farming and seasonality. Their restaurant has been awarded two Michelin stars, establishing Pearl Morissette as a destination for fine dining rooted in community, craftsmanship, and culinary excellence.
Rising Stars
Tamara Rigo
Norbert Niederkofler Group, Italy
The event’s pastry maverick, Rigo is known for sustainable desserts that prove indulgence can be ethical, imaginative, and deeply personal.
Ariel Hagen
Saporium Firenze & Saporium Chiusdino, Italy
Under his leadership, the Saporium kitchens have earned both Michelin and Green Stars. His philosophy is a Tuscan harmony of nature, seasonality, and innovation — no excess, just rigor and respect for ingredients.
Sara Aqel
Dara Dining, Amman
A Palestinian-Jordanian chef celebrated for blending Mediterranean elegance with Levantine heritage, Aqel brings a fresh perspective to regional storytelling through food at Dara Dining in Amman.
Turki Bin Hallabi
Freelancer Chef, Saudi Arabia
A globally inspired chef whose experiences across multiple countries shaped a culinary vision centred on fusion cuisine. He creates dishes where diverse traditions converge, blending global influences with creativity, precision, and innovation to deliver bold, memorable dining experiences.
Beverage Specialists
Federico Balzarini (Mixologist)
Ciotti, Italy
Balzarini believes hospitality is about creating joy and memorable experiences for guests, not showcasing oneself. His beverages may be complex to build yet remain understandable and entertaining — innovation in the service of people, with craft that invites everyone in.
Mattia Spedicato (Sommelier)
Marchal, Denmark
An Italian hospitality professional with a career spanning renowned hotels and restaurants including Gleneagles (Scotland) and the three-Michelin-star Geranium (Copenhagen). In 2025, he became Restaurant Manager of Marchal at Hotel d’Angleterre, delivering guest-centric, world-class service.
Taste El Gouna is a natural evolution for the coastal city. Just as the El Gouna Film Festival positioned the town as a cultural and cinematic landmark, 35 Flavors of El Gouna anchors it as a global gastronomy destination.
El Gouna Red Sea’s own culinary community plays an essential role in this dialogue. Local chefs and students from the German Hospitality School are woven into the creative process from the very start — working side by side with visiting teams, trading methods, memories, and philosophies. Their participation transforms the culinary experience into a living classroom where expertise moves both ways, bridging continents and traditions.
Through this hands-on exchange, El Gouna Red Sea extends its defining ethos — education, sustainability, and innovation — into a new language of collaboration that wastes nothing, not even the learning.El Gouna Red Sea has always been a place where ideas meet the horizon. Now, it’s where the world’s most inventive chefs and beverage specialists meet Egypt’s next generation of culinary voices — and together, they’re cooking the future.
