Johnson & Wales Media Center

Providence Campus to Welcome Iraq’s First Celebrity Chef
For a Culinary Demonstration and Cultural Exchange

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — April 27, 2007 — Chef Khaldoon Al-Khazaali, Iraq’s first and only celebrity chef, will join Johnson & Wales University students, faculty and staff as a cultural ambassador to demonstrate updated, more nutritious reinterpretations of traditional Middle Eastern cuisine with the aid of a translator, Badr Fayez, from Saudi Arabia, a J&W grad student. It will be Chef Khaldoon first visit to the United States.

The event will take place on Wednesday, May 2, 2007 from 10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. in the Tyson Amphitheater at the University's Harborside Campus in Providence. This event is not open to the public, only to media and J&W students, staff and faculty.

Chef Khaldoon’s nationally televised cooking show is the first ever in Iraq, and appears live six days a week on the entertainment program Good Morning Iraq, which airs on the state-run Iraqiya TV network. According to Middle Eastern media analysts, entertainment television is hugely popular in the Middle East, and Chef Khaldoon’s program has gained a strong following from viewers who want to learn Western cuisine or try new methods of preparing traditional Iraqi foods. Khaldoon is a graduate of the Baghdad Institute of Tourism and Hostelry, and is a current student at Baghdad University -- Administration & Economic College, studying travel tourism.

With a student body representing 89 countries, J&W is an institution that fosters multi-cultural and intellectual exchanges. Upon learning of Chef Khaldoon’s show last fall, University officials extended an invitation for him to visit the University’s Providence campus. With assistance from Rhode Island's Senator Jack Reed, Chef Khaldoon’s temporary visa was obtained, making the visit possible.

Johnson & Wales University, founded in 1914, is a nonprofit, private institution. A recognized leader in career education, we offer accredited degrees in business, hospitality, culinary arts, technology and education. With a diverse student body of more than 16,000 graduate and undergraduate students, representing all 50 states and 89 countries, JWU prepares students for personal and professional success by integrating rigorous academics and professional skills, community leadership opportunities and our unique career education model. The university is committed to urban revitalization and thoughtful historic renovation. Through active civic participation and by offering unique learning opportunities, JWU improves the quality of life in its campus communities in Providence, R.I., North Miami, Fla., Denver, Colo., and Charlotte, N.C. For more information visit www.jwu.edu.