Birmingham hailed as the culinary capital of the world

Dec 10 2009 by Richard McComb, Birmingham Mail

BIRMINGHAM will become the culinary capital of the world next summer after beating Madrid to a coveted food honour.

The city council and Marketing Birmingham were due to announce today that the Délice network of Good Food Cities had voted to select Birmingham as its “City under the Microscope” during next July.

The official designation, which follows an intense period of lobbying, was said to represent a huge coup for the city and underpinned its credentials as the young pretender to the world’s established gastronomic centres.

The announcement was due to follow a vote at a meeting of Délice in Lausanne, Switzerland, attended by representatives from 12 of the 17 member states.

The decision went to a vote between Madrid and Birmingham.

The Spanish capital’s eight Michelin-starred restaurants, compared with Birmingham’s three, appeared to put Madrid in an unassailable position.

But Birmingham’s emerging culinary reputation clinched the decision, which will see Michelin-starred chefs from up to 12 countries converge on the city.

The event will coincide with Marketing Birmingham’s annual Taste of Birmingham food festival, with both taking place from July 16 to 18.

Mike Whitby, leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “I am delighted to see Birmingham’s reputation for fine dining go from strength to strength. As the culinary City under the Microscope in 2010, I believe our already formidable culinary offer will be enriched even further.”

Neil Rami, chief executive at Marketing Birmingham, said: “We are delighted to see such confidence from a world-class group of chefs.”

Andreas Antona, owner of Simpsons Restaurant in Edgbaston, who has been working closely with the Délice network in Birmingham, said: “It has been clear to me that Birmingham’s reputation has developed over the past few years to become a major player and destination within Europe.”