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RIYADH: Saudi student Huthaifa Mohammed Al-Hamwi has taken first place in a culinary competition organized by the University of North Alabama in the US.

Al-Hamwi, a student at the university’s culinary arts department, is enrolled in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques scholarship program, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

The competition spanned three months and saw 12 students of various nationalities vying for victory.

Al-Hamwi is among the top students in the major, recently introduced by the Ministry of Education in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030, which provides support to promising sectors.

He commended the efforts of the cultural attache at the Saudi Embassy in the US for facilitating his enrollment.

Al-Hamwi graduated from technical college in the Makkah region with a major in tourism and hotel management, and gained extensive experience in Saudi Arabia before going to Alabama.

This included working in hotels around the Grand Mosque and training under the King Abdullah Economic City program, which was supported by Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, adviser to King Salman and governor of Makkah.

Al-Hamwi ranked among the top 10 achievers in the program.

He said he had convinced the culinary arts department in Alabama to include dishes such as kabsa and moussaka alongside other international cuisines, with the goal of promoting Saudi cuisine at the university.