Chef Ramzi was appointed Qatar Airways' international Arab culinary ambassador between 2012 and 2015, representing Lebanese cuisine on all Qatar Airways international flights. (Credit: cheframzi.com.lb)
Chef Ramzi Choueiri, a leading figure in Lebanese and Middle Eastern gastronomy, died on Sunday at the age of 52, a post on his Instagram page confirmed. According to several Lebanese media outlets, he succumbed to a heart attack.
Born in Beirut in 1971, Chef Ramzi brought the colors of his country and national gastronomy to the world's greatest tables, leaving behind him a remarkable culinary legacy. He won numerous awards and distinctions, including the Medal of Merit, awarded in 2003 by President Emile Lahoud. He also set four Guinness World Records, for the largest portions of hummus, tabbouleh, falafel and fatteh. Two of these titles he holds to this day.
Between 1993 and 2010, Chef Ramzi revolutionized the art of Lebanese and oriental cuisine by launching the first live cooking show in the Arab world, which reached up to 10 million daily viewers, according to a biography available on his website. His book, Culinary Encyclopedia, released in 1997, broke unprecedented sales records in the Arab world and won the prestigious Prix Gourmand in 2003.
In 2018, Chef Ramzi decided to give up his career behind the stove to devote himself entirely to Al-Kafaat, a foundation founded by his father Nadim Choueiri that provides free care for thousands of children with special needs and from underprivileged backgrounds. The chef had been CEO of Al-Kafaat since 2015, and one of the Guinness World Records he still holds was achieved in the name of the foundation in 2017.
Chef Ramzi, CEO of Al-Kafaat, where he has worked as a volunteer since 1997. (Credit: cheframzi.com.lb)
With a degree in law and economics from the University of Lyon, France, Chef Ramzi went on to study culinary arts at the University of London. He was later honored as a member of the French Union of Pâtissiers-Boulangers.
Chef Ramzi was also appointed Qatar Airways' Arab culinary ambassador to the world; personal culinary advisor to the Jordanian army, appointed by King Abdullah and Queen Rania; and ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa for the Dutch company Princesse.
A source of inspiration for chefs and food lovers all over the world, he was dubbed "ambassador of Lebanese cuisine" by CNN and the "Paul Bocuse of the Arab world" by the Associated Press.
