The Culinary Olympics Open with Parades and Pizazz!

Saturday 16 October, Erfurt, Germany -

At 4pm, Hall 1 of the Erfurt Messe (main exhibition hall) is packed with culinary professionals and onlookers seated on terraced rows rising 50 metres above the floor. Against a backdrop of long black drapes that separate the halls, the flags from 36 countries colour the space overhead. In the far end of the massive hall a spiffy military band stikes up a familiar tune - Children of Sanchez, as the audience grows quiet with anticipation. This is the official opening ceremony of the 21st IKA Culinary Olympics.

To rowdy applause punctuated by howls and wolf whistles, the participating national, military and junior teams march into the hall to receieve gold medallions from organisers VKD (the German Chefs Association), as "encouragement" to perform well in the coming four days. While most countries have sent one or two teams, several such as Luxembourg, Sweden, Germany and the United States have come in full force - with junior, senior and military teams out to collect as many medals as they can.

Brothers Ferdinand and Reinhold Metz, the presidents of WACS and VKD respectively, emerge to jointly present a welcome address in German and in English, unveilng a surprise mid-way when dozens of "mini chefs" - children dressed in chefs' whites ascend the audience stands tossing flower bonquets, crunchy apples and hand-made souveniers to delighted spectators.

Those attending the opening ceremony celebrations were to be further thrilled by a spectacular lazer show, toe-tapping renditions of "Trumpet Blues", "Reach Out" (the official tune for the 1984 sporting olympics) by the big band, and the lighting of a culinary olympic torch, which will continue to burn througout the event just outside the Messe complex.

After the ceremony concluded, cold display teams were off to start preparing their tables. They would be working through the night to be ready for judging at 7am the next morning... but more on that in our Day 1 coverage, coming shortly...