The Chaîne's international magazine, the "Revue internationale de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs", recently caught up with Mohamed Hammam, Member of the Conseil d’Administration, in his capacity as Committee Chair of the Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs (OMGD) for the latest news and developments.

The OMGD was founded in 1963 and currently has 34 active Bailliages, of which half have 10 or fewer members. The total number of members was 572 in 2005 and as of June 2015 membership had increased to 2,280.

Mohamed Hammam was appointed Chair of the OMGD Committee in February 2015. The other members of the committee are Harold S Small, Bailli Délégué of USA, Benoît Fragnière, Chancelier of Switzerland (both of whom are Members of the Conseil d’Administration) and Tal Gal Cohen, Member of the Conseil Magistral and Bailli Délégué of Israel.

The OMGD aims to promote the enjoyment, appreciation and knowledge of fine wines, spirits, liqueurs, beer and crafted beverages. It does this through the organisation of dinners, tastings, field trips, and other events. An exciting element here is pairing the food with the choice of wines and spirits as opposed to the process at Chaîne events where the wine is paired with an already selected menu. It is hoped this will encourage and foster an appreciated understanding of wines and spirits.

Widening the presence of the OMGD and further expanding its membership globally is the vision of the new Committee.

A realistic action plan has been launched, detailing clearly defined actions involving the President, the Siège Mondial, the International OMGD Committee, Baillis Délégués and Échansons.

The Revue asked Mohamed Hammam what achievements he hoped to gain and what progress has been made to-date.

“I am hoping to overcome the challenges that my two predecessors faced while in office.

The Ordre Mondial was founded in 1963 with the hope of developing and growing into a successful sub-division of the Chaîne. That did not happen, and it is still considered a baby that needs nurturing, with appropriate care from all concerned to give it the opportunity to develop and grow.

I am confident that our new OMGD Committee has the capability and determination to achieve this.

One of the first tasks of the International Committee is to rebrand the OMGD, including the creation of a more profound and recognisable logo. We intend to do this by holding a competition and inviting all members to design a new logo.

We have already seen the commitment of our President in supporting the efforts of the committee by encouraging all Baillis Délégués to hold regular OMGD activities in their respective countries.

So far we have had positive responses from several countries, including Korea, Denmark, Norway and Costa Rica. Norway, for example, has already started planning an international cruise for October 2016.”