Famous for meat dishes that use the whole of an animal carcass, including more unusual cuts, Chef Tarek has long been a fan of cooking with Australian meat. He has previously featured as an Australian meat ambassador on the Arabic lifestyle channel Fatafeat, which broadcasts to over 55 million people in North Africa and the Middle East.

In 2016, the Australian Meat and Livestock Association entered into a partnership with Fatafeat to make a three-part TV miniseries featuring Tarek in Australia. The goal of the series was to promote Australian meat to Arabic-speaking markets as a consistent supplier of safe and high quality beef and lamb.

In shooting the episodes, Tarek and his film crew travelled to multiple Australian locations including the Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne and Dubbo. He experienced first-hand some of the larger than life characters who work the land, as well as getting a taste of farming on horseback and from the air. He also talked to chefs who were showcasing local produce, and food safety officials.

According to Meat and Livestock Australia Manager for the Middle East and North African, Dr David Beatty, the filming captured the essence of Australia's credentials as a 'natural, safe, clean and green,' producer of meat and livestock.

Interviewed in 'Arab News', Tarek said, 'actually setting foot on the farm, seeing the cattle and sheep fit and healthy in the paddock, learning about the pastures they graze and the natural conditions they are raised in was eye-opening and reassuring. Australian beef and lamb is grazed in a land blessed with golden sunshine and lush green pastures–it's a product of its pure environment. This is enhanced by a sophisticated traceability program, one of the strictest food safety standards in the world and a world-leading halal assurance program, which adds up to one of the most trusted sources of red meat.'

Chef Tarek used Australian produce to create an array of mouth-watering meat dishes, often cooked using the great Australian culinary implement, the BBQ, and served with his own brand of gusto and humour.

The three-part series aired in June 2016 with an additional three re-runs over three months, reaching a potential cumulative audience of more than 50 million. A two-month social media campaign across Fatafeat's digital channels marke3ted the series to millions of subscribers over 24 countries.

Media coverage in eight major newspapers in the Middle East and North Africa reached a combined daily circulation of 581,000.

Through the making of the show, Meat and Livestock Australia now has a suite of effective visual resources they can reuse across TV and online media channels.

Leveraging the personality, talent and exposure of Chef Tarek through the show has raised the profile of Australian agricultural produce and the attractiveness of Australia as a tourist destination in the Middle East and North Africa. This was achieved with the support of a grant from the Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR), which was established by the Australian Government in January 2003 to strengthen ties between Australia and the Arab world.

The next CAAR grants round opens in February 2017, for projects deepening connections between Australia and the Arab world.