Young Chef Competition: Internationally Famous Chefs Gather in Taipei to Compete

TAIPEI, Taiwan--(Business Wire)--
The 2009 Taipei International Food Festival held three activities on July 4th
and 5th. The Taipei City Government said that promotions for the Food Festival
lasted three months and that during the last two days the best of the Festival
was shown.

The Young Chef Competition is about wisdom, skills and experience

A fascinating light show attracted everyone`s attention as the Young Chef
Competition began. Seven candidates were interviewed on stage, their confidence
brimming as they prepared for the competition.

The competition consisted of three stages; Stage One tested the candidates`
knowledge of cuisine, and accounted for ten percent of the final score. Stage
Two tested the youths on their skills with a knife, and accounted for twenty
percent of the final score. Candidates` knives seemed to blur in their hands as
they cut away, slices of meat growing steadily in front of them, awing the
audience with their skill and speed, borne of hours of practice and discipline.
Stage Three required the candidates to create a completely unique dish of their
own, and accounted for the final seventy percent of their score. This is the
stage the candidates had prepared for the most, working for hours to create that
perfect new dish that could net them the big win. The competition lasted for
sixty minutes, sixty minutes that could change one lucky youth`s life forever.
While the seven candidates prepared their ingredients, began cooking and finally
served up their dishes, adding just the right amount of garnish, one could see
their passion and creativity shining through, making them each seem a star in
their own right and wowing the judges.

The Commissioner of the Department of Economic Development, Chen Hsiung-Wen,
said, "Most famous chefs in Taiwan are over fifty years old, so it is vitally
important to find fresh, talented youths to become the next generation of chefs.
This is the reason why the Taipei International Food Festival specifically
arranged for the Young Chef Competition; to give youths with a passion for
cooking a chance to make themselves known. I can`t believe that these young
people, who are all under thirty, were able to excel at this competition with
such skill. It`s a genuine pleasure to see that the traditions of preparing
gourmet food have been passed down to a new generation."

Presenting World Famous Chefs, Incredible Cuisine and Models from around the
World

The Internationally Famous Chef summit was finally able to invite seven famous
chefs, representing seven of the most famous dishes, to come together in Taipei.
They used the unique cooking ingredient in Taiwan, bamboo, to display their
superior skills.

They combined famous chefs, great food and models to create a food show like no
other. Chefs from China, Taiwan, Thailand, Korea, Japan, Europe and North
America were invited to attend and show off their cooking skills. Models
representing each country introduced the dishes from a runway, allowing the
audience a closer view at each dish.

The people who received the most applause were also the last to appear on stage:
the chef representing Taiwan, Taiwan Best Chef A Ji Shi, and Taipei City Mayor
Hao Long Bing. Mayor Hao was dressed in traditional chef`s attire and
experienced cooking for the first time at the competition. Mayor Hao expressed
his pleasure at being able to cook with the "King of Cooking" A Ji Shi and
seeing so many great dishes cooked by him in person. He also expressed his pride
in A Ji Shi and the special way that food is prepared in Taiwan.

Taiwan has a multitude of city features. From now on, just as history and
culture are passed down, the spirit of food being passed down will be a main
point of Taipei`s development.

For the 2009 Taipei International Food Festival
Mr. Ciou Shu Hau, 886-02-87894689
shuhau0731@hotmail.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009