A local five-member team organised by the Macao Federation of Trade Unions’ (FAOM aka Gung Luen) Culinary and Catering Services Training Centre will compete in the 7th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area “Cantonese Cuisine Chef” Vocational Skills Competition in Heyuan next month, as the three regions aim to strengthen cooperation in skills training and talent development, according to a Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) statement yesterday.
The four-day competition will be held from August 6 to 9 in Heyuan, a Hakka-speaking city in the northeastern region of Guangdong Province, the statement said, adding that it will be jointly organised for the first time by the bureau, Guangdong’s Department of Human Resources and Social Security, Hong Kong’s Vocational Training Council, and the People’s Government of Heyuan,
The bureau said that the joint organisation aims to mark an important milestone in promoting vocational skills development and industrial cooperation across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
Held under the theme “Taste the Green, Fresh Cantonese Cuisine Competition”, this year’s event features two main competition categories – Chinese Cooking and Chinese Dim Sum, showcasing skills across the Guangzhou, Chaoshan, and Hakka* culinary traditions, the statement said, noting that more than 180 finalists representing Guangdong’s 21 prefecture-level cities, as well as Hong Kong and Macau, are set to compete, making it the largest edition of the event to date.
Macau’s delegates will vie for honours across the “Cantonese Cuisine Master Group” and “Cantonese Cuisine Newcomer Group” categories, with a local culinary expert also serving as an official competition judge, the statement added.
In addition to the contests, organisers will host online public competitions, master chef demonstrations, culinary showcases, talent recruitment activities and cultural exchange programmes, the statement said, adding that the event will also include exhibitions highlighting the three major Cantonese cuisine traditions, Hakka intangible cultural heritage food experiences, and displays of local agricultural products.
The bureau said that it will continue strengthening cooperation with Guangdong and Hong Kong through regional vocational skills competitions, with the aim of promoting skills training, talent development and GBA integration while supporting Macau’s economic diversification.
* The Hakka are a Han Chinese sub-ethnic group whose name translates to “guest families”. – Gemini
This undated handout photo provided by the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) yesterday shows a culinary demonstration by a chef about Cantonese cuisine in Heyuan City.
