In the “2023 4th National Grain Creative Cooking Competition,” Kai Ping Culinary School Swept Three Awards

Kai Ping Culinary School Has Emerged as a Big Winner in Various Competitions, Leveraging Professional Creativity to Develop Excellent Grains and Food

Grains play a crucial role in culinary cultures worldwide. However, Taiwan has relied on imports for many years. To raise awareness of domestic grains, the Agriculture and Food Agency has been organizing the National Grain Cooking Competition since 2020. To date, numerous dishes have been developed and marketed. In the “Unlimited Grain Flavors: 2023 4th National Grain Creative Cooking Competition,” Kai Ping Culinary School achieved remarkable success, winning one gold, one silver, and one bronze medal. The creative displays also highlighted the diverse potential applications of domestic grains.

The 2023 National Grain Creative Cooking Competition was divided into three categories: Creative Vegetarian Cuisine, Healthy Low-Fat Bento, and English Afternoon Tea Set. Chef Tu, Ming-Hsuan and student Hsu, Cheng-Rui from Kai Ping Culinary School won the gold medal in the Social Group of the Creative Vegetarian Cuisine category with their dish “Light Lemon Pumpkin Roll with Mixed Salad and Spicy Mayonnaise.” The dish, using pumpkin as the protein and balanced with grains such as red beans and corn, emphasized the unique sweetness of high-quality grains. The mild spicy mayonnaise added a final touch, making the dish not only nutritious but also impressively flavorful and multi-layered. Kai Ping Culinary School students Hsu, Ya-Ting and Su, Chih-Sheng won the silver medal in the Campus Group of the Healthy Low-Fat Bento category. They considered the nutritional value of various grains such as red beans, white rice, purple rice, and barley. Their dish incorporated these ingredients from the main course to the sauces, highlighting the authentic flavors of the grains. Kai Ping Culinary School students Li, Yen-Chen and Cheng, Ting-Wei won the bronze medal in the Campus Group of the English Afternoon Tea Set category with their “Red Bean Matcha Cake.” They innovatively incorporated quinoa and sesame into the well-known dessert, adding calcium and iron while reducing the dessert’s heaviness. From the design and presentation of dishes across different categories, it is evident that the students put significant effort into the texture and nutritional value of the grains. This process allowed them to recognize the value of ingredients while developing innovative dishes.

Kai Ping Culinary School has consistently achieved excellent results in past National Grain Creative Cooking Competitions. This success is largely due to promoting the high quality of domestic grains through these competitions. Given the increasing emphasis on food safety issues today, reliance on imports can affect food safety standards due to international situations and climate change. Therefore, in professional teaching, students are encouraged to consider using local and seasonal ingredients, integrating the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” The aim is for students to become professionals with social responsibility, aligned with contemporary culinary trends.