By Yun Suh-young
A team of chefs from Korea won the gold medal at the 19th FHC China International Culinary Arts Competition, according to the Korean Food Promotion Institute and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Monday.
The culinary competition is the largest in China, attracting 70,000 people from 60 countries annually. The competition was held Nov. 14 to 16 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.
The Korean team won the gold medal at the team competition section which was held for the first time at the FHC. Only six teams were given the privilege to compete and were assigned the mission to prepare their country's food in buffet style as well as create a gala lunch for VIP guests. Only one team was awarded the gold medal.
The Korean team consisted of members from the Young Chef Union, a nonprofit organization of 30 chefs and culinary students between the ages of 19 and 27. The team presented nine courses for the buffet with 16 dishes. The nine courses were bread, salad, tapas, appetizer, fish platter, meat platter, soup, cake and dessert.
"It's a meaningful achievement for Korean chefs to win the culinary competition in China which is a major player in the food industry. We will continue to support Korean chefs to succeed overseas," said Kim Dae-keun, acting president of the Korean Food Promotion Institute.
The institute, formerly the Korean Food Foundation, began supporting Korean chefs entering foreign culinary competitions, but this was the first time the institute extended its support to a team.