By February next year, Malaysia will be the focus of the global gastronomic community in conjunction with the World’s Largest International Cooking Competition from the Guinness World Book of Records which was held for the first time with more than 500 participants from various countries.
Held with the aim of showcasing the country’s famous cuisine on the world stage, the organizer Malaysia Bersatu Culinary Association (MBCA) will hold this competition named Malaysia Culinary World Cup from 21 to 23 February 2023 at Kuala Lumpur World Trade Center. More than 15,000 local and international visitors are expected to attend the three-day competition.
MBCA Organizing Chairman and Chef President Arthur Lim, a former 5 Star Hotel Chef, said the association’s vision is to promote Malaysian food and culture and place Malaysia as one of the best food tourism destinations in the world.
“Malaysia is famous for the variety of delicious food from the multi-ethnic population that is rich in their respective festivals. One of the most important components of Malaysian culture is food, and we want to introduce this unique culture to the world,” said Chef Lim again.
He also said the association also hopes to find new talent by encouraging and inspiring chefs and cake and pastry experts who are passionate about dreaming big.
“In Malaysia, we have many great chefs and ‘home cooks’ who are no less great too. I will not be surprised if some ‘home cooks’ and ‘home bakers’ win gold medals,” added Chef Lim.
In fulfilling the desire to find new talent, the organizers have appointed amateur chef Marcus Teoh as the ambassador of the competition following his success in creating a community of ‘home cooks’ and ‘bakers’ online. He has also helped members of this community to generate income and profit from their passion for cooking.
Chef Lim also said that this competition will also provide a platform for the food and beverage industry to get to know each other and open up business opportunities with customers and stakeholders across borders.
“Another vision of ours is to enable Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to develop Business to Business (B2B) relationships quickly with new customers. SMEs are one of the main economic contributors to our country, and we want to provide space for them to explore the potential of overseas markets,” he added.
Participants in this competition will have the opportunity to learn from more than 100 local and international chefs who will be assigned to judge 64 categories in the competition. There are judges from Sweden, Italy, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Morocco, Korea, and Mexico including neighbouring countries.
Notable international chefs include the World President of the International Bakery and Confectionery Union, Gunther Koerffer from Sweden, World Chefs Association – International Judge Montaser Mohamed Masoud from Egypt and Michelin Star Chef Vedat Gokcen from Belgium.
Malaysia will be represented by well-known local chefs, Malaysian Italian Master Chef recognized by the Italian Government, Azizan Shukri, Warisan Nyonya Veteran Chef, Amy Beh and KL TOWER 360 Chief Operating Officer, Chef Dato Ringo Khaw.
The visitors will also be able to enjoy the dishes prepared by the competition participants consisting of professional chefs, students of culinary institutions and bakeries, as well as ‘home cooks and bakers’. This global competition also supports the concept of “zero waste.” Therefore all the food prepared during this event will be served without any wastage.
In line with the organizers’ aim to promote local cuisine, some of Malaysia’s favourite dishes will take centre stage in several key categories, including Malaysian Gastronomy (Nasi Lemak, Satay, Nyonya’s Cuisine, Char Kway Teow, Hainanese Chicken Chop), Indian Cuisine, Chinese Cuisine, Patisserie (Wedding cake, exhibition bread, Malaysian Cake), Vegetarian Cuisine, Showmanship (Teh Tarik and Roti Canai). In addition, there will be another interesting category which is Japanese Cuisine and the Art category (fruit and vegetable carving).
Registration is now open until January 15, 2023. Participants can register for up to five events per person/team. The entry fee is RM150/person for each sub-category. Each event is judged based on a scoring system where the participant with the minimum points will receive a medal. All participants will receive a certificate of participation. Interested candidates can register here: https://bit.ly/kulinariworldcup23 (Malay) https://bit.ly/culinaryworldcup23 (English)
Entrepreneurs and companies who want to introduce their latest products and services to leading personalities and names in the culinary industry are welcome to cooperate with the organizers. These include restaurants, cafes, food supply and ingredients, cookware brands, kitchen design, set-up and operations, the tourism and hospitality sector, digital marketing and branding, software solutions, cooking schools and brands looking to benefit from the growing number of visitors. big, top chefs and foodies present during this event. For exhibition booths and sponsorship packages, please contact Qila (+6010-4418825).
The competition is supported by various well-known brands, including Tecnoinox, GARDENS, COO Induction Cooker, Airasia ride from Airasia Super App, Angie Designmaker and Nextdor Property Communications.
In addition, iCookAsia is the official online media for this event.
You can register here:
https://bit.ly/kulinariworldcup23 (Malay)
https://bit.ly/culinaryworldcup23 (English)