The pastry industry in Macau is set to expand, along with the dynamics of the city’s casinos and new hotels opening up, experts say.
The “5th Fonterra Foodservices Pastry Challenge 2016” was held last week at the University of Science and Technology, where pastry chefs gathered for “The Best Pastry Chef in Town” tournament.
The competition, aimed at fostering the baking industry in Macau, provided a platform for professional pastry chefs from eight teams of different establishments in Macau to compete for four awards, including the Angliss Excellence Award, as well as Bronze, Silver and Gold awards.
Pastry chefs from the Hard Rock hotel were awarded the Angliss Excellence Award, while pastry chefs from Studio City, Galaxy Macau and the Sheraton received Bronze, Silver and Gold awards respectively.
Recipients of the Gold Award Hong Xuan Xuan and Wong Chon In told the Times that such competitions have allowed them to enhance their skills and hence improve their contribution to their workplace.
Themed “Tea in Fusion,” the three-hour competition asked pastry chefs to create unique recipes using tea with Anchor dairy products. The judgment was based on the artistic merit of the work and the degree of skill.
According to Gordon Ma, associate food director of Fonterra, this year’s contestants have greatly demonstrated their passion and commitment to the pastry industry. Ma expressed his hopes that the F&B industry in the region will continually grow.
“I see that the Macau pastry [industry is] much more internationalized because a lot of pastry chefs come from Southeast Asia, China and from some European countries,” Ma told the Times.
Ma believes that the current interaction between local and international pastry chefs is “much more closer and stronger,” stressing that the industry will become more recognized due to the establishment of new resorts and tourist attractions.
“It will make the F&B [industry] more internationalized yet they [will] still keep their authentic and Macanese food. I see a lot of potential for the F&B industry in Macau to [grow]” he noted.
Echoing the same sentiments, Matthew Helm, vice president of the Macau Culinary Association hinted that the region’s gastronomy would entice the Fully Independent Travelers [FIT].
“With all the dynamics of so many casinos and new hotels opening up, it’s just going to expand and evolve,” he noted.
He stressed that the region’s F&B industry has been undergoing constant improvements each day and has been innovative.
“Macau’s [going] through a transition. There’s more non-gaming aspects added to the environment to entice the FIT to come experience Macau,” he explained.
Helm believes that the peninsula’s baking industry has the capacity to continually progress and attract more travelers. On a side note, he mentioned that transportation in the city should be looked after as well.
The “5th Fonterra Foodservices Pastry Challenge 2016” was organized by Fonterra Foodservices and co-organized by Angliss Macau Food Service Limited and was endorsed by Macau University of Science and Technology and Macau Culinary Association.
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