28 August 2016, Macau

The Fifth “Healthy Eating” Induction Cooking Contest rounded off successfully at the Catering Services & Cooking Training Centre of Macau Federation of Trade Unions (FAOM) on 28 August. The contest has been co-organized by CEM and the Catering Services & Cooking Training Centre for the fifth consecutive year, with the support of the Macau Professional Nutritionist Association. Twenty contestants designed nutritious dishes and cooked with induction cookers on-site within 20 minutes. The dishes smelled so good that they made attendees’ mouths water. Each participant made their best efforts and Chio Kio Sim finally won the contest with the dish “Stuffed Salmon Mushrooms”. In order to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the contest, CEM will print a cookbook that includes all dishes made by the finalists after the Contest, in a bid to encourage the public to use induction cookers and attach importance to food nutrition.

The cooking contest is open to the public each year. The selected participants use induction cookers to prepare healthy family dishes on-site and the judging panel score the dishes according to a number of criteria, such as appearance, taste, eco-friendly ingredients selection and composition; nutritional value and as well as practicality. Induction cooker is safe, quick and convenient to use, making it an ideal kitchen ware for home use. Induction cooker makes use of electro-magnetic induction to heat the bottom of a cookware directly, boasting heat efficiency of 85% and one-third shorter cooking time than flame cooking, which contribute to an energy reduction of 30% to 45%, thus saving time and money. Moreover, induction cooker can solve the problem of heat diffusion, thus lowering the kitchen temperature by 4-5oC and producing less cooking noise and smoke. Cooking in a cool and comfortable kitchen is proficient and enjoyable.

Iun Iok Meng, Advisor to CEM Executive Committee said in his speech that CEM and the Catering Services & Cooking Training Centre of FAOM have already jointly organized the “Healthy Eating” Induction Cooking Contest for five consecutive years. This year’s competition received enthusiastic responses and the recipes submitted by participants were also innovative and healthy. Twenty contestants were laboriously shortlisted for the finals upon stringent reviews. The contest aims to promote the use of induction cookers, as induction cookers are safer, quieter and clean, making them even suitable for modern, open-style kitchen. In addition, Iun Iok Meng expressed gratitude to the Macau Professional Nutritionist Association for its full support and the efforts made by professional judges, who took time out of their busy schedules. It allowed the activity to run smoothly and let food and cooking enthusiasts carry out exchanges over valuable advice and experience on-site.

Kuong Chi Fong, Director of Catering Services & Cooking Training Centre of FAOM expressed gratitude to CEM and the Macau Professional Nutritionist Association for their many years of support and assistance to the contest, adding that it is worth learning how to balance the taste of food with nutritional value. Nowadays, professional chefs should not only be skilled at cooking, but also need to know extensive knowledge, particularly about nutrition. Thus, the Catering Services & Cooking Training Centre of FAOM has offered pre-job or on-the-job vocational qualification courses that cover basic knowledge about cooking and nutrition in recent years, which are conducive to the employment or promotion of catering staff. Both professional chefs and family members who cook for the family should place emphasis on the taste of food as well as the nutritional value during cooking so that customers or family members can enjoy healthy and nutritious food.

The judges of the cooking contest included Wong Kuai Leng, Standing Vice President of FAOM, Lei U Weng, Director of the United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants of Macau, Olivia Chau, Executive Director of Macau Professional Nutritionist Association, Chan Chak Keong, Vice Director of Macau Food and Beverage Labor Union, Lei Chi Fong, Vice President of CEM Customer Liaison Committee and Iun Iok Meng, Advisor to CEM Executive Committee. Guests presented at the event included: Tony Chan, Vice President of Macau Professional Nutritionist Association, Ada Chan, CEM Customer Liaison Committee member, Kuong Chi Fong, Director of Catering Services & Cooking Training Centre of FAOM and Cheong Chi Fun, Vice President of Macau Food and Beverage Labor Union.

Finally, after the judging panel tasted the dishes and made its selection, the results were announced and an award ceremony was held. The judges picked the final winners of each award as follows:

Gold (MOP3,000 electrical appliance coupon + Certificate):  Chio Kio Sim

Silver (MOP2,000 electrical appliance coupon + Certificate):  Tang Pak Kou

Bronze (MOP1,500 electrical appliance coupon + Certificate):  Ung Vai Ha

Green Concept (MOP1,500 electrical appliance coupon):  Fok Chi Man

Excellence (MOP800 electrical appliance coupon):  Lam Sok Chan  Ieong Leong Fun  Fok Chi Man  Lai Nga In  Ng Pui Leng