TAINAN, TAIWAN – Media OutReach – 16 December 2021 – Having been in Taiwan for 3 years, the Michelin Guide has since become the growth motivation for local food culture, giving aspiring food and beverage operators a better international arena. Michelin Guide will be reviewing Tainan, the food capital, for the first time in 2022, lighting up Fucheng’s gourmet uniqueness. Facing a trend of globalization of food and beverage, Tainan specially hosted the “2021 International Gastronomy Forum” December 3, inviting 6 elite experts to speak on various topics, and share the unique insights of world- famous chefs and cross-disciplinary experts. The international and local gourmet forum and feast was attended by international ambassadors and representatives in Taiwan, with virtual participation by Japan’s Kyoto City and Yamagata City, Chinese Restaurant Association of Arizona, and sister city, Columbus.
2021 International Gastronomy Forum
Tainan City Mayor, Huang Wei-che, said that Tainan is Taiwan’s famous ancient city with unique historical and cultural backgrounds, thus giving rise to the abundant source of delicacies, making it a top choice for domestic tours and delicacies for many people. Tainan’s attractions and delicacies have global potential. Besides winning the “Michelin Green Guide” 3-star travel in 2011, a Wall Street Journal’s food writer also praised and described Tainan City as the world’s gourmet museum; while CNN recommended 19 local must-eat street foods in 2015 for travelers to try out if they come to Tainan. The rapidly rising Southern Taiwan Science Park in recent years is creating the largest wave of south-drifting engineers in history, driving new demands, such as housing, transportation, education, etc. This is hence the perfect time to talk about the upgrade of food and beverage.
The forum was led by foreign elite chef, Nicholas Pena Alvarez CMC, and Michelin-starred restaurant chef, Lam Ming Kin, who discussed the world’s overall objective definition of food ingredients, quality, aesthetics, service, etc., and the future trend of fine dining, and also analyzed Tainan’s unique advantages. Cross-disciplinary experts then continued to share various perspectives, such as product abundance, unique characteristics, local customs, quality and safety, etc., and how Tainan’s delicacies elegantly changed in the past four hundred years with the integration of culture.
The event continued into the night, where the host led the guests in a feast by opening Tainan’s gourmet treasure box, which included the unique nine-square dish presented by an old local restaurant, ASHA Restaurant: Hua Wei Hsiang Stewed duck thick soup, Lily Fruits’ seasonal fruits, and the champion Swiss roll, “Irresistible”, by Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan. Key leaders from all over the world gathered in Tainan and learned about Tainan through the delicacies, declaring to the world: “Michelin Guide 2022”, Tainan is ready! https://youtu.be/YoAMR0nCN34
