By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 5: The Borneo Culinary World Cup (BCWC) 2026 is expected to raise the standards of food safety and public health practices across Sarawak’s food service industry, from international hotel kitchens to neighbourhood kopitiams.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said the international culinary competition was not merely about winning medals but also about strengthening standards, discipline and professional practices within the Sarawak’s food sector.
“As Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government, I have perhaps a slightly different lens on an event like this. A competition of this calibre, judged against genuinely international standards of hygiene, technique and presentation, matters for our State in a way that goes beyond the trophies,” he said.
Dr Sim said exposure to international judging standards would help local chefs and food operators improve their practices, with the knowledge gained eventually benefiting consumers throughout Sarawak.
“When our local chefs are graded side by side with judges of this experience, the standards they absorb here do not stay inside this hall. They go back into their own kitchens, their own businesses, and eventually onto the plates of every family in Sarawak,” he said in his text speech read by Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng during the opening ceremony of BCWC 2026 at the Alumni Hall of Chung Hua Primary School No. 3 today.
BCWC 2026 brings together 74 judges, including 40 international judges and 34 Malaysian culinary experts, making it the largest and most comprehensive culinary competition ever hosted in Sarawak.
Dr Sim said the presence of experienced international judges provided an opportunity for local culinary professionals to learn about global expectations in areas including hygiene management, food preparation techniques, presentation and operational discipline.
He said the impact of such knowledge-sharing extended beyond competition participants as it would strengthen the overall food ecosystem in Sarawak.
The Deputy Premier also highlighted the importance of industry collaboration, including the role of training institutions such as Blue Point School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts, whose students are volunteering at the event.
He said the partnership between industry associations and culinary schools was important in developing a pipeline of skilled food professionals.
“This is exactly the pipeline we need, one that turns curiosity into skill, and skill into a livelihood,” he said.
Dr Sim also pointed to the role of permanent platforms such as the UCCN Gastronomy Hub in ensuring that the benefits of major events continue beyond the competition period.
He said the presentation of kitchen equipment to the hub during BCWC 2026 represented the type of lasting legacy that Sarawak hoped to achieve from events supported by the government.
“Medals are won and remembered for a season. Equipment, training and standards, once they take root in a permanent home like the Gastronomy Hub, keep working long after this hall has been cleared and the banners have come down,” he said.
Dr Sim added that maintaining high food safety standards was essential as Sarawak continued to grow as a food tourism and hospitality destination.
“With Sarawak attracting more visitors through its gastronomy offerings, ensuring quality, safety and consistency across our food service industry will be increasingly important,” he said.
BCWC 2026 chief judge Master Chef Prof Emeritus Bill Sy, the Malaysia Bersatu Culinary Sarawak Association chairman cum event organising chairman Chef Julian L. Henry and Global Chefs Union president Master Chef Arthur Lim were present. — DayakDaily
