By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, June 10: Sarawak will kick off its first ever culinary conference titled ‘Engage and Taste (EAT): Taste of Borneo Conference 2022’ at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) from Oct 14 to 16.
Deputy Minister for Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Snowdan Lawan, said the Conference will not only bring in visitors to enjoy and experience Sarawak’s hospitality, but it will also be a catalyst for the State’s gastronomy sector in the future.
This is timely considering that Kuching is now recognised as the first Malaysian city to be inducted as Unesco’s creative city of gastronomy.
“We hope this conference will expose the delegates to some of the key trends in the industry today, inspiring innovation and embedding an elevated offering, both for our domestic market in this important creative industry and for our visitors as they return,” he said at the launch of the conference at BCCK earlier tonight.
The EAT: Taste of Borneo Conference 2022 is organised by the Kuching Chef Association (KCA) in collaboration with BCCK and Arc Creators, supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak and Business Event Sarawak (BESarawak).
Themed ‘Innovate, Elevate and Celebrate’, the Conference will bring together food professionals, culinary artists, restaurateurs, trade leaders, technologists, entrepreneurs and aspiring food specialists to convene and deliberate on culinary arts and science.
The ‘Innovate’ track will focus on promoting the innovation in Food and Beverage (F&B) businesses, with a particular focus on developing Sarawak’s Food Basket by the year 2030.
It will also share insights on market trends, plant-based meat usage, sustainability, and more importantly, how to innovate through city farming.
Meanwhile, ‘Elevate’ emphasises experiences through dining by mixing culinary, storytelling and technology where industry experts will deep dive into the secrets formula and behind the scenes of some successful elevated dining experiences.
Lastly, ‘Celebrate’ will highlight how gastronomy can be used to drive tourism growth, and how culinary awards can help promote a city’s gastronomic culture.
Interested individuals can reserve a spot at the conference at www.eatconference.com.
Amongst those present were the ministry’s permanent secretary Hii Chang Kee, Sarawak Ministry of Modernisation Of Agriculture And Regional Development principal assistant secretary Sirai Daha, and KCA president-cum-chairperson of the event Chef Abang Abdul Rahman Abang Omar. — DayakDaily
