KUCHING, Aug 3: The official opening of the Kuching Festival Food Fair (KFF) 2022 culminated in a visit to the booth from the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) Kuching team.
According to a statement, this first for the festival, marking the first year of Kuching’s designation in this important international platform, includes a standing exhibition on Kuching’s journey into the network and the creative ecosystem, as well as interactive displays and food demonstrations from the Culinary Heritage and Arts Society Sarawak (CHASS).
The VIPs, including the Deputy Premier of Sarawak Dr Sim Kui Hian and Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, were escorted by Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng, and were treated to a sampling of Sarawak’s finest local delicacies as well as a tour of the exhibition.
Wee, who is also the head of the UCCN Kuching team said: “The KFF was a key part of our application to UNESCO. It aligns perfectly with the goals of this important network, which include preserving our traditional food culture, promoting creativity in cooking, and creating links with other countries around the world.
“This year, for example, we have booths from both the China and Indonesian Consulates to showcase their cuisine and meet the people of Kuching.
“This festival, which has already broken all records this year in its opening weekend, is the ideal mix of Sarawakian culture, allowing equal opportunity to a wide range of Kuching artisans and food providers to share their skills and talents and also to earn some income after two very tough years,” he added.
The MBKS mayor went on to say that it is very appropriate for UCCN Kuching to showcase their network membership at KFF.
“Our vendors are exactly the kind of people that this network will be supporting. This is why MBKS have donated the space for this exhibition.
“We urge all the visitors to the food festival to drop by and see exactly what the city is offering over the next four years.
“We know most people come to this food festival for the wide variety of food on offer, but a short stop to feed the mind should also be a big draw,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Kuching UCCN strategic director Karen Shepherd mentioned that the VIPs Dr Sim, Abdul Karim and his wife, Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) mayor Datu Junaidi Reduan, and Deputy Minister for Public Health, Housing, and Local Government Michael Tiang, were able to taste some of Sarawak’s best and most creative food creations.
“Master mixologist, Alex Tan from Bibber’s Tale, created a new mocktail for the guests called Brooke’s Brew, blending Earl Grey tea with our own Sarawak pineapple – East meets West.
“Peter John Jaban then prepared a classic Sarawak umai to complement the dish. To finish, Joyce Kho from Bee’z Gelato shared her Signature Teh C Peng gelato, swirled with gula apong.
“All this served on beautiful dinnerware handcrafted from local clay by Tuson Chong of Gardencraft Co, and the VIPs seemed delighted,” she disclosed.
She continued stating that, with the Kuching delegation having just returned from the XIV UCCN Annual Conference in Santos, Brazil, this was also an important time to share some of the conference’s outcomes with the group, including a potential bid for the future.
“We look forward to welcoming members of the public to visit the booth over the next 20 days to learn about Kuching’s plans going forward and also to share their views on potential activities and on their own creativity in our interactive display,” Karen remarked.
The booth, supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts (MTCP) Sarawak, will feature regular demonstrations of Sarawak’s heritage food from CHASS and Tanoti Foods.
Visitors will be able to take part in Kuching’s Collective Creative Rainbow, an interactive installation to gauge the city’s creative feeling.
Furthermore, visitors on the official opening night included established accessories designer Neng Kho Razali as well as the talented autistic artist Kelvin Yi, who braved the rain under an umbrella featuring his own artwork.
The festival continues until Aug 21 so there is plenty of opportunity for the public to visit.
For more information, please contact the UCCN Kuching team at +6016 850 5743 or email uccnkuching@kuchingcreativecity.com. — DayakDaily
