International Chinese Culinary Competition Gets Cookin’ in Times Square
By Yi Yang
Epoch Times Staff Created: Sep 22, 2011 Last Updated: Sep 23, 2011
Authentic Kung Pao Chicken (Amal Chen/The Epoch Times)
NEW YORK—The aroma of freshly prepared Chinese food permeated Times Square when the biggest Chinese culinary event in New York City kicked off on Thursday morning.
The heart of Manhattan was transformed into the royal kitchen of the Tang Dynasty for the Fourth Annual International Chinese Culinary Competition, hosted by the New Tang Dynasty Television (NTD).
Thirty-one contestants from around the world competed in five regional categories of traditional Chinese cuisine: Szechuan, Shandong, Cantonese, Huiyang, and Northeastern.
Five stations were set up for the contestants, and there were seven rounds of competitions from morning to evening. Contestants had 45 minutes to prepare one self-selected dish and one standard dish in their regional category. Each round began and ended with the sound of the gong.
The finished dishes were presented to the judges, who evaluated each dish according to appearance, aroma, and taste.
After a second day of competition on Friday, the gold winner from each category will take away $10,000, the silver $3,000, and bronze $1,000.
Hosts began each round by introducing the contestants, the judges, and the standard dishes. With the sound of the gong, the contestants began chopping, slicing, and boiling away.
The chefs carefully prepared their dishes with their cleavers under the pagoda-like cooking stations, while staff members dressed in traditional Han couture whisked the prepared food away to the judges. An LED screen projected the contestants’ progress and showed video clips about Chinese culinary arts.
Though facing a time limit and hundreds of eyes, the chefs were surprisingly calm.
“I feel as calm as usual,” said contestant Chen Zuozhen. “I finished the two dishes within 20 minutes.”
Chen was part of the Cantonese division and chose the steamed pork ribs with black bean sauce as his self-selected dish.
Last year’s gold medal winner Jiang Rong Yi serves up authentic Chinese cuisine at the Fourth Annual International Chinese CulinaryCompetition, being hosted by the New Tang Dynasty (NTD) Television in Times Square on Thursday and Friday. (Amal Chen/The Epoch Times)
Although the contestants come from different parts of the globe, they all share a common passion for Chinese culture and have extensive experience in the Chinese culinary arts.
Matthew Babbage, one of the rare Western contestants, has 30 years of cooking experience. He prepared a Szechuan dish, Kung Pao Chicken, a dish that he says usually is not prepared authentically in America.
“I wanted to prepare [Kung Pao Chicken] the way it’s supposed to be,” explained Babbage. “I’ve always admired China and the Chinese, and what better way to learn about China than through food?”
Of the 31 contestants, 23 made it into the final rounds, which will happen on Friday. Last year, only 17 had qualified for the finalcompetition.
Ma Lijuan, director of the Nine Competitions, said that the results of the competition were satisfying and this year’s contestants were more skilled in general. She added that some of the most talented chefs from Asia were not able to attend because of their visas, and one chef had injured his hand on his flight to New York.
“This year’s competition was very successful,” said Ma. “Many people worked very hard all night to prepare for this, and it was worth it.”
The chefs who were selected for the finals were excited for the day ahead of them.
Sayuki Kandama from Japan, who had prepared a Northeastern dish, stir-fried julienne pepper and potato, said that he was “very excited” about becoming a finalist and that he was confident of his performance tomorrow.
This year’s competition featured a 9/11 charity event to commemorate fallen heroes who participated in the ground zero rescue, which took place after all the chefs had completed. The event included the “Lightning Wok Kung Pao Chicken Challenge,” where celebrity chefs were invited to prepare Kung Pao Chicken, a classic Szechuan dish, for tables of guests followed by a 10-course Forbidden City feast prepared by past winning chefs and the celebrity chefs. All money generated from the event will go to 9/11 families.
Among the celebrity chefs were Greg Grossman, a 16-year-old prodigy, Sargent Cosmo Lubrano from the Sargent Benevolent Association, and Jiang Rong Yi, who was a gold medal winner of last year’s culinarycompetition.
“It’s an unbelievable experience to be able to cook in the middle of Times Square,” said Grossman. “The cooking set up is amazing and it feels like home.”
Grossman started working at professional kitchens when he was 8 years old. One year ago he began working with more Asian chefs and learned more about the art of Chinese food.
In connection with the competition, NTD will hold a silent auction, Han Couture Fashion Show, and reception on Sunday, followed by a 10-course “Emperor’s Banquet” prepared by the winning chefs from at Pier Sixty in Manhattan.
With the goal of “reviving 5,000 years of culture in a single bite,” NTD, an individual nonprofit television station, launched the competition in 2008 to change the world’s perception of Chinese food.
The competition is part of a series of nine competitions held by NTD. Other competitions include the Han Couture Competition and Violin Competition.
