United Tastes of America - Asian Chef Challenge

The first annual "United Tastes of America – Asian Chef Challenge" will be launched in Shanghai from March 6-8, 2013 at the ZhongHua Culinary Center in Puxi Shanghai. 18 teams from across China will be invited to participate in this competition. 

This competition will be a joint effort by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and more than 15 U.S. agricultural producer associations to launch a series of annual chef competitions in East Asia that will feature healthy, American food ingredients and highlight creative skills demonstrated by high-level Asian chefs. The initial target markets are Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Taipei. The winning team of the regional Shanghai competition will participate in an East Asia competition in June 2013 at the Food Taipei Trade Show.  The final winning team will be invited all expenses paid to attend a 5 Day Continuing Education Professional Development Course at the Culinary Institute of America, Napa Valley, California.

All of the competitions will be directed by Alan Palmer, Global Culinary Competition Coordinator, who is in charge of monitoring and enforcing a uniform set of rules.

The objectives are to attract and enhance media exposure of U.S. agricultural food and ingredients; To expand the use of U.S. agricultural food and ingredients in restaurant menus across Asia; To enhance the Hotel, Restaurant, and Industrial (HRI) sector's preference for U.S. agricultural food and ingredients; To cultivate relationships with professional chefs and to enhance reputation and media exposure of highly skilled Asian chefs.