The promotion contest of the Sichuan - Chongqing Division of “Pursuing Freshness · WEI DA MEI Young Chef Contest” was ended successfully

By taking cooking skills as foundation, freshness as the soul, young chefs as the focus and idea as the core, the "Pursuing Freshness · 2025 WEI DA MEI Young Chef Contest” sponsored by the WEI DA MEI Catering Service and WFCCI will build a professional competitive platform continuously to help young chefs realize self-growth and bring new vitality to the F&B industry.

The offline promotion contests of "Pursuing Freshness · 2025 WEI DA MEI Young Chef Contest” in 5 divisions nationwide have been launched in succession. Following the successful ending of Shandong Division in mid-October (3 top contestants were selected in Jinan), the Sichuan-Chongqing Division of "Pursuing Freshness · 2025 WEI DA MEI Young Chef Contest” was successfully held in Chengdu City on November 6 under the full support of the co-organizer, Sichuan Tourism University. The top 3 were selected from the 20 contestants from Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Anhui, Shaanxi, Guizhou and Xinjiang after fierce competitions.

Li Xin, the Brand Director of WEI DA MEI Catering Service Business Unit of Shinho Group, delivered a speech in the opening ceremony. Li said, “The contest is not simply a competition but a platform for young chefs and a milestone for them to show their talents. WEI DA MEI has witnessed countless of dedicated young chefs with dreams and they will be the dominant force of the Chinese cuisine and inherit the excellent Chinese cuisine culture in the future. We hope that through this platform, we can discover young “fresh” chefs who pursuit cooking with the most passion and help them win recognition and go further on the way ahead.” Sichuan Tourism University, as the cradle of Sichuan cuisine talents, enhances the academic rigor and vitality of the contest, realizing the in-depth link between industry and education in real sense.

Wang Zhaohui, the China’s Cooking Master and the Secretary General of WFCCI China Service Committee, served as the supervisor in the contest and delivered a speech. In her view, the theme of the contest "Pursuing freshness" focusing on the innovation and health of "fresh" taste accurately complied with the industry’s current pursuit of raw materials and quality upgrading. The excellent young chefs should transmit the excellent Chinese cuisine culture.

The ingredient for the contest in the Sichuan-Chongqing Division is “pork intestines”, which are widely used in the cuisines of ordinary Sichuan people along the history instead of the imperial dishes. The prevalence of the pork intestine-themed dishes is closely related to the “friendship” connotation in the Sichuan cuisine. The pork intestines need preparing using many condiments and cooking by “high heat”, which coincides with the “passionate, aggressive, thrilling and amazing” style of the “friendship” cuisines.

The judging panel of the Sichuan-Chongqing Division of “Pursuing Freshness · 2025 WEI DA MEI Young Chef Contest” is composed of many China’s culinary masters and industry experts, who made judgment rigorously and seriously.

The contestants completed two dishes within 90min: A designated “pork intestines-related” dish and a self-selected dish. WEI DA MEI series condiments provide professional taste support for them, and help them exert their creativity and skills and realize their self-growth.

After cooking, the contestants explained their creative ideas and skills one by one and interacted with the judges on stage.

The judging panel made comprehensive evaluation from different aspects, including professionalism, expression and operation standard in such links as ingredients, cooking techniques, creative ideas, logical expression, hygiene and safety.

The top 3 contestants were selected from the 20 young chefs after fierce competition and comprehensive selection, including 1 special gold award winner and 2 gold award winners. The three will be included in the national final directly.

Special gold award (1) TOP1: He Xianbao From: Chengdu, Sichuan Province Restaurant: Yuyuan · Zunyan Post: Chef Score of the entry: 88.92 [Themed dish: Special-flavor Pork Intestines in Spring Rolls]

The chef made the dish of pork intestines in spring roll based on sudden inspiration. To remove the odor of the intestines fully, the chef used WEI DA MEI Premium Soy Sauce, WEI DA MEI SHANGPIN cooking wine, CONG BAN LV original flavor soybean paste and WEI DA MEI Delicate Golden Mark Oyster Sauce to prepare the base flavor sauce, which can balance the odor with salty and fresh flavor and add the chives aroma. The key point lies in seasoning and wrapping method: “Wrap it at both sides first from upper to lower ends and leave a certain hole; lift the hole upward a little bit. Fry the spring rolls at 60℃ and sprinkle the rolls with oil to produce bubbles. Rise the oil temperature before picking them up from the oil to remove excessive oil. Fry them for 3min in total. The served spring rolls are light, crispy and have no greasy taste. It can be served with Sichuan traditional sweet noodle sauce. The flavor is richer after being diluted using sugar and oil.

[Self-selected dish: Special-flavor Braised Pork with Chopped Pepper]

The chef used the “special flavor” of the classic Sichuan cuisine into the braised pork. To remove the greasy taste, the chef followed the cooking method of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai (steaming followed by stewing, processing to remove oil, drying with starch) to make it crispy externally. After being sprayed with the “special flavor sauce” and a handful of HUANG FEI HONG Crispy Chili before being served, the dish becomes more fragrant. The chef used WEI DA MEI rocky candy dark soy sauce, WEI DA MEI SHANGPIN cooking wine and WEI DA MEI Delicate Golden Mark Oyster Sauce for seasoning. He Xianbao said that it was important to use fat and lean meat and stew it slowly, in order to make the dish glutinous and delicious.

Gold awards (2) TOP2: Zhang Xiaohong From: Pu’er, Yunnan Province Restaurant: Pu’er University Post: Student Score of the entry: 87.88 [Themed dish: Dai-flavored Pork Intestines with Dual Flavors]

Pork intestine is mainly used in this creative dish, which highlights the innovative concept of "pork intestines with two different flavors". With the passionate Dai flavor and the elegance of coffee, the dish is served by mainly using such cooking techniques as braising, steaming and stir-frying. To remove the odor of pork intestines, the chef used WEI DA MEI light rice vinegar and flour to clean them, then washed them with clear water and used stewing seasonings to remove the odor and improve the fragrance. During the stewing process, the chef used WEI DA MEI Premium Soy Sauce, WEI DA MEI rocky candy dark soy sauce, WEI DA MEI SHANGPIN cooking wine, and WEI DA MEI spicy fresh sauce, as well as star anise for stewing for 25min. As for the stuffing of Dai-flavored steamed bun, the chef used WEI DA MEI Premium Soy Sauce to produce the base flavor and then stew the intestines at high heat for 10min. Then the intestines were stewed using coffee sauce containing coffee and WEI DA MEI rocky candy soy sauce. After adding the lemon sauce and salty sliced fruits and vegetables, the dish tastes sour, spicy, bitter, sweet and salty, bringing a totally different taste innovatively.

[Self-selected dish: Abalone-shaped Squids with Tea Fragrance]

As a pictographic dish, it is made of high-quality thick squid, which is processed into abalone shape with a high performance ratio. As for the processing of squid, the arch shape in the middle is created by using straight knife while the outer ring is created using cross knife. The special model can not only contribute to a stylish appearance but also help nourish the squid with condiments to finally make it glutinous and bouncy. Chicken paste stuffing is used, which is seasoned with WEI DA MEI rocky candy dark soy sauce, and then fried, stewed in soup and dressed with starchy sauce. The fragrance is stronger after the application of Pu’er tea sauce. As emphasized by Zhang Xiaohong, “fry it for 2-3min at the initial oil temperature of about 120℃ and then refry it for 1min at about 160℃ to consolidate its shape. When placing it in the plate, decorate it with geometric fruit and vegetable carvings and sauces, to integrate the delicacy of Chinese cuisines with modern plate decoration art, thus highlighting the unique taste and appearance.

TOP3: Xiang Yu From: Chengdu, Sichuan Province Restaurant: Chengdu Chaimen Mansion Post: Sichuan Cuisine Chef Score of the entry: 86.84 [Themed dish: Home-flavored Fuchang with Taro]

To pay tribute to the home-style Sichuan-flavor cuisines full of warmth, the chef named the pork intestines as “Fuchang”, which literally means the intestines full of happiness and blessings. The served intestines are bouncy and chewy, and the taro is glutinous and delicious. The whole dish, which is in bright red color, is properly salty and slightly spicy. As for the condiments, the traditional Sichuan flavored spices and WEI DA MEI series condiments were used, including the glutinous rice cakepepper, CONG BAN LV LIU YUE XIANG soy bean paste, CONG BAN LV original flavor soybean paste and LIU YUE XIAN braising soy sauce, to imitate the flavor of Sichuan cuisines that are typically rooted in the mind of Sichuan people. The idea means persistence to the local flavor. According to Xiang Yu, "for cooking, we should dare to break the limit by using different ingredients and cooking skills and take advantage of the effects of various condiments to create new and different dishes.”

[Self-selected dish: Spicy Roasted Huangyu Sea Cucumber with Ophiopogon Japonicus Tea]

Pig trotters are soft and glutinous while Huangyu sea cucumbers are salty, fresh and bouncy. During the cooking process, the chef used WEI DA MEI rocky candy dark soy sauce and WEI DA MEI Delicate Golden Mark Oyster Sauce, etc. to make the dish in bright red color and full of sauce fragrance. Xiang Yu combined the spicy flavor of Sichuan style with the delicacy of sea cucumber, retained the rich flavor of Sichuan style cuisines and also improved the grade of the dish in banquet by adding Huangyu sea cucumbers. "Yufan" pig trotters imply the meaning of “blessings from Yufan”. Once eaten together with ophiopogon japonicas tea which can quench thirst and relieve greasiness, the dish can not only satisfy your high requirements for taste but also set a typical example for the combination of traditional food with condiments.

At the awarding evening party, the top 3 contestants delivered the acceptance speech respectively on stage. A variety of Sichuan-Chongqing-flavored dishes cooked with Shinho condiments are served in the event. Li Xin, the Brand Director of WEI DA MEI Catering Service Business Unit of Shinho Group, presented the special gold medal, special gold certificate and special gold cheque of RMB 5,000 to He Xianbao, the special gold award winner.

Wang Zhaohui presented the gold medal, gold medal certificate and gold medal cheque of RMB 3,000 to Zhang Xiaohong and Xiang Yu, the gold award winners.

Miao Qingyuan, the chief referee, presented the excellence award certificates to 16 contestants, including Sun Bifei, Li Bingbing, Lin Junjie, Li Chunyong, Yin Dong, Yang Yang, Song Yu, Xu Ming, Jiang Ya, Jiang Zejin, Li Hongwu, Liu Sanlin, Qiu Hanchuan, Zhou Tao, Fu Jiachen and Shen Chuanchang.

The "Pursuing Freshness · 2025 WEI DA MEI Young Chef Contest” has planned a clear growth path for young chefs: "Online preliminary contest - offline promotion contest - star chef training camp - annual final". In each stage of the regional promotion contest, the contestants will have the chance to learn from the judging panel, and to get high bonuses, honorary certificates and medals certified by the association, and face-to-face communication opportunities with the chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants and receive media exposure. The top 3 contestants will sign a contract with WEI DA MEI and become WEI DA MEI’s spokesmen, and realize self-improvement in different aspects, such as store cooperation, publicity of personal popularity and training.

WEI DA MEI interprets its brand vision of "creating taste aesthetics by professionalism”. It, from the supply of high-quality condiments to the empowerment of young chefs’ growth, constantly helps the young chefs to realize self-growth. With the successful ending of the contest in the Sichuan-Chongqing Division, the promotion contests will be held in the North China Division (Beijing), the Central Plains Division (Zhengzhou) and the East China Division (Nanjing), to ignite the young chef’s passion of creation and explore competent chefs. After experiencing the unique fresh flavor from one city, let’s go for the next city to explore more.