1. Chef Sun Wensheng, chairman of Chaozhou Chefs Association, participated in the first-ever Chiu Chow Cuisine International Competition in Hong Kong in December, 2019. Nearly 60 teams compete for the gold, silver and bronze awards. There were three classes of the six gold awards – supreme, super and special. Sun won the one and only Supreme Gold Award.

2. On December 28th, 2020, Weng Yong, Vice Chairman of Chaozhou Chefs Association, a national culinary master and a lecturer at Chaozhou Vocational School, participated in the 3rd Cantonese Cuisine Competition in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He won the first prize in the master section for Chaoshan region dishes and received the title of Technical Expert of Guangdong Province.

3. Chaozhou tangerine is a famous regional fruit that has been the main ingredient in many local dishes. It has been cultivated for more than 1,300 years up till now. Some record of the Ming Dynasty reads, “Tangerines, the best fruit of Chaozhou, are sweet and fragrant and have fleshy pulps and tiny seeds.”

Many tangerines came on the market in January, 2021. To boost sales and enrich the local menu, Chaozhou Chefs Association and Pin Ya Yuan, a member restaurant, worked together for creative tangerine recipes. Led by Chef Sun Wensheng, Chairman of the Association, they thought out of the box, pairing the fruit with various ingredients through repeated adjustment.

A tangerine-themed banquet made its debut in the first Internet-based Chaozhou Tangerine Festival after days of hard work. The feast, consisting of twelve nutritious, savory, attractive and creative dishes, was a good choice for family gatherings, business banquets and curious foodies. As the fruit is dubbed “big tangerine”, which sounds similar to “good luck” in Chinese, the meal would be an early blessing to all Chaozhou residents, wishing them a happy new year.