Sands China Launches F&B Talent Series Programme
Nurturing local F&B talent through culinary exchange series with celebrity chefs
(Macao,
November
21, 2019) –
Sands China Ltd. is
holding the Sands China Academy –
Fostering Collaboration to Incubate
F&B Talent Series Wednesday
through Friday, aimed at nurturing quality
local talent in support of Macao’s position
as a UNESCO Creative City of
Gastronomy.
Supported by the
Macao Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) and the
Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), the
series hopes to attract and nurture Macao
young talent to the food and beverage
industry and to inspire them to explore
careers as chefs, as talent in the sector is
currently in high demand in the local
market. Over a third of the series’
participants – more than 60 – are industry
representatives from outside of Sands China,
including those from the Macao Federation of
Trade Unions, young local chefs, local
students and representatives from
academia.
As part of the
series, the company held a kick-off ceremony
for its Creative City of Gastronomy
– Master Chef Culinary Exchange Series
& Food and Beverage Management
Programme Thursday at
Sands® Cotai
Central.
“Sands China is
committed to nurturing food and beverage
talents for the whole of Macao through
various programmes, including this latest
culinary exchange series with master chefs
from the mainland,” said Dr. Wilfred Wong,
president of Sands China Ltd. “We are
grateful for the support of the Five-Star
Chef Alliance, the Macao Labour Affairs
Bureau and the Macao Government Tourism
Office, and we hope that this platform for
knowledge exchange can support the
initiatives of the Macao government and help
cultivate talents in the restaurant
industry.”
Sands China has
invited celebrity chef Zhou Xiaoyan and his
team of 20 master chefs to share their
culinary expertise with local chefs,
including those at Sands China, and with
local university students and industry
representatives Nov. 20-22. It is the first
time for celebrity chefs from Five-Star Chef
Alliance to visit Macao for this type of
top-level culinary
exchange.
Master chefs work
one-on-one with Sands China chefs to
exchange ideas and to design creative dishes
on the theme of "Celebrating the 20th
Anniversary of Macao's Return to the
Motherland.” The visiting chefs will also
participate in a friendly cooking
competition, and give masterclasses for
students at the Institute for Tourism
Studies and the Macau University of Science
and
Technology.
At the Nov. 21
kick-off ceremony, Sands China launched its
new Food and Beverage Talent Development
Programme in cooperation with the Labour
Affairs Bureau. Throughout a 12-24 month
training, candidates complete an on-the-job
practicum at Michelin-starred, Black Pearl
or other restaurants, obtaining
certification by world-famous food and
beverage associations, and eventually
becoming restaurant assistant managers at
Sands China. Sands China also appointed Zhou
as the company’s consultant for culinary
talent development, who led a seminar with
nearly 300 participants after the kick-off
ceremony.
Zhou said: “Food
plays an essential role in Chinese culture,
and it is one of our nation’s biggest
cultural exports. It is an honour to have
been invited by Sands China to participate
in this culinary exchange with chefs and to
share my experience with young talent in
Macao, as we develop closer ties and
collaborations in the development of the
Greater Bay Area. In the future, Macao will
be able take advantage of its position as a
UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy to
promote Chinese food culture to the whole
world.”
A master chef known
as the "Godfather of Huaiyang Cuisine," Zhou
has been invited to dozens of countries and
regions around the world, including the
United States, Germany, and Switzerland to
conduct academic exchanges on Chinese
cooking techniques and food
culture.
Thursday’s kick-off
event was attended by officiating guests
below: Zhu Hong, deputy director general of
the Economic Affairs Department of the
Central People's Government Liaison Office
of the Macao Special Administrative Region;
Dr. Fanny Vong, president of Institute for
Tourism Studies; Cheung Wai, head of the
vocational training department of the Labour
Affairs Bureau; Ines Chan, head of the
licensing and inspection department of the
Macao Government Tourism Office; Chan Ioc
Sut, head of the research and investigation
department of the Gaming Inspection and
Coordination Bureau; Xu Ye, assistant
professor at Macau University of Science and
Technology; Zhou Xiaoyan; Chio Pou Wan, vice
president of the Macau Federation of Trade
Unions; Jacky Lam, chairman of the Macao
Cuisine Association; and Dr.
Wong.
The additional
events in the series on Nov. 22 are
masterclasses for students at the Institute
for Tourism Studies and the Macau University
of Science and Technology, and the 2019
Sands China Master Chef Culinary Competition
between three teams: the Five-Star Chef
Alliance, the award-winning Macao team from
the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay
Area Vocational Skills Competition, and a
team of Sands China chefs. Judges include
representatives from the Labour Affairs
Bureau, MGTO, Sands China, and the local
food and beverage
industry.
Sands China has
nearly 5,000 team members working in food
and beverage. The company’s new
Sands China Academy – Fostering
Collaboration to Incubate F&B Talent
Series is part of its effort to
help Macao’s food and beverage industry
talent to continually improve, in support of
the development of Macao as a Creative City
of
Gastronomy.
Photo caption: Dr.
Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd., addresses the
audience at the kick-off ceremony for Sands China’s Creative
City of Gastronomy – Master Chef Culinary Exchange Series
& Food and Beverage Management Programme Thursday at
Sands Cotai Central.
Photo caption:
Officiating guests attend the kick-off ceremony for the
Creative City of Gastronomy – Master Chef Culinary Exchange
Series & Food and Beverage Management Programme Thursday
at Sands Cotai Central.
Left to right: Jacky Lam, chairman of the
Macao Cuisine Association; Xu Ye, assistant professor at the
Macau University of Science and Technology; Chan Ioc Sut,
head of the research and investigation department of the
Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau; Cheung Wai, head
of the vocational training department of the Labour Affairs
Bureau; Dr. Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd.; Zhu
Hong, deputy director general of the economic affairs
department of the Central People's Government Liaison Office
of the Macao Special Administrative Region; Dr. Fanny Vong,
president of the Institute for Tourism Studies; Ines Chan,
head of the licensing and inspection department of the Macao
Government Tourism Office; Master Chef Zhou Xiaoyan; Chio
Pou Wan, vice president of the Macau Federation of Trade
Unions.
Photo caption: Cheung Wai
(left), head of the vocational training department of the
Labour Affairs Bureau and Dr. Wilfred Wong, president of
Sands China Ltd. jointly launch Sands China’s new Food and
Beverage Talent Development Programme in cooperation with
the Labour Affairs
Bureau.
Photo caption: Dr.
Wilfred Wong (left), president of Sands China Ltd. appoints
Zhou Xiaoyan as the company’s consultant for culinary talent
development.
Photo caption: Sands
China held the Sands China Academy – Fostering Collaboration
to Incubate F&B Talent Series Wednesday through Friday.
Celebrity chef Zhou Xiaoyan and his team of 20 master chefs
were invited to share their culinary expertise with local
chefs, including those at Sands China, and with local
university students and industry representatives Nov.
20-22.
Photo caption: Master
Chef Zhou Xiaoyan leads a seminar with nearly 300
participants after the kick-off ceremony for the Creative
City of Gastronomy – Master Chef Culinary Exchange Series
& Food and Beverage Management Programme Thursday at
Sands Cotai Central.