2026-9-29

On August 3, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation from the Taiwan Chefs Association (TCA), back from their participation in Global Culinary Challenge Malaysia.

In his remarks, Lai congratulated the group on winning top honors in five team competitions as well as 28 trophies and 39 gold, 43 silver, and 70 bronze medals. He said their triumph demonstrated the strength of Taiwan’s culinary talent and was the result of years of dedicated training to hone their skills.

Thanking TCA President Wang Chi-wen and his team for their efforts, Lai noted that the association was the only Taiwanese professional organization with membership of the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS). Lai said that over the years, the TCA had continued to connect Taiwan’s culinary profession with the international community, taking part in competitions overseas and hosting the Taiwan Culinary Arts Challenge (TCAC), which was the only WACS-recognized contest held in Taiwan. In recent years, Lai noted, the TCAC had consistently attracted top international competitors and had effectively expanded opportunities for global networking. Lai added that the TCA had long been committed to fostering collaboration between industry and academia, connecting colleges and vocational high schools, offering students professional training and opportunities to take part in international challenges, helping them build up practical experience, and giving them an international outlook.

Lai expressed hope that more people around the world would get to know Taiwan through its cuisine. He said that the government would continue to fully support the development of culinary talent, international competitions, and food industry growth as well as promoting Taiwan’s rich and varied ingredients and cuisine together with tourism and cultural exchanges. In conclusion, Lai once again congratulated the winners and encouraged them to further refine their skills and challenge themselves by using the best local ingredients to create Taiwanese food that would amaze the world.