LOCAL FOOD-LOVERS CAN VOTE ON 50 DISHES SHORTLISTED AS ‘BEST OF THE BEST’

Organisers of the Best of the Best Culinary Awards today (27 September) announced a list of 50 establishments that have been shortlisted as finalists in the inaugural competition. These 50 finalists (details attached) will now get the chance to compete for the top awards in a “cook-off” at the Chinese Cuisine Training Institute (CCTI) next month.

Also announced today were the names of the head judges and final judging panel, who include several well-known Hong Kong gourmets and public figures, and details of how the public can cast their own votes for “My Favourite Dish”.

The Best of the Best Culinary Awards programme was launched in July this year, as part of the City of Life: Hong Kong is it! tourism campaign, to identify the finest examples of Hong Kong’s best-known classic dishes and to promote them to visitors. The Awards are organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) with the Hong Kong and China Gas Company Ltd (Towngas) as co-organiser, the CCTI as official venue provider, and Lee Kum Kee as official sauce supplier.

Four categories were selected for this year’s inaugural awards: dim sum, noodles, poultry and seafood. Well over 200 entries were received by the closing date of 3 August, since when two rounds of evaluation and sampling have been conducted by a selection panel and teams of “Culinary Ambassadors” travelling incognito.

As a result, 10 establishments have been shortlisted for final judging in the first three categories and 20 for seafood (10 each for prawn and crab dishes), as the number and standard of entries in this category was found to be especially high.

Thanking the Culinary Ambassadors for their hard work in drawing up the shortlist, Mr Robert Chow, HKTB Board Member and Chairman of the Best Of the Best Culinary Awards Advisory Committee, noted that in the Board’s visitor surveys last year, Chinese gourmet dining was ranked No.1 among the top ten “special interest” activities. “Given that Hong Kong welcomed a record 13 million visitors in 2000, and that some 14% of visitor spending goes on dining, the food and beverage industry contributed HK$8.5 billion to tourism receipts last year,” he said.

In the final competition at the CCTI Demonstration Kitchen on 16 and 17 October, the winning chefs will prepare their submitted entries on the spot for further evaluation by a celebrity panel (list of judges attached). The top-ranked dishes will be honoured with Best of the Best Gold Awards or, if merited, Best of the Best Gold with Distinction Awards.

In a separate competition, members of the public can cast their own votes for “My Favourite Dish” from among the 50 offerings shortlisted, by going to the Web site of HKTB at www.DiscoverHongKong.com. Voting forms will also appear in local newspapers and magazines, or can be collected from HKTB Visitor Information & Services Centres, Towngas Customer Centres and 13 stations on the KCRC East Rail and Light Rail Transit systems. Some exciting prizes are on offer for those who select the winners.

Speaking at today’s announcement, James Kwan, Director and General Manager – Marketing & Consumer Service for Towngas, urged local food lovers not only to cast their votes but also to go and try the finalists’ speciality dishes for themselves. “Towngas is proud to be a co-organiser of this event which can contribute to both the food and tourism industries,” he said. “It helps perpetuate Chinese culinary art and at the same time, lets visitors better enjoy Hong Kong’s many temptations as a gourmet paradise.”

The HKTB is vigorously promoting the Awards in its overseas markets and will publish a Best of the Best Culinary Guide at the end of this year, to help visitors locate the successful restaurants and sample their award-winning classic dishes. A second round of the Awards will be held next year, featuring other food categories.