THE Taiwan Youth Ambassadors Exchange Programme, currently being held in Saint Lucia, saw the National Culinary Champion of the Republic of China (Taiwan) display his culinary talent at a Bakery Training Workshop earlier this week.
The culinary showcase, part of cultural exchange activities scheduled for the week-long visit, was held at Mannee’s Bakery on September 4th.
National Culinary Champion, Louis Hsieh, who represented Taiwan at the World Skills Competition in the area of “bread-making” expressed gratitude for the opportunity to interact with local bakers in Saint Lucia and enhance his culinary skills.
“Because Saint Lucia is really far from Taiwan, there are different ingredients and knowledge used in bread-making. I would like to learn more about the culture and interact with locals, and also learn more about the food and cuisine outside of Taiwan, and how ingredients are used so that I can enhance my culinary skills,” Hsieh said.
Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Elsie Tsai, announced that throughout the week, the students will engage in activities that will demonstrate their skills and areas of expertise to the youth of Saint Lucia.
“The youth ambassadors are here in Saint Lucia for a one week visit. They will participate in cultural exchanges and a summer camp, and also the bakery workshop. This year what is special is that there are four culinary champions coming to Saint Lucia, so we will introduce them to two bakery workshops.
On Monday and Tuesday, they will participate in a three-hour bakery workshop to teach them how to make pastries like chicken patties, so that they can interact and learn new skills, and also bring new experiences to the local bakers and teach them how to make new items. It is a cultural exchange and also a culinary exchange,” she said.
She added that the group of 40 students will be displaying Taiwan cuisine at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College and the Farmer’s Market later this week.