A delegation from Kuching has established firm ties with the Thailand Creative Cities Network following a successful exchange event with Phetchaburi, another newly designated UNESCO City of Gastronomy. The week-long programme saw Kuching discussing future collaboration with cities from China, Thailand and Japan, as well as demonstrating Sarawak’s unique indigenous ingredients and Kuching creativity in cooking to an admiring crowd of gastronomic and government stakeholders. The two cities are now looking forward to more shared events in future.
Dato Wee Hong Seng, Head of UCCN Kuching, said: “This is the beauty of this network. Our city has been given the chance to share with our network partners across this region, building relationships for the benefit of our own gastronomic sector and bringing back knowledge and information that can go towards building our own programmes going forward. We have been able to expose one of our up and coming chefs to an international audience, along with our produce, techniques and creativity. We are working towards giving similar opportunities to other chefs and stakeholders in the future.”
The packed five-day programme saw culinary demonstrations, visits to gastronomic tourism products and a series of panel discussions involving various creative cities. Chef Achang Libat of Gypsy Badger demonstrated terung asam two ways – traditionally, as a fresh fish soup, and also with a twist as he presented his terung asam cobbler with rice and coconut crumble and gula apong butterscotch. He also showed a range of Sarawak ingredients, including dabai, daun ubi and heirloom rice varieties at the event as he recounted his experience experimenting with Sarawak’s most famous produce to both an online and in-person audience.
Chef Achang said: “Phetchaburi province is particularly famous for limes and palm sugar, two of the staples of Thai cuisine, as well as for its sea salt industry. As a chef, it was fascinating to see both the similarities in our ingredients but also how these can be transformed with a different approach to food. The Thai contingent were equally impressed by our own Sarawak pantry. This kind of exchange is very inspiring. I have come away with so many ideas for new dishes that can become part of a new Sarawak repertoire. It is equally inspiring to see how the Thai cities are supporting and preserving their traditional cuisine, either through forefronting their own community ambassadors or else through up and coming young chefs who are embedded in traditional techniques.”
Numerous chefs took part in the event. Huaian City of Gastronomy demonstrated their amazing knife skills. Phuket City of Gastronomy was represented by the Chef and owner of Blue Elephant restaurant who elevated a heritage curry with foie gras and also a range of community chefs, both from Phuket and also from Phetchaburi City of Gastronomy, with fresh Thai salads and flavourful curries, all based on their local produce. The demonstrations also featured a showcase from Thai iron chef Chef Ar (Teeyasoontranon Teerapat) who experimented with toddy palm curry, one of Phetchaburi’s signature ingredients.
Alongside this culinary display, Karen Shepherd, Strategic Director of the UCCN Kuching programme, took part in various panel discussions involving Phetchaburi, Phuket and Sukhothai cities in Thailand, alongside Huaian City in China and Tsuruoka in Japan. These involved a presentation of Kuching city’s approach and profile as well as discussions about how future collaboration could be achieved with various stakeholders, including Phetchaburi province, Phuket and also event organisers DASTA (the Thai National organisation in charge of Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration).
Karen Shepherd said: “All these cities were able to compare their approaches, both to stimulating their gastronomic sector and to providing sustainable incomes for farmers and gastronomic producers through responsible gastronomic tourism. Kuching is currently aiming to prepare a range of collaborative gastronomic tourism products and we will be able to apply lessons learned from this trip to a Sarawak context. UCCN Kuching is calling on any community tourism providers who have a gastronomic angle to contact us. Durian, rice, sago, coffee, jungle produce, sustainable aquaculture – all of these could produce tours that we can promote through the UCCN network.”
UCCN Kuching is now firmly established in this international network as a valuable and exciting partner. The team is now contemplating future events, bringing international cities into Kuching for the domestic gastronomic sector and sending Sarawak chefs out into the world, putting in place a profile for Kuching as a creative destination for the future.
