HONOLULU (KHON2) — They are ooh-ing and aah-ing over the 27 presentation platters in this year’s culinary fest by the Hawaii Jiangsu Zhejiang Shanghai association.
For 23 years this event has been the most prestigious local Chinese cooking competition, garnering media coverage from mainland China.
“Judge looking for smell, color, taste, setting, nutrition,” said judge Benny Fan.
In recent years the criteria highlighted dietary needs.
“Less oil, sugar, salt. Make everybody healthy, this is very important,” said organizer Dr. Wang Jing Ping.
The competition included entries from local Chinese restaurants as well as home kitchens, each showcasing the cuisine of their ancestral regions.
The first prize of a crockpot and the competition medal went to Jing Kun Cheng with a dragon boat of spring rolls, dressed as flowers.
Another top prize went to Evagold Yip. Her fake fish is entirely plant-based.
“It’s vegetarian fish. One side dried fish, other side with black bean sauce, so yin and yang,” said Yip.
A monster lobster platter and a seafood brew by king lobster restaurant were auctioned off for $500, benefiting the Jiangsu Zhejiang Shanghai association.
