The master of Cantonese cuisine in the Greater Bay Area is chef Jiang Dongqiang of Zhuhai No 1 Secondary Vocational School in New Xiangzhou, who bested 32 other contestants in cooking Baijiao Sea Bass.

Jiang's other dish, Qianwu Mud Fish Surpassing Sea Cucumber, won a silver medal for optional featured Cantonese dishes. This regional event concluded at Zhuhai Opera House on Yeli Island on Dec 16. Last year, Jiang was named the best chef in Xiangzhou District after a competition at the Holiday Resort Hotel. 

Nine cities in the Pearl River Delta, plus Hong Kong and Macao, each sent a three-member chef's team to the Opera House. Chefs had to make a dish using Doumen District's Baijiao Sea Bass and then add their own twist to an established Cantonese dish.

Liang Bingqiang of Guangzhou and Li Jianqiang of Zhuhai Yili Restaurant (located in Jing'an Town where Baijiao Sea Bass is harvested) shared second place. Li also took gold for optional featured Cantonese dishes with "Lianzhou Ecological Arrowroot." Lianzhou Town also is in Doumen's Baijiao Sea Bass area.

Judges sumptuously at "work" 

Contestants shared delicacies from their hometowns with the people of Zhuhai. Among them were Foshan’s A-class Kung Fu Pork and Chicken With Mustard.

The event was hosted by the Human Resources & Social Security Department of Guangdong Province and Zhuhai government to support rural rejuvenation and promote authentic Cantonese cuisine.

By 2020, Guangdong's "Master of Cantonese Cuisine" Program is expected to train more than 50,000 chefs and create 300,000 jobs.

Zhuhai will use its proximity to Macao and promote the program as the embodiment of Zhuhai-Macao gastronomic culture. In addition, a number of training bases for Cantonese chefs will be recognized and gourmet-related tourist attractions and rural travel routes will be developed.

Visitors chow down on samples

Meticulous arrangement [Photos by Wu Changfu / Zhujiang Evening Post]