A young Taiwanese chef savored the sweet taste of success when he finished among the top competitors in a junior pastry and confectionery making championship held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Friday.
Wei Chia-yu (魏嘉佑) grabbed 4th place in the under-25 competition, organized by the Union Internationale de la Patisserie, Confiserie et Glacerie (International Union of Pastry Cooks, Confectioners and Ice Cream Makers, UIPCG)
Wei’s top-ranked creation was a chocolate and pastry sculpture titled Warrior of Formosa, which depicted a Taiwanese Aboriginal warrior adorned with tribal chief headgear, a spear, skull and other details, all delicately sculpted with melted chocolate.
Photo: Hsieh Ju-hsin, Taipei Times
For this year’s championship, the contestants were required to produce six types of sweets — including candies and chocolate — and judged on their culinary skills as well as on hygiene and work safety.
The winner of the competition was Mirina Ueno, a 22-year-old female chef from Nagano Prefecture, Japan.
Many Brazilians at the venue won over by Wei’s sculpture asked if he was Chinese and seemed pleased when Wei and local Taiwanese expatriates clarified that they were from Taiwan, he said.
“I came a long way to Brazil to compete and was not feeling very confident, but the warm support from the Taiwanese expatriate community here really surprised me. It was very touching to have them waving the national flag to cheer me on,” said Wei, who was accompanied by his instructor, Liao Han-hsiung (廖漢雄), a teacher at the National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism.
He said in the past he had felt alienated when competing in France and other non-English speaking nations, because he could not speak their language and eating unfamiliar local food affected his performance.
“This time, although I also traveled very far, I felt very at home because the Taiwanese expatriates gave me so much support. They cooked Taiwanese dishes for me and I this helped me settle in so I could concentrate on my creation,” he added.
Taiwan will host the next competition of the under-25 UIPCG Junior World Championship, which is scheduled for 2014.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
POLICY UNCHANGED? Despite Trump’s remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent since the 1970s US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again refused to make clear his stance on protecting Taiwan from a hypothetical takeover by China during his presidency. Asked by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president, Trump declined to give a definitive answer. “I never comment on that,” he said. “I don’t comment on it because I don’t want to ever put myself in that position.” Trump also reiterated that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and said that Washington welcomes good relations with
RSS