GUANGZHOU, China, Sept. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- METRO Cash & Carry, the world's leading business-to-business wholesaler, today transformed the city of Guangzhou into a culinary battlefield, with the highly-anticipated Guangzhou launch of the 2014 METRO Canteen Chef Competition. Beginning in Beijing three months ago, the 2014 METRO Canteen Chef Competition in partnership with the China Cuisine Association targets canteen chefs nationwide. The competition promotes the exchange of culinary ideas and skills, encouraging canteen chefs to create a wider variety of safe, fresh, and delicious dishes.
In Beijing, the opening round of the 2014 METRO Canteen Chef Competition inspired a new passion for excellence in the culinary arts, true to the core spirit of the wholesaler. With many years of experience and an in-depth understanding of the needs of canteen staff in terms of food safety, assortment, and cost efficiency, METRO has become a trusted partner of numerous HoReCa customers, providing them with one-stop purchasing solutions as well as safe, traceable, high-quality, and competitive-priced products.
This October, after a series of exciting preliminary rounds across the nation, 21 shortlisted candidates will compete head-to-head in the Shanghai finals of the METRO Canteen Chef Competition. In Guangzhou, thirty contestants will vie for three coveted placements in the final rounds. During the finals, the Guangzhou finalists will face spirited competition from 18 culinary professionals from the government, schools, factories, and corporate canteens in Beijing, Qingdao, Shanghai, Wuxi, Nanjing, and Fuzhou regions.
A Showcase for the "Flavor of Canton"
In celebration of Guangzhou's distinctive, time-honored cuisine, the Canteen Chef Competition will highlight the region's rich array of fresh ingredients and unique cooking styles. The chefs will showcase the uniqueness of Cantonese cuisine through creating dishes of the highest quality using special techniques from the region, such as steaming, stirring, frying, baking, stewing, or simmering.
To meet competition standards on cost-control and environmentally-friendly preparation, contestants will maximize their allotted resources by using cooking water as a soup base, thereby conserving both water and flavor. In an effort to further minimize waste, participants will also be evaluated based on precise portion calculation.
Unlike other competitions that purely focus on creativity and fine presentation, METRO's Canteen Chef Competition encourages contestants to use everyday seasonings and ingredients to prepare dishes with appealing appearances, aromas, and flavors within 105 minutes. With the first sizzle of oil and the sight of chefs skillfully preparing their dishes, the competition will undeniably captivate audiences, drawing them into the exciting and delicious world of Cantonese cuisine.
Consistent innovation in food safety practices
HoReCa is one of METRO's core target customer groups since its entering the China market 18 years ago. The wholesaler's highly-efficient, one-stop purchasing solutions, innovative value-added services, and dedicated pursuit of food safety and quality, have all made METRO a leader in the canteen industry, winning the trust of over 222,000 hotels, restaurants, canteens, and catering companies.
Canteen procurement staff face a variety of challenges, including controlling costs in response to changing market prices, purchasing high-quality product assortments, and receiving convenient delivery services. With long experience serving HoReCa customers and in-depth consumer insight, METRO provides a wide range of high-quality product assortments, satisfying its customers' one-stop purchasing needs. The wholesaler offers canteen procurement staff price advantages based on its powerful purchasing capabilities and sustainable supply. METRO's Star Farm traceability system covers the entire supply chain "from farm to market" and covers more than 3,000 traceable products. METRO's delivery service follows international HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) standards, ensuring cold chain throughout the entire delivery process. All these help to solve problems procurement staff face and effectively support their daily operations.
About METRO Cash & Carry
METRO Cash & Carry is represented in 28 countries with over 750 self-service wholesale stores. With a headcount of about 110,000 employees worldwide, the wholesale company achieved sales of about EUR32 billion in the financial year 2012/2013. METRO Cash & Carry is a sales division of METRO GROUP. METRO GROUP is one of the largest and most important international retailing companies. During the financial year 2012/13 (pro forma), it generated sales of about EUR66 billion. The company operates around 2,200 stores in 31 countries and has a headcount of around 250,000 employees. The performance of METRO GROUP is based on the strength of its sales brands that operate independently in their respective market segments: METRO/MAKRO Cash & Carry – the international leader in self-service wholesale – Media Markt and Saturn – the European market leader in consumer electronics retailing – Real hypermarkets and Galeria Kaufhof department stores.
More information at: www.metrogroup.de
Profile of METRO China
In 1996, METRO Cash & Carry, the international leader in self-service wholesale, opened its first wholesale store in the international metropolis of Shanghai. The company was among the first to gain permission from the China Central Government to set up chain operations in all major cities in China. Over the last decade, the company has set its foot already in 54 cities with 78 outlets in operation in China. With a headcount of over 11,000 employees, the wholesaler is serving more than 3.5 million buying customers across the country.
More information at: www.metro.com.cn
