The Baking Olympics UIBC Kicks Off on the 14th – Two Taiwanese Girls Take on 18 Countries

▲ Taiwanese contestants: Liu Ting (left) from Kaiping Culinary Management School and Qiu Xianling (right) from Hungkuang University of Science and Technology. (Photo / Reporter Hsiao Wan-ning)

Reported by Hsiao Wan-ning / Taipei

The 2014 Baking Exhibition is not only the largest in scale to date but also the first time Taiwan is hosting an international baking competition comparable to the Olympics – the “UIBC World Youth Pastry Cup.” On the opening day, pastry chiefs from 18 countries were present. To reflect this year’s exhibition theme, the organizers specially staged an Olympic-style flag-bearing entrance, and the event was officially inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Taipei City Government’s Bureau of Tourism and Communications Director Sun Ting-long and the Chairman of the Taipei Pastry & Bakery Industry Association Wu, together ushering in the start of both the exhibition and the competition.

“UIBC World Youth Pastry Cupis the first international dessert competition held in Taiwan. Taiwan is represented byQiu Xianling from Hungkuang University of Science and Technology and Liu Ting from Kaiping Culinary Management School– two young contestants who will compete for the championship title alongside participants from a total of 18 countries including Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Brazil, Poland, and Austria, with an average age under 25.

%M014 Taipei International Baking & Design Exhibition officially opened on March 13 (from left): UIBC Association President Mr. Peter Becker, Taipei City Government Department of Health Director Lin Chih-hung, Minister of Health and Welfare Food and Drug Administration Director Yeh Ming-kung, Taipei Pastry & Bakery Industry Association Chairman Wu Guan-de, Taipei City Government Bureau of Tourism and Communications Director Sun Ting-long, Taipei Pastry & Bakery Industry Association Honorary Chairman Chang Kuo-jung, Taiwan Confectionery, Biscuit and Flour-Based Food Products Industry Association President Chen Cheng-wen, and Taipei Pineapple Cake Cultural Festival Honorary Chairman Chen Fei-long. (Photo / Provided by organizer)

In addition to the UIBC World Youth Pastry Cup, on March 14 there will also be theWorld Bread Championship Taiwan Team Selection Competition, where the winning team will represent Taiwan at the World Cup Bread Championship in France. Competing in this selection round are Wu Tzu-ching, who won the special award for sweet bread at the 2011 World Cup Bread Championship, and Wang Peng-chieh, who took second place at the 2013 French Saint Etienne Bread Competition. The judging panel for this event will be led by Wu Pao-chun, who has won the World Bread Championship twice.