International Baking Expo Kicks Off – Taiwanese Beauties Qiu Xianling and Liu Ting Compete in World Pastry Championships

▲The small pastries featuring pandas on-site were made by Taiwanese contestant Liu Ting.

Reported and photographed by Xiao Wanning / Taipei

The 2014 Taipei International Bakery & Equipment Show kicks off at the Nangang Exhibition Center starting March 13, and will simultaneously host the "UIBC World Cup Youth Pastry Competition," known as the Olympics of the baking world. This marks the first time Taiwan is hosting an international dessert competition. Taiwan is represented by two young contestants: Qiu Xianling from Hungkuang University of Science and Technology and Liu Ting from Kaping Culinary Management School.

▲Taiwanese contestants Liu Ting (left) and Qiu Xianling (right).

The two contestants must complete within a total of 16 hours over two days: one chocolate craftwork under 200 cm, two themed cakes, ice cream, handmade chocolates, and other dessert artworks, competing for the championship title alongside countries such as Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Brazil, Poland, and Austria.

The bakery exhibition will feature the super-popular Japanese brand NISSEI ice cream machines, award-winning creations from the “Happy Desserts” project that focus on local ingredients, painted desserts, and many other diverse products. Meanwhile, cute-themed merchandise such as Yuan Zai, Rubber Duck, and Hello Kitty are also making their way into the dessert market. With this year’s event co-hosted with the “UIBC World Cup Youth Pastry Competition,” it has become the largest bakery exhibition in recent years, attracting a total of over a thousand booths.

▲Ice cream made by the recently popular NISSEI ice cream machine from FamilyMart (left), and local ingredient desserts from the Happy Desserts project (right).

In addition to the “UIBC World Cup Youth Pastry Competition,” the “Happy Desserts” project launched by the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Industrial Development Bureau has also garnered significant attention. Each award-winning product on display uses local ingredients, with contestants showcasing creativity by incorporating them into pastries. Examples include tomato and wagashi, Makgeolli pineapple cake, and spicy onion chewy macaron—these are all award-winning creations from this year’s Happy Desserts creative competition.

▲Local ingredient desserts from the Happy Desserts project.

【2014 International Bakery & Equipment Show】
Date: March 13–16, 2014, 10:00–18:00
Venue: Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center
Admission: General admission NT$200, concession NT$100