A prominent Taiwanese chef will tour the U.S. this month as part of an effort to promote Taiwanese food and culture abroad, according to the Government Information Office Feb. 2.
Hou Chun-sheng, who beat 168 contestants to win the 2011 Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival, will prepare his prize-winning dish at several venues in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., the GIO said.
“A significant portion of the 6 million visitors who came to Taiwan last year saw the island’s cuisine as a major draw,” said GIO Minister Philip Yang at a pre-departure news conference.
Among the many local delicacies popular among foreigners, beef noodle soup best epitomizes Taiwan’s exciting, inviting and innovative food culture, according to Yang. “We hope Hou’s tour will help Taiwanese food reach a wider audience and bring more tourists to the country.”
“I am honored to have this opportunity to introduce beef noodle soup to the world,” Hou said, adding that he will slightly adjust his winning recipe to cater to the taste buds of western patrons.
According to the GIO, Hou will first serve beef noodle soup Feb. 8 to 400 employees of Google Inc. at the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.
Later the same day, he will prepare his signature dish for 100 invited guests at L’Olivier, a French restaurant in San Francisco, during an event jointly sponsored by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco and the Asia Society of Northern California.
After giving a free cooking demonstration at the Bay Area’s Williams-Sonoma kitchenware store Feb. 11, Hou will depart for Washington, D.C., where he will prepare the same course for visitors to the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art Feb. 15. A screening of Ang Lee’s popular film “Eat Drink Man Woman” will follow, the GIO said.
For his last stop, the chef will entertain 80 guests at a Feb. 16 dinner party hosted by Jason Yuan, ROC representative to the U.S., at the Double Oak Manor in the capital city.
Readers interested in the free activities can contact Williams-Sonoma and the Freer Gallery for more information. (HZW)
Write to Meg Chang at meg.chang@mail.gio.gov.tw