The Eye on Taiwan news staff

The 2018 Taipei International Bakery/Equipment Expo will kick off in Taipei on Thursday (March 15), with more than 400 manufacturers from various parts of the world taking part in the four-day event to exhibit their latest products and showcase the global trend of fusion dining and coffee brewing.

This year, a total of 1,762 booths will display a variety of products, including raw ingredients, machines and equipment, packaging materials and accessories, baked products, coffee and related products, according to the organizer, the Taipei City Bakery Commercial Association.

Leading companies in the baking industry such as Uni-President Enterprises Corporation, Namchow Group, Tehmag Foods Corporation, Lian Hwa Foods Corporation, Chungpu Baking Machinery Corporation, Sanneng Bakeware and other indicatory manufacturers are among others taking part in the event, it said.

The show will contain over 80 brand new annual products, including multiple intelligent technology based machines, such as “Desktop Flyhi Oven” from Chuan Chiu Food Machinery Co., Ltd.,   “3 Axis Ultrasonic Food Cutter” from Strong Ultrasonic Machinery Co., Ltd., “Enorobot” from Valuable Advice 7 Co., Ltd., and “KitchenAid” from Holy Ocean International Ltd., the organizer said.

During the expo — the largest of such event in Asia — a four-day forum will be held for various Taiwan’s famed gourmet authors to discuss the vogue of coffee/bakery fusion, according to the organizer.

The forum will allow consumers to experience the afternoon tea culture of various countries, it said, adding three major international baking competitions will also be held during the show.

This year marks the first time the City Bread Competition is hosted in Taipei with 10 teams from eight countries, including Taiwan, Brazil, China, Japan, the Philippines, Sabah Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea striving for the champion title during the competition which will last until Friday, the organizer said.

Two “Taiwan Glory” (台灣之光) chefs curate City Bread Competition

Taiwan’s internationally acclaimed, award-winning chefs Wu Pao-chun (吳寶春) and Wang Peng-jie (王鵬傑) have teamed up to curate the competition theme “Taiwan Flavor in Memory” (記憶中的台灣味) — with creative wedding “pineapple bun” (創意婚禮波蘿麵包) as this year’s “Themed Bread” category.

The once-every-three-year City Bread Competition will include five categories: “themed bread” (大會主題麵包), “world bread category” (世界麵包), “viennoiseries category” (甜麵包項目), “health & nutrition sandwich” (健康營養三明治), and finally “artistic creation” (藝術麵包), the organizer said.

Wu is the first ever Taiwanese chef to win the World Bread Master Competition in the “Artistic Bread Master Award” category in Europe back in 2010. Under Wu’s tutelage, Wang, a rising star chef, joined the same competition in Europe in February and ended up winning the “Artistic Bread Master Award” too, making him the second Taiwanese chef to snag international baking award title in Europe.

During a pre-expo press conference held in Taipei on Tuesday, Wu unveiled the creative wedding pineapple bun he conceptualized and personally baked– presented in a one-meter high, five-tier pineapple bun extravaganz garnished with fresh flowers.

The other international race is the Coupe Louise Lesaffre (or the Bakery Master) regional competition. Coupe Louise Lesaffre is the most prestigious bread baking competition held in France every four years in which chef Wu Pao-chun won the top artistic bread honor and put his name on the map, according to the organizer.

The Taiwan region competition will be held under the Taipei International Bakery/Equipments Expo umbrella to select the Taiwan representative to join the next round of Coupe Louise Lesaffre in France, it said.

The third race is the 2018 Gateaus cake competition, with cake and dessert as the competition theme. It includes professional and student categories, the organizer said.

Lifestyle forum and fusion Baking

The expo will features lifestyle forum (生活提案講座), inviting renowned lifestyle/culinary authors to have a dialogue with professional chefs. Two forums will be held every day from March 15 to 18. The highlights include “Central Park’s Picnic Afternoon Party” with Taiwan famed travel author Cyril Chu (褚士瑩) and “Formosa’s Ancient Flavor on the Tongue Tip” with acclaimed Taiwan author Jiao Tong (焦桐) both on March 16. The other notable forums include “Strolling in Florence for an Afternoon Tea” with Taiwan author Wei Jia-de (韋佳德) on March 15 and “Exploring the Afternoon Time in the Black Forest” with German culinary expert Michael Weinder, according to the organizer.

Fusion baking and food plaza

This year’s expo also include a region of coffee baking/brewing for the first time, witnessing the global trend of fusion baking. Gourmets and foodies who are fond of trying out different kinds of delicacies and picking up bargain can roam through the food plaza to pick out your choices of delicious dishes and bargain food, the organizer said.

Taiwanese baking has earned a place on the global map, and the Taipei International Bakery Show has become the Asia-Pacific region’s can’t-miss signature event every year.

** 2018 Taipei International Bakery/Equipment Expo
Time: March 15-18, 2018
Event location: 1st and 4th Floor, Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Pavilion One            (台北南港展覽館1館1F及4F (台北市南港區經貿二路1號)