The 20th Busan International Food Expo and the 6th Busan Marina Chef Challenge Competition Held

September 1-3 at BEXCO, Two Events Held Simultaneously...150 Booths Operated, About 400 Athletes Participating

Busan International Food Expo...Promotion of Busan and Global Food Culture, Famous Chefs, YouTuber Talk Shows, Cooking Classes

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"The taste of Busan is wonderful!" A feast of Busan food festivals is unfolding.

2023 20th Busan International Food Expo.

Busan City will simultaneously hold the 20th Busan International Food Expo (BIFE 2023) and the 6th Busan Marina Chef Challenge (BMCC 2023) for three days from September 1 to 3 at BEXCO Exhibition Hall 1.

These two events are food culture festivals representing the gourmet city of Busan. Following last year, by holding two food culture events simultaneously, visitors will be able to enjoy a wider variety of attractions in one place, including food culture programs from Busan and around the world and the World Association of Chefs' Societies (WACS) certified cooking competition.

Marking its 20th anniversary this year, the Busan International Food Expo is hosted by the city and organized by the Busan branch of the Korea Foodservice Industry Association under the theme "The Taste of Busan is Wonderful."

Starting with the opening ceremony on September 1, more than 150 exhibition and promotional booths will be continuously operated, including special pavilions for Shanghai, the United States, and ASEAN countries, a gourmet city Busan promotion pavilion, a foodservice industry revitalization snack promotion pavilion, a food company pavilion, and a cooking class zone where visitors can explore diverse food cultures from Busan and around the world.

The "Shanghai Food Culture Promotion Pavilion (Special Pavilion)," prepared to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Busan and Shanghai and to promote gourmet culture exchange, offers visitors the chance to taste representative Shanghai dishes cooked by local chefs and participate in cooking classes.

At the Gourmet City Busan Promotion Pavilion, visitors can sample 48 items from 19 excellent Busan food companies, and there will be promotions on safe dining practices, restaurant hygiene grading systems, and food poisoning prevention methods.

In particular, a booklet promoting 23 types of Busan dishes (B-FOOD) developed with Busan ingredients and stories will be distributed, providing opportunities for foodservice operators and the general public to utilize these recipes.

On the main stage at the event venue, various programs will be held according to schedule, including a cooking Nanta show, a live cooking talk show with YouTuber Hibap and Chinese cuisine chef Jeong Ji-seon, traditional performances from Indonesia and Vietnam, and a lecture on Vienna coffee from Austria.

Additionally, the cooking class zone will offer experiential programs reflecting the latest trends, such as Korean dessert making, vegetarian cakes, and fruit tanghulu creation.

The Busan Marina Chef Challenge is hosted by the city and organized by the Busan branch of the Korea Chef Association under the theme "Challenge the Best Chef."

This competition, certified by the World Association of Chefs' Societies (WACS) and conducted according to international standards, consists of real-time and exhibition contests and a special contest at the Busan Food Festival, with about 400 participants including culinary students, professional chefs, and citizens.

This year, a special contest called the "Busan Food Festival Contest" will be held, featuring recipe development and cooking competitions using Busan’s representative ingredients, myeongran (pollock roe) and eomuk (fish cake), expected to be an opportunity to showcase the diverse flavors of Busan.

As the competition is conducted according to international standards, the judging panel will consist of 24 domestic and international judges, including invited judges from Germany and the Philippines, ensuring fair and objective evaluation to enhance the competition’s credibility and provide attendees with valuable expert feedback.

There will also be cooking demonstrations and tasting experience programs using myeongran by famous Busan chefs.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun stated, "The Busan International Food Expo, where Busan, the world, food, and culture come together, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year by presenting even more diverse programs to domestic and international visitors. Especially, by holding it simultaneously with the Busan Marina Chef Challenge again this year, visitors can enjoy Busan’s representative food culture festivals all in one place." He added, "We expect this event to activate the city brand of Busan as a gourmet city and further enhance its brand competitiveness. We ask for the active participation and interest of our citizens."

For more details, please contact the Busan International Food Expo Secretariat or the Busan Marina Chef Challenge Secretariat, or refer to the Busan International Food Expo website or the Marina Chef Challenge website.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.