Yangju City Successfully Concludes Nam-myeon Urban Regeneration "Shinsan Commercial District Cooking Contest"

'Matbam Spaghetti' Wins Grand Prize... Discovering Unique Local Menus
Laying the Foundation for Revitalization with Locally Inspired Dishes

Yangju City in Gyeonggi Province held the "2025 Nam-myeon Urban Regeneration New Commercial District Cooking Contest" at Songjuk Hall of Korea Food Science High School on the 16th.

Yang Soo-hyun, Mayor of Yangju City, is inspecting the site of the "2025 Nam-myeon Urban Regeneration New Commercial District Cooking Competition" at Songjuk Hall of Korea Food Science High School on the 16th. Provided by Yangju City

This contest was organized as part of the Nam-myeon urban regeneration project to discover unique menus for the new commercial district together with local merchants and to lay the foundation for revitalizing the district. In particular, this competition is a case of realizing an "merchant-participatory commercial district revitalization model" in urban regeneration, as merchants themselves planned and developed the menus.

The event began with an opening ceremony at 11 a.m., followed by a 90-minute final round. A total of nine teams presented menus that reflected the stories of the Shinsan commercial district, the local image, and customer preferences, showcasing the unique competitiveness of the Shinsan-ri commercial area.

The judging panel consisted of three experts in the food service sector and five local residents, who evaluated the menus based on completeness, originality, and local character.

As a result, awards were presented to a total of nine teams: one Grand Prize winner ("Matbam Pesotto Cream Spaghetti"), one Excellence Award winner ("Yangju Hansang Charim" and "Let the Flowers of Shinsan-ri Bloom!"), and other winners.

The Grand Prize-winning "Matbam Pesotto Cream Spaghetti" received high praise from the judges for its rich flavor, created by adding the taste of roasted chestnuts from Yangju to a smooth pesotto sauce.

The Excellence Award-winning "Yangju Hansang Charim" featured a five-dish set meal using local ingredients such as Yangjugol rice, Buchu-eohadungdung zucchini, and Bulgoksan Makgeolli, while "Let the Flowers of Shinsan-ri Bloom!" presented a visually stunning pizza made with tomatoes, spinach, and lotus root purchased from Shinsan Market, as well as home-grown arugula.

In addition, three teams received Merit Awards ("Hamburg Steak Tornado Omurice & Homemade Beef Bacon Burger," "Sweet Potato Salad Pizza & New York Pepperoni Pizza," and "Yellow Fist Rice Roll"), and three teams received Encouragement Awards ("Yangju Duck Soup," "Scorched Rice Glutinous Rice and Braised Pollack," and "Siraegi Sundae Soup"), all of which demonstrated the diversity and local character of the Shinsan commercial district.

The city plans to promote follow-up projects such as revitalizing the Shinsan commercial district, strengthening merchant capabilities, publicizing menus at key locations, and pilot sales, focusing on the locally distinctive menus discovered through this contest.

Yangju City Mayor Yang Soo-hyun stated, "This contest was a meaningful event that demonstrated the core value of community-led commercial district recovery in the Nam-myeon urban regeneration project," adding, "We will continue to support the award-winning menus so that they can become representative content for the Shinsan commercial district and contribute to revitalizing the local community."

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