(Clearwisdom.net) The final round of New Tang Dynasty Television's (NTDTV) International Chinese Culinary Competition was held at Times Square in New York City on October 1, 2010. Twenty-three contestants of Chinese five cuisine schools won awards.  Winners of top awards will be announced at 10:30 p.m. on October 3 on awarding ceremony at Pier 60 on the Hudson River in Manhattan.

 Competition venue

 Competition venue

 Competition venue

Competition venue

Amidst the dazzling setting of Times Square, crowds of people gathered around a traditional Chinese style kitchen stadium where contestants from across the world prepared the most authentic and delicate Chinese dishes in front of the audience. Waiters in traditional costumes carried dishes and presented them to the judges' table. Moderators introduced Chinese traditional culinary techniques and culture in Chinese and English.

As in the preliminary round, a total of 35 chefs, divided in 7 groups, participated in the final competition. Seventeen of them are contestants from North American Division and the other 18 were from Asian Division. Each was given one hour to finish two required dishes and one self-selected from one of the following 5 major Chinese cuisines distinguished by their places of origins: Sichuan cuisine (Central China), Cantonese cuisine (Southern China), Shandong cuisine (the East Coast), Dongbei cuisine (Northeastern China), and Huaiyang cuisine (the Eastern Planes). The materials, cooking methods and tastes of these three dishes had to be different from their dishes in the preliminary round. Two large screen TVs on Times Square broadcast the show live.

 Competition venue

 Competition venue

All the contestants expressed graitude to be able to participate in the competition, whether they won awards or not.

Mr. Jianfeng Xu, a contestant for the first time, said, "It is most important to promote traditional Chinese culinary culture via the competition. More master chefs will participate in this competition from now on. We must keep traditional Chinese dishes. One person has limited power. Thank NTDTV to provide such a platform for us contestants to express ourselves."

He continued, "NTDTV holds this competition to introduce Chinese culinary culture to the world and to have more people know it. NTDTV is outstanding." He said he would come again next year.

 A Chinese dish for the final round in the Third International Chinese Culinary Competition

 A Chinese dish for the final round in the Third International Chinese Culinary Competition

 A Chinese dish for the final round in the Third International Chinese Culinary Competition

 A Chinese dish for the final round in the Third International Chinese Culinary Competition

 A Chinese dish for the final round in the Third International Chinese Culinary Competition

The founder of the English Magazine Flavor & Fortune, Mr. Tang, said emotionally after tasting the dishes in the final round competition, "I have strived for 18 years to promote Chinese culinary culture to the west mainstream society. But all my effort cannot compare with the impact of this competition."

 A Chinese dish for the final round in the Third International Chinese Culinary Competition

 A Chinese dish for the final round in the Third International Chinese Culinary Competition

A Chinese dish for the final round in the Third International Chinese Culinary Competition

Mr. Yongquan Huang, a contestant of Cantonese cuisine from Paris, France, has participated in the competition for the second time. He said, "Traditional cuisine must not be forgotten. Without this competition, I believe that very few people would continue to search for relevant information to investigate the tradition. I hope that NTDTV can make this competition like the Soccer World Cup. When it comes, everyone is waiting for it and says, 'Wow, look at the chef, how good and profound the Chinese cuisine.'"

Mr. Huang was born into a chef's family. His father and uncle are all chefs. He said he was delighted and he was like a star when he presented his dish to the audience at Times Square. He hopes NTDTV will conduct more such events to promote Chinese traditional culture.

Mr. Izzy Nelken, head of Super Computer Consulting and a teacher in Chicago University, learned about the competition by coincidence. He likes Chinese dishes and enjoyed the competition. He was so happy and said it was an opportunity once in a lifetime for him. He said while tasting the dishes of the competition, "Delicious!" He said he would never be able to taste such high level Chinese cuisine again.  

Mr. Yang from Beijing said, "The competition on Times Square was splendid. It was so good to have the competition in such an important place in New York to show Chinese cuisine. Chinese cuisine is rich and profound. Promoting Chinese culinary culture is absolutely necessary!"

After two days of competition, 23 contestants were selected for final awards:

Sichuan cuisine (Central China): Wu Chongrong, Li Chengyang, Jiang Yongyi, Liao Xiaofeng, and Chen Yichun.

Shandong cuisine (the East Coast): Lu Qiuyu, Wang Hongyi, Dai Dehe, Chen Youyu, Bi Kejiang, and Xu Wenqiang.

Cantonese cuisine (Southern China): Liu Bangchuan, Li Wenhui, Liu Shuntai, Fang Weizhang, and Zheng Ze.

Huaiyang cuisine (the Eastern Planes): Xu Huaren, Xu Jianfeng, and Zhang Jun'an

Dongbei cuisine (Northeastern China): Chen Lizhen, Tian Zhenyu, Yan Degui, and Liu Liyun.

At the dinner on October 3, the award-wining master chefs will prepare a high-profile dinner with the essence of five cuisines. The Awards Ceremony and dinner will be held at Pier 60 (23^rd Street and 12^th Avenue). For tickets: www.bestchinesechefs.com, https://register.ntdtv.com/events/ticket.php and ticket hotline: 1-646-736-2969.