Taizhou Cuisine Seeks "Culinary Wisdom" in France, Adding an "International Recipe" to Its Bid for "City of Gastronomy"!

On February 9, the Taizhou Cuisine Overseas Promotion and Exchange Delegation visited Stelo Formation, a renowned vocational education and training group in Paris, France, for an in-depth exchange forum. Centered on the theme of "aligning with international culinary education and propelling Taizhou cuisine onto the global stage," the delegation built a bridge connecting Taizhou's culinary vocational education with top-tier international resources, injecting fresh momentum into Taizhou's bid to become a "City of Gastronomy" and expanding the overseas influence of Taizhou cuisine.

During the exchange, the delegation conducted a detailed investigation into Stelo Formation's educational characteristics, teaching strengths, and core operational model. It is understood that this group is a highly influential benchmark brand in vocational education and training within France's hotel, catering, and tourism sectors. It boasts a mature and comprehensive teaching system, extensive practical experience in apprenticeship programs, and a vast network of industry-enterprise collaborations. Its distinctive apprenticeship model has garnered considerable international attention. Under this model, students can obtain work permits upon enrollment, pursuing part-time work and study as apprentices while solidifying their professional skills through practice. Upon graduation, those recognized by partner enterprises can transition directly to full-fledged chef status, with all related procedures handled by the enterprises—realizing a seamless "study-internship-employment" integration.

Lin Meijun, head of the delegation, expert advisor to Taizhou's special task force for bidding to become a "Creative City of Gastronomy," and founder of the Linjiayi Catering Group, stated that the core objective of this in-depth engagement with Stelo Formation is to secure international educational cooperation endorsements for Taizhou's bid, helping to address developmental gaps in Taizhou's culinary vocational education and fully align it with international standards. "Currently, 10 vocational institutions in Taizhou offer food and beverage-related programs, with over 3,000 enrolled students. This exchange also aims to establish convenient overseas study, internship, and employment pathways for these Taizhou culinary students, cultivating culinary professionals with both international perspectives and specialized expertise."

As a key vehicle for cultivating culinary talent in Taizhou, the Linjiayi Culinary Industry College also seized this exchange opportunity to actively advance its international development strategy. Established under the leadership of the Linjiayi Group, this college is a crucial platform for deepening industry-education integration, preserving traditional Taizhou culinary techniques, and nurturing professional culinary talent. Through systematically compiling historical recipes, regularly facilitating exchanges between Chinese and international master chefs, and intensifying university-enterprise collaborative education models, the college continuously enhances the quality of talent cultivation. This exchange will further promote the establishment of deep cooperative relationships between the college and top-tier international culinary education resources, supporting its development into an international culinary talent training base.

It is reported that this exchange event received strong support from the China Cuisine Association. As a strategic advisory unit for Taizhou's "City of Gastronomy" bid, the CCA leverages its national-level platform to connect international resources, building communication bridges and providing robust guarantees for bilateral cooperation—accelerating Taizhou cuisine's global journey.

"We plan to subsequently select professionals to send to France for exchange and study, introducing Stelo Formation's mature teaching systems and educational models to cultivate versatile culinary talents. At the same time, we aim to deepen inter-school collaborations and expand university-enterprise cooperation opportunities. By leveraging their geographical advantages, we also hope to connect with UNESCO-related resources, continuously empowering both Taizhou's bid for 'City of Gastronomy' and the overseas promotion and exchange of Taizhou cuisine," Lin Meijun added.

Translator：Jiayang Lin