Xin Rong Ji College Officially Inaugurated! Empowering Taizhou's Bid to Become "World Capital of Gastronomy"

April 23rd（2023）, at the "Taizhou Cuisine" Culinary Industry Development Conference, the meticulously planned Xin Rong Ji College was officially inaugurated.

What exactly is this newly established college for? What significance does it hold for Taizhou's ambition to become a "World Capital of Gastronomy"?

Cultivating and Exporting Masters of "Taizhou Cuisine"

At the "Taizhou Cuisine" Culinary Industry Development Conference, the "Implementation Opinions on Further Accelerating the High-Quality Development of the 'Taizhou Cuisine' Industry," formulated by the Municipal Party Committee and Government, was released. It proposed the goal of creating a "World City of Gastronomy." Driven by this goal and identified by Taizhou cuisine, the city will leverage "six major initiatives" to promote the high-quality development of the "Taizhou Cuisine" industry. The aim is to cultivate a number of "famous enterprises, famous chefs, famous dishes, and famous restaurants" by 2025, establish over 10 "Taizhou Cuisine" culinary clusters, build a "Taizhou Cuisine" chef training system led by Xin Rong Ji College, and form a "Taizhou Cuisine" brand characterized by fusion and innovation.

"In the restaurant business, flavor is the prerequisite, and talent cultivation is the foundation," said Chen Changsun, Party Secretary of Taizhou Vocational & Technical College. He emphasized that building a "World Capital of Gastronomy" is inseparable from talent support, and strengthening talent cultivation and management is core to this effort.

To this end, the newly established Xin Rong Ji College will focus on education and training as its primary functions, aiming to build "three centers and one base": a Taizhou Chef Training and Education Center, a Taizhou Cuisine Research and Development Center, a Taizhou Culinary Culture Research and Dissemination Center, and a Taizhou Culinary Talent Training Base. This initiative aims to "upgrade and enhance our city's culinary talent, promote the healthy development of Taizhou's culinary repertoire and styles, inherit and promote Taizhou's culture, and accelerate the creation of a 'World Capital of Gastronomy'."

Lessons can be learned from successful examples elsewhere. It is noted that Yangzhou's thriving food industry benefits from its strong talent support system. Yangzhou boasts the country's first undergraduate-level higher education institution for culinary studies (the School of Tourism and Culinary Arts at Yangzhou University) and seven other culinary schools, cultivating over 10,000 professionals annually, including 500 high-end culinary talents.

"While 'Taizhou Cuisine' has its share of masters and famous chefs, the overall level of culinary talent needs improvement," stated Liu Xiaomin, Secretary General of the Taizhou Catering Industry Association. "Learning from Yangzhou's experience, we must perfect the vocational education ecosystem for Taizhou's catering industry, focus on chefs as the core, strengthen the entire talent chain including catering management and service, introduce a full-chain education system from secondary vocational to undergraduate levels, and build an army of talents for the 'Taizhou Cuisine' industry as soon as possible. This is urgent."

"The ultimate goal is for Xin Rong Ji College to become the 'Whampoa Military Academy' that produces masters of 'Taizhou Cuisine'," Chen Changsun added.

Bearing the Mission of "Inheritance + Fusion + Innovation" for Taizhou Cuisine

Why name this newly established college "Xin Rong Ji College"?

"The freshest and sweetest flavors are in Taizhou." Represented by Xin Rong Ji, "Taizhou Cuisine" has now gained renown in the capital, become popular in Shanghai, and established a national presence and reputation. Xin Rong Ji catering is hailed as the "ceiling" of the domestic catering industry and has become a signature card for the city of Taizhou.

Xin Rong Ji College is established with Taizhou Vocational & Technical College as the main educational entity, operating as a secondary college model and named after "Xin Rong Ji." The Xin Rong Ji Catering Group contributes its intangible assets (brand) as equity, with Chairman Zhang Yong serving as Honorary Dean. Both the school and enterprise will jointly establish the college's council. Taizhou Vocational & Technical College will appoint personnel to serve as Dean, implementing a dean responsibility system.

Once the college is operational, Xin Rong Ji Catering Group will not only assist in completing the construction of practical training facilities during the transition period and collaborate with the school on researching and formulating professional talent training programs, but also work with the university on curriculum development and various training activities.

Cultivating professional talent is a systematic project. So, how will Xin Rong Ji College train master-level culinary talents?

"The authentic flavor and culture of Taizhou cuisine are a vivid expression of Taizhou's culture and spirit," Chen Changsun said. "The direction for cultivating 'Taizhou chefs' is clear: the integration of cultural inheritance and technical innovation."

He further explained that cultivating "Taizhou chefs" means focusing on the development concepts of nutrition and health, international integration, and cultural inheritance and innovation. This involves building a training system for high-skilled culinary talents in the new era that integrates cultural inheritance, modern innovation, and craftsmanship spirit.

It is understood that in recent years, "Taizhou Cuisine" has begun to shine brilliantly, featuring diverse yet home-style cooking techniques that often incorporate styles from various other culinary traditions. Therefore, Xin Rong Ji College will focus on developing the qualities and abilities of "Taizhou chefs." It will build a curriculum system that integrates cultural heritage with culinary techniques, emphasizes both nutrition/health and modern technology, blends Chinese and Western culinary cultures, and combines professional competence with social needs. The college will conduct diverse thematic research-oriented practical teaching to stimulate students' autonomy, practicality, and innovation.

Cultivating talent requires high-level faculty. It is reported that the college will adopt a "dual-mentor" model, valuing both theoretical research and practical skills. The faculty will consist of both industry master chefs and scholarly experts/professors. Therefore, the teaching team will be composed of highly educated professional teachers, the Xin Rong Ji culinary team, and outstanding chefs from the industry, focusing on integrating research and teaching to cultivate culinary talents capable of integrating production, education, and research.

Simultaneously, keeping pace with international catering and culinary development trends and referring to the assessment and evaluation standards of major international culinary competitions, Xin Rong Ji College will also establish a talent cultivation quality evaluation system that organically integrates and unifies "comprehensive quality assessment," "dual assessment," and "comprehensive practical project design."

According to relevant policies, the "comprehensive quality assessment" encourages students to participate in culinary skills competitions at various levels, social practices, and innovation/entrepreneurship projects. The "dual assessment" is an evaluation mechanism combining national vocational skill level assessment standards with basic culinary skills proficiency tests.

Chen Changsun stated that by delving into cultural connotations, promoting the cultivation of "Taizhou chefs," and accelerating industrial development, Xin Rong Ji College will continuously promote and enhance Taizhou's cuisine and culture.

Building a Base for Cultivating Taizhou Culinary Talent

Xin Rong Ji College is a collaborative effort between Taizhou Vocational & Technical College and Xin Rong Ji, primarily offering three-year higher vocational education programs.

According to Guo Wuyan, Vice President of Taizhou Vocational & Technical College, the college will first offer two majors in the second half of this year: Culinary Arts and Nutrition, and Chinese Pastry Arts, with one class each, totaling 80 students. Subsequently, it will offer two more majors: Western Culinary Arts, and Hotel Management and Digital Operations, also with one class each, totaling another 80 students. Enrollment for 2023-2024 will be through separate examinations. Starting in 2025, it will cooperate with local secondary vocational schools in Taizhou, enrolling students through an integrated secondary-higher vocational education model.

In terms of skills training, in addition to obtaining relevant national academic certificates and vocational qualification certificates, the college will also enable students to obtain various certificates issued by the Catering Industry Association and other bodies. Simultaneously, the college will work with Xin Rong Ji to build a platform for enhancing practical cooking skills, establishing the Taizhou Chef Training and Education Center and the Taizhou Culinary Talent Training Base, offering social services such as technical services, training, and examinations for skill levels and certificates.

It is reported that Xin Rong Ji Catering Group will make all its outlets available as internship sites for students, and the two parties have fully signed various cooperation and management agreements.

The "Taizhou Chef" cultivation project is a long-term and arduous task, and the "Whampoa Military Academy" for training famous Taizhou chefs is certainly worth anticipating.

Translator：Jiayang Lin