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Bon Appétit! U.S. Beef Goes Haute Cuisine in Taipei

Published: Sep 19, 2008

Bon Appétit! U.S. Beef Goes Haute Cuisine in Taipei

Rarely has Taipei seen so many celebrities in one place, and what drew them was U.S. beef haute cuisine. Executive chefs in their tall chef hats, representatives from Taipei’s five-star hotels, gourmet journalists, bloggers and fine restaurateurs crowded this week’s USMEF beef seminar, eager to learn the secrets of U.S. beef in French nouvelle cuisine demonstrated by renowned chefs Francois Parveau from the Institute Paul Bocuse, Vincent Jen from Le Cordon Bleu and Eddie Chen from the National Kaohsiung Hospitality College (KHC).

Seminar participants were eager to learn more about underutilized U.S. beef cuts

Three master chefs cooked U.S. beef dishes before the eyes of this who’s who gathering from Taipei’s restaurant scene. U.S. chuck eye roll, which surged in sales here following the reopening of the South Korean market to U.S. beef in S. Korea, is poised to displace some of the high-priced Asian cuts like short rib and ribeye in high-end hotels and trend-setting restaurants. U.S. beef chuck flap tail is also set to appear on fine-dining menus after Chef Vincent introduced it and cooked it in a mouth-watering dish.

Chefs teaching chefs is an integral part of USMEF’s worldwide strategy, and seminars peopled by such trendsetters is an ideal opportunity to spread the message of the quality of U.S. beef. In support of the quality message, USMEF-Taiwan provided participants with specially tailored materials detailing the U.S. inspection system and just why Taiwanese customers can trust U.S. beef.

“By working with partner celebrity chefs in cooking demonstrations, we can showcase U.S. beef in diversified cuisines and recipes and provide participating chefs with a wealth of U.S. beef creations,” said USMEF-Taiwan Director Davis Wu. “We are focused on working with key opinion leaders, such as ‘super-hit’ bloggers, to give them a greater appreciation for U.S. beef’s finer points.”

To further reassure key opinion leaders, USMEF held a press conference at SunYan Teppenyaki on Sept. 18 that was well-attended by journalists, photographers and Taipei’s all-important internet bloggers. USMEF chefs paired U.S. beef with seasonal seafood in innovative and delicious dishes to give the attendees a sample of what can be done with U.S. beef.

USMEF strategy is to build on the competitive advantage of U.S. beef to continue the growth in its share of the import market. According to Taiwanese customs statistics, U.S. beef was the market leader by value: Taiwan imported $91.7 million worth of U.S. beef in the first eight months of 2008, a 64 percent increase over the prior year. 

FAS Plans September Philippine Symposium in Washington

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) in Manila will conduct a “Symposium on the Philippines: ‘The New Gateway to East Asia for U.S. Agribusinesses,’” in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 29, 2008.

The symposium’s speakers will cover the following topics:

  • The Philippine advantage and trading environment in East Asia
  • The ASEAN free trade agreements and trade agreements with East Asia
  • Philippine special economic zones as the staging area and hub
  • Best agri-food and agri-industrial product prospects for East Asia
  • Opportunities for technology transfer and complementary investments for infrastructures  

For information, email agmanila@usda.gov. More details and a registration form are online.

Bon Appétit! U.S. Beef Goes Haute Cuisine in Taipei

Rarely has Taipei seen so many celebrities in one place, and what drew them was U.S. beef haute cuisine. Executive chefs in their tall chef hats, representatives from Taipei’s five-star hotels, gourmet journalists, bloggers and fine restaurateurs crowded this week’s USMEF beef seminar, eager to learn the secrets of U.S. beef in French nouvelle cuisine demonstrated by renowned chefs Francois Parveau from the Institute Paul Bocuse, Vincent Jen from Le Cordon Bleu and Eddie Chen from the National Kaohsiung Hospitality College (KHC).

Seminar participants were eager to learn more about underutilized U.S. beef cuts

Three master chefs cooked U.S. beef dishes before the eyes of this who’s who gathering from Taipei’s restaurant scene. U.S. chuck eye roll, which surged in sales here following the reopening of the South Korean market to U.S. beef in S. Korea, is poised to displace some of the high-priced Asian cuts like short rib and ribeye in high-end hotels and trend-setting restaurants. U.S. beef chuck flap tail is also set to appear on fine-dining menus after Chef Vincent introduced it and cooked it in a mouth-watering dish.

Chefs teaching chefs is an integral part of USMEF’s worldwide strategy, and seminars peopled by such trendsetters is an ideal opportunity to spread the message of the quality of U.S. beef. In support of the quality message, USMEF-Taiwan provided participants with specially tailored materials detailing the U.S. inspection system and just why Taiwanese customers can trust U.S. beef.

“By working with partner celebrity chefs in cooking demonstrations, we can showcase U.S. beef in diversified cuisines and recipes and provide participating chefs with a wealth of U.S. beef creations,” said USMEF-Taiwan Director Davis Wu. “We are focused on working with key opinion leaders, such as ‘super-hit’ bloggers, to give them a greater appreciation for U.S. beef’s finer points.”

To further reassure key opinion leaders, USMEF held a press conference at SunYan Teppenyaki on Sept. 18 that was well-attended by journalists, photographers and Taipei’s all-important internet bloggers. USMEF chefs paired U.S. beef with seasonal seafood in innovative and delicious dishes to give the attendees a sample of what can be done with U.S. beef.

USMEF strategy is to build on the competitive advantage of U.S. beef to continue the growth in its share of the import market. According to Taiwanese customs statistics, U.S. beef was the market leader by value: Taiwan imported $91.7 million worth of U.S. beef in the first eight months of 2008, a 64 percent increase over the prior year. 

FAS Plans September Philippine Symposium in Washington

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) in Manila will conduct a “Symposium on the Philippines: ‘The New Gateway to East Asia for U.S. Agribusinesses,’” in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 29, 2008.

The symposium’s speakers will cover the following topics:

  • The Philippine advantage and trading environment in East Asia
  • The ASEAN free trade agreements and trade agreements with East Asia
  • Philippine special economic zones as the staging area and hub
  • Best agri-food and agri-industrial product prospects for East Asia
  • Opportunities for technology transfer and complementary investments for infrastructures  

For information, email agmanila@usda.gov. More details and a registration form are online.