Maggi secondary schools contest returns for 23rd year
KUCHING: The annual Maggi Secondary Schools Cooking Competition returns for the 23rd year with new challenges aimed at inspiring students to embrace Higher Order Thinking Skills.
A joint initiative by Maggi and the Ministry of Education, the 2019 event was launched at SMK Agama Putrajaya Presint 11 in Putrajaya on Wednesday by ministry sports and arts education division deputy director Suhaimi Sun Abdullah.
“We are pleased to continue this long-standing partnership with Maggi to inculcate good eating habits amongst students and are confident that the new and exciting elements will further inspire the students to embrace Higher Order Thinking Skills and provide a strong platform to enable them to grow their capabilities,” he said.
Themed ‘You and Maggi. Making a positive impact through homemade meals’, the competition focuses on offering young chefs a fun and competitive platform to showcase their skills in creating wholesome home-cooked meals, as well as cultivating a love of cooking.
“Unlike previous years where students would create dishes based on pre-determined recipes, this year’s competition kicks off with the Creative Cooking Challenge, requiring students to tap into their creativity and problem-solving skills right from the onset,” Maggi marketing manager Kimberly Oh said in a press release.
She said there is also a greater emphasis on presentation and communication skills, as the students must present their recipes and dishes they create.
“In tandem with this, we continuously strive to impart the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle through good nutrition. This ties back to our brand purpose of creating good food moments for individuals and families,” she added.
For the Creative Cooking Challenge, which takes place during both the state and national level, participants are given a collection of ingredients to craft their dishes.
Students will be assessed based on culinary and key technical skills such as table setting and plating, ‘Show & Tell’ presentation, cooking methods, as well as nutritional benefits.
They will have the opportunity to learn to express themselves by explaining their ideas and inspiration behind their dishes to the judging panel and audience.