VietNamNet Bridge – Vo Quoc, director of the Vietnamese Gastronomy Company, has been selected as the first Vietnamese Culinary Culture Ambassador. However, the selection has stirred up controversy.

To prepare for the World Young Chefs’ Competition in Vietnam in 2013, the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) asked the Saigon Professional Chefs’ Society to choose an outstanding and young chef, who has broad knowledge of Vietnamese gastronomy and is a socialite, as the Ambassador of Vietnamese Gastronomy Culture.

Vo Quoc, director of the Vietnamese Gastronomy Company, has passed many candidates to become the first Ambassador of Vietnamese Gastronomy Culture.

Quoc, 32, graduated from the Saigontourist Tourism – Hotel School. He won the first prize at the Asian Professional Skill Competition 2001. He got a culinary expert certificate of the Asian Chefs’ Association. He is a teacher of Vietnamese gastronomy for staff of foreign embassies in Vietnam. He is the first food stylist of Vietnam, after a six-month course at Raffle Singapore in 2003.

However, the selection has been fiercely objected by the Saigon Professional Chefs’ Association. Mr. Ton That Hoa, Secretary General of the HCM City Tourism Association, said that the selection was only made by the Saigon Young Chefs’ Association and it was not approved by the Saigon Professional Chefs’ Association or the HCM City Tourism Association.

“Vietnam’s host of the World Young Chefs’ Competition has not been confirmed yet. Choosing a culinary culture ambassador is not a big deal but it needs to have the approval of the majority of chefs, not only based on the selection of a club,” Hoa added.

The HCM City Tourism Association has worked with related parties but it has not released its decision. However, Hoa confirmed that the association has not presented the “Vietnamese Culinary Culture Ambassador’ to any chef.

Meanwhile, chef Vo Quoc has not raised his voice over the objection yet.

Compiled by Thanh Van