Cooking is something far more complex than just putting an egg in boiling water or dropping a steak in a sizzling pan. UTM scholar Benjamin Chen is a passionate advocate of gastronomy’s role in nurturing the body and the mind
UTM Lecturer Mr. Benjamin Chen Kuan Ting is on a mission: to dispel any stereotypes among the general public or his students regarding restaurant chefs.
“Cuisine is not just about cooking; it is about philosophy and thinking about cooking,” he says. The scholar highlights that gastronomy involves not only the taste buds, but also aesthetics. “Every little detail is important.”
He says one stereotype is that a chef’s place is only the kitchen. Mr. Chen however sees the promotion of culinary arts as a noble endeavour.
Popular TV reality shows such as “MasterChef” – that example featuring iconic chef Gordon Ramsay – not only encourage people to cook and eat better but are also a way to stimulate entrepreneurship in the food and drink sector. They also promote important human values of care and respect for the efforts of others, says Mr. Chen.
His own gastronomic philosophy is in part the product of 15 years of experience in the food industry as a chef and consultant. His work experience spans the globe, including stints in Australia and the United States, as well as in Macao and Taiwan. He says such a diverse background has provided him with a unique, creative vision about gastronomy.
Mr. Chen decided to advance his academic knowledge with a Master’s Degree in Food Culture at the National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism in Taiwan, where he eventually began his teaching career. He is now a scholar at UTM’s Faculty of Innovative Hospitality Management.
His research interests are wide-ranging. They include Asian cuisine, cooking of healthy food, menu design, food culture, vocational education in the field of catering, and Western cuisine.
As someone always hungry for knowledge and new skills, Mr. Chen has accumulated more than 30 professional accreditations and similar certifications in the field of food and drink. These include accreditations from highly reputable international educational organisations, ranging from the City & Guilds of London Institute to Silicon Stone Education.
Mr. Chen is now eagerly sharing his knowledge with others. He is a prolific author, having published dozens of professional cookbooks, as well as numerous newspaper and magazine articles.
His role as an educator extends beyond the classroom. He values competitions as a way to help young chefs sharpen their skills. It is common to see him playing the role either of judge or coach to students in such contests. At the “Macau Young Talents Escoffier Competition 2024”, held in January at the Macau University of Science and Technology, he was one of the instructors of the UTM team.
At UTM, Mr. Chen strives to organise off-campus internship programmes and other schemes to enhance students’ professional knowledge and skills. According to him, strengthening the quality of fresh graduates is essential for a labour market hungry for talent but increasingly competitive: to thrive in the culinary world, new professionals must be ready to handle the heat.
Editor: UTM Public Relations Team
