Programme Teaches Cambodian Chefs about Versatility of US Pork, Beef
SINGAPORE - Strengthening its relationship with a key importer while working to increase sales of US pork and beef in Cambodia, USMEF hosted a US meat culinary programme for a team of chefs considered to be leaders in their country’s foodservice industry.The programme, designed for customers of Auskhmer Import and Export Co. and held in Singapore, was funded by the National Pork Board and the Beef Checkoff Program.
According to Sabrina Yin, USMEF director in the ASEAN region, the primary goal was to demonstrate the versatility of US pork and beef to spur interest among key decision makers in the Cambodian market.
"We have been working with Auskhmer since 2012 and while the company mainly sells Australian beef in Cambodia, it has been importing more US red meat," explained Ms Yin. "This is the first time Auskhmer brought a chef team to Singapore, and it was made up of potential US pork and beef customers from well-established restaurants and hotels."
The two-day programme included a general overview of the US red meat industry and opportunities to taste a variety of cuts prepared with different cooking methods. A hands-on session gave the chefs a chance to marinate and cook cuts of US pork and beef.
On Day One, USMEF Culinary Assistant Lawrence Char gave an overview of the US pork industry, focusing on production practices and the advantages of US pork over competitors’ products. A video presentation featured "US Pork-Production and Harvest – a Commitment to Excellence" and "NPB-PORK – One Cut at a Time". Mr Char also covered topics related to food safety.
US pork belly, jowl and St. Louis-style spareribs were the highlights of a cutting and cooking demonstration and then served for lunch.
Samuel Lam, USMEF marketing and communications assistant, shared relevant websites to help participating chefs with menu planning. Lam then gave examples of software programs that help manage portions and control costs.
Each participant was given US pork jowl during the hands-on session to give them a better understanding of the cut and how to prepare with marinade. Ms Yin presented a module titled "Menu Development and Engineering" to give the team of chefs insights into attracting and maintaining customers.
To wrap up the first day, the team took a retail trip to Swiss Butchery, a Singapore-based company that imports US red meat, where chefs saw how US pork and beef are merchandised in Singapore. Dinner was served at Dan Ryan’s Chicago Grill, an American-style steakhouse serving US pork chops and US beef striploin.
The second day of training was focused on US beef with comparisons to competing products. US beef outside skirt, chuck short rib, heel muscle and short plate were the cuts in a cutting and cooking demonstration.
Ms Yin shared ideas about how to promote US pork and beef. The programme concluded with participants cooking the pork jowl they had marinated the previous day.
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