TCI Alumni Chef Kevin Wong from Meta Restaurant Singapore obtained Michelin Star

A successful Alumni of Taylor’s Culinary Institute, Chef Kevin Wong obtained Michelin Star status.

Chef Kevin’s journey begun with his studies in Diploma in Culinary Arts, followed by Advanced Diploma in Patisserie & Gastronomic Cuisine at Taylor’s University.

He had worked in many well known kitchens ranging from 1 star to 3 stars such as Le Parc Franck Putelat which is a Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, a title awarded by the President for the best craftsmen in France.

Chef Kevin is now the Head Chef de Cuisine of Meta Restaurant, Singapore with 3 Taylor’s Culinary Institute Graduates.

China-ASEAN College Student International Tourism Innovation Competition Winners from Taylor's SHTE

Guilin Tourism University, China and Cambodia-China Investment and Development Group co-hosted an International Tourism Innovation Competition for China-ASEAN college / university students to commemorate the "30th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations". The aim of this competition was to promote the innovation of ASEAN-China higher education exchanges and development of international tourism after the pandemic, as well as creating an ASEAN-China community of shared future. The competition was officially launched on 1st May 2021 and a total of 162 teams from 9 countries including Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam participated in the event.

The School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events (SHTE) was honoured to be invited to join the competition in June 2021 and 2 teams of students from the Bachelor of International Tourism Management (Honours) and the Bachelor of International Tourism Management (Honours) (Events Management) programmes took part in the competition.

The first team – Team MINATIC with the project name “Cambodia-Point” consisted of Kelly Christie, Aurelia Kezia Permata Tjahyadi, Priska Pangestu, and Eiffa Diyana Binti Mohd Ashari. Under the guidance of Dr. Thanam Subramaniam, the team won the First prize with a prize money of 3000 yuan.

The second team - Team Crisscross The Globe with project name “Strategies to Create a Memorable Travel in Cambodia” was mentored by Ms. Caryn Lim and the team of students consisted of Kim Byeol, Ayano Yatsuzuka, Haruka Uehara. This team won a Third Prize and earning the cash prize of 1000 yuan.

The students’ participation in this virtual competition focused on 2 major themes; Creating a Travel Route Design for China-ASEAN cross border health tourism and health care resources between China and ASEAN. The second theme is to create a marketing and operations master plan for Cambodia Coastal City Tourism Resort Special Zone.

The master plan had to include a creative marketing plan that is comprehensive and consider its existing resources, for instance, the coast lines, the beaches, the mangroves, the marine animals, as well as the unique local cultures. Both teams from Taylor’s University selected the second theme and managed to create an impressive marketing and operational plan. All the award-winning teams will receive free access to the online training on innovation and entrepreneurship for college students provided by the committee and will be recommended to participate in the 2022 China "Internet+" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. The winning entries will also be recommended to investors and projects with high commercial value. This is truly and international exposure for the students.

Events Management Students Emerged as Winners in Business & International Sporting Events Challenge

Congratulations to Eventgence Team consisting of Wong Yao Gee, Chong Yuet Yin, Chanel Chai Ker Er Mya, and Loh Yee Hong coached by Ms. Dhiya Hikmahana Abdul Razak, Lecturer, School of Hospitality, Tourism & Events who emerged as Champion in the Business & International Sporting Events Challenge 2021. These four students will be representing Malaysia to compete in the AFECA Asia MICE Youth Challenge 2021 scheduled to take place virtually on the 25th of November 2021.

Eventgence Team was one of the three teams from the School of Hospitality, Tourism & Events (SHTE), consisting of Year 1 and Year 2 students from the Bachelor of International Tourism Management (Honours) (Events Management) programme. These students participated in the virtual Business & International Sporting Events Challenge on 9th September 2021 which was organized by the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) and Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS).

The challenge aimed to provide the students with an opportunity to develop their creativity and present new and unique ideas for the Business Events and International Sporting Event industry. It also provided the opportunity for students to make use of what they learn in school for industry experience by conceptualizing business-testing and organizing business/international sporting events. Furthermore, the challenge provides the students with the fundamentals of bidding process and technical requirements to enable the students to be equipped to research, plan, prepare and present a winning bid.

FourtiFIRE Team consisting of Celine Teh, Lee Wan Kei, Tan Ying Fei, and Tiong Wei Zhi coached by Ms. Ng Wai Yee, Lecturer, School of Hospitality, Tourism & Events also managed to secure the 1st runner-up position with their proposed idea on a hybrid convention ‘Taste with your eyes’ that focuses on food art. By winning the challenge as the 1st runner up, students will be getting the opportunity to intern for a live event organized by MyCEB or MACEOS in 2021/2022.

In addition, Evenew Team consisting of Ting Sze Yie, Mai Takahara, Wee Xuan Ying, and Aishath Shaima Rasheed coached by Ms. Dhiya Hikmahana Abdul Razak, Lecturer, School of Hospitality, Tourism & Events have also done a great job presenting their proposed idea on a hybrid art exhibition.

Each presentation was judged by Ms. Tan Mei Phing, Director, Business Events, MyCEB; Mr. Mohammad Isa Abdul Halim, Director, Marketing & Communications, MyCEB; Ms. Chloe Wen Geng, Sales Manager, MyCEB; Mr. CG Lim, Director of IronMan Malaysia and Dato’ Grace Lee, Managing Director, Milestone Production Sdn. Bhd. Overall, the judges were impressed with the creativity and amount of effort the students put into their proposal and presentation. This is indeed a good exposure for students’ learning experience.