MAGGI® & MOE Kick Off Search for Talented Young Chefs!

The annual MAGGI® Secondary Schools Cooking Competition (MSSCC) returns for its 23^rd consecutive year! A joint initiative by MAGGI® and the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE), this year’s MSSCC raises the bar by incorporating new challenges aimed at inspiring students to embrace Higher Order Thinking Skills. The MSSCC event for 2019 was launched in Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Presint 11 and officiated by Encik Suhaimi Sun bin Abdullah, Deputy Director of Sports and Arts Education Division, Ministry of Education Malaysia.

The theme for MSSCC 2019, ‘You and MAGGI®. Making a positive impact through homemade meals’, 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 amongst Malaysian students. Building on key learnings from the previous year’s editions, MSSCC 2019 will see an enhanced structure as well as new components to elevate the competition.  

Ms. Kimberly Oh, Marketing Manager of MAGGI®, commented, “We are thrilled to once again give young Malaysians the opportunity to demonstrate their culinary prowess through MSSCC! 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. There is also a greater emphasis this year 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.

Encik Suhaimi Sun bin Abdullah, Deputy Director, Co-Curricular and Arts Division, Ministry of Education Malaysia, said, “We welcome collaborative efforts, especially with the private sector, to work hand in hand in nurturing a healthier generation of Malaysians and are pleased to continue this long-standing partnership with MAGGI® to inculcate good eating habits amongst students.”

“We 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 added.

For the Creative Cooking Challenge which takes place during both the State and National levels of the competition, participants are given a collection of ingredients thus challenging these young chef’s creativity in crafting their dishes. Creativity then takes hold, as the young chefs must determine what dishes to create using these ingredients.

This year’s competition also utilises a fresh approach in judging and scoring, whereby students will be assessed based on culinary skills alongside key technical skills such as table setting and plating, Show & Tell presentation, cooking methods as well as nutritional benefits. In addition, students have the opportunity to learn to express themselves by explaining their ideas and inspiration behind their dishes to the judging panel and audience, igniting a passion for cooking through a fun and interactive learning environment.

MAGGI® launched the MSSCC programme in 1997 in line with the aim of nurturing an interest in cooking amongst young Malaysians and promoting good nutrition and cooking habits. To date, over 10,000 schools and nearly 340,000 students have participated in this programme and gained vital knowledge and skills on food, nutrition and healthy eating.

During the event, guests participated in various activities which included interactive displays of the Ministry of Health Malaysia’s Healthy Plate Portion or Suku suku Separuh, 5 Warna Sehari and the Malaysian Food Pyramid. Through these games and activities, participants had the opportunity to unleash their imaginative skills while learning about the importance of good nutrition and balanced diets. Members of the media were also given a chance to test their creativity with two different problem-solving challenges, ‘KREATIF Cooking’ and ‘KREATIF Setting’.

For more information on MSSCC, please visit https://www.maggi.com.my/bm/msscc-2019.

About the MAGGI® Secondary Schools Cooking Competition

The MAGGI® Secondary Schools Cooking Competition was introduced in 1997 with the aim of cultivating an interest in cooking among secondary school students whilst raising awareness on the importance of eating a balanced diet.

The project is collaboration between MAGGI®, the Ministry of Education, Home Economics teachers, the State Technical and Vocational Unit, and the State Education Department’s Co-Curriculum Unit.

Over 340,000 students have competed in the MAGGI® Secondary Schools Cooking Competition since the competition was introduced, where the challenging and exciting format continues to draw participation year after year.

About Nestlé Malaysia

Nestlé is the world’s largest food and beverage manufacturer. Headquartered in Switzerland, Nestlé is present in 189 countries around the world, and our 328,000 employees are committed to Nestlé’s purpose of enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future. Our performance is driven by our Nutrition, Health and Wellness strategy. Since 1912, we have been nourishing Malaysians through our quality brands and products, whilst maintaining our Halal excellence and integrity. This is in line with our promise of delivering GOOD FOOD, GOOD LIFE to all. To learn more about how we have been nourishing Malaysians for over a century, do visit www.nestle.com.my or our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/NestleMalaysia.