Shih Chien University Takes the Helm at the [Water Garden Organic Farmers' Market Fiber Food Banquet], Inviting Supporters to Taste Healthy, Truly Delicious Food

World-class Hospitality Department x Purely Organic Farmers Market

Shih Chien University Takes the Helm: [Water Garden Organic Farmers Market Light Food Banquet] Invites the Public to Taste True Healthy Deliciousness

(September 20, 101 ROC [2012], Taipei News) After winning the 2012 World Young Chef Championship from the French Chef Association, the Department of Hospitality Management at Shih Chien University has taken a further step toward delicious creations in organic healthy cuisine, directly cooperating with the Water Garden Organic Farmers Market, formed mainly by farmers from the original NTU Organic Farmers Market and the Taipei Yuanhuan Energy Market, using the market's organic ingredients as a foundation, launching organic recipes by season, and holding the Organic Market Light Food Banquet Fair on October 6, the first day of the market's official operation, inviting friends who care about their own and their family's health, support organic small farmers, and support the restoration of vitality to Taiwan's land to join in supporting and tasting.

For a small donation starting at 300 yuan, each supporter can receive the debut recipe specially designed for the market by the Department of Hospitality Management at Shih Chien University, a famous culinary school whose young chef won a world championship, and taste healthy delicacies based on the market's organic ingredients, allowing the public to let their families enjoy healthy, loving ingredient dishes by season. For detailed event information, please refer to the event webpage: http://www.ustart.biz/event/vegan-fest-20121003/ and join the market fan page http://www.facebook.com/organicfarmersmarket

Yang Chiung-hua, chair of the Department of Hospitality Management at Shih Chien University, said that the foundation of top-level delicious cuisine is returning to simplicity, moving from knife skills, heat control, seasoning, and plating color coordination back to a dialogue among ingredients, the earth, and producers. We believe that sincerely organic farmers and pure land can cultivate clean and vital healthy ingredient crops, and healthy, pure ingredients are an important key to top-level cuisine. We are very happy to have this opportunity for teacher Huang Ju-hui from our department to lead students in cooperating with the farmers of the Water Garden Organic Farmers Market, using the fresh organic ingredients provided by the farmers as a foundation to develop ten carefully designed recipes, and to hold this uniquely conceived organic market light food banquet event, hoping to invite more friends to respond together in support of these sincerely organic farmer friends.

The Water Garden Organic Farmers Market was originally mainly a group of farmers belonging to the NTU Organic Farmers Market, together with carefully selected organic farmer friends from all over the country who are especially dedicated and distinctive, and with the assistance and guidance of the Taipei Water Department, they jointly established and cultivated the "Water Garden Organic Farmers Market" at the Water Curtain Garden Plaza of the Taipei Water Park.

Market participants include many distinctive organic small farmers from various places, including the on-site organic small farmer Pinglin Organic Tea Shifang Organic Farm, Jiujiu Peak Top Organic Asparagus run by Qiu Shun-nan, who went from China Steel engineer to asparagus expert, Songye Garden Organic Natural Farm run by Liang Hsiao-ling, who left medicine for farming, Top Organic Emperor Banana from Liu Huang-pin, who went from career soldier to banana expert, top organic pineapple from a pineapple expert who refused a mainland order at double the price, Lohas Organic Farm run by an English teacher turned farmer, the simple honest Ma Ching-kung who switched from Advanced Semiconductor Engineering to organic jujubes and guavas, Eugene Organic Farm jointly cultivated by assembled international volunteers, He Hsin-le Organic Farm Red Dragon Fruit in the natural spring area of Zhuangwei, Yilan, Da Luolan Organic Farm that once sold out in one hour at NTU, Gengmutian Organic Farm run by English cram school teacher Tseng Wei-ti who switched to organic agriculture, Chulu Organic Coffee Garden irrigated with deep ocean water, Wanyi Organic Farm carefully selected by the Pingtung Banana Research Institute, Qingxinyuan Organic Farm specializing in cucumbers, Tianyuan Organic Farm specializing in organic lotus root and mango, Canaan Land Organic Farm of the Shih Chien Church Organic Village, Datong Organic Farm, Peifang Organic Farm, etc.

Wang Tsan-yuan, long-time lead volunteer of the market and chair of the LifeNEXT Cultural Exploration Association, said that in the initial stage, all expenses for market operations were jointly funded by the farmers, and now some friends have begun to support regularly, for which we are very grateful. However, because it has just started, its visibility has not yet fully opened up, and the farmers come to the market from all over the country every time regardless of wind, rain, sun, or heat; for some farmers, each time after deducting losses from sales, they may even fail to make ends meet. Therefore, we hope that more friends who care about health and support organic and natural farming methods can come to the market, which is why we asked Shih Chien University to take the helm and hold the organic market light food banquet to raise market promotion funds, while also calling on all friends who care about health and organic ecology and natural agriculture to personally witness the healthy deliciousness of organic food.

This is the story of a group of farmers changing Taiwan through natural farming friendly to the earth. And the end of the NTU Organic Farmers Market is the beginning of this story. When Taipei's only organic farmers market closed, it meant that a community linking land, ecology, farmers, and the dining table would brew a deeper force. The farmers stood up by their own strength and, at the tap water garden in the NTU Gongguan commercial district, rebuilt a strikingly new organic cultural market.

The market gathered sincerely excellent organic farmers from all over Taiwan and established the only farmers cultural market in the greater Taipei area that insists on purely organic produce. Each has their own persistence and dedication to farming methods, and many offer rare distinctive organic ingredients that are currently hard to find in general mass channels. The establishment of the market is precisely to meet more friends who cherish health, ecology, land, and local agriculture, and to jointly build a market community supporting sustainable agriculture and healthy ingredients.

In order to promote healthy and organic concepts, the market promotion team drew up a series of activities, including the Water Garden Organic Light Food Carnival, water resource environmental education, small farmer story lectures, and the "International Water Dance Festival" combining ecology and dance performance.

Media Contact:

Professor Huang Ju-hui, Department of Hospitality Management, Shih Chien University 0939871829

Water Garden Organic Farmers Market volunteers Lin Po-hu 0938322844 Su Yung-ju 0938323067

Water Garden Organic Farmers Market http://www.facebook.com/organicfarmersmarket

Event webpage http://www.ustart.biz/event/vegan-fest-20121003/