On 29 April 2021, the Government of Japan announced the foreign recipients of the Reiwa 3 Spring Conferment of Decorations. The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays has been conferred on Mr. Yeung Koon Yat, Managing Director of Forum Restaurant and Mr. Wan Tat Kong, Great Master of China Cooking Culture, in recognition of their contribution to promoting the export of Japanese food to Hong Kong. Details are as follows:
Conferment: The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays
Major accomplishment: Contributed to promoting the export of Japanese food to Hong Kong. Details of the recipients are listed below.
Mr. Yeung Koon Yat is managing the Forum Restaurant specializing in abalones, which was established in 1977. It is a high-end Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong that is rated by Michelin every year.
Mr. Yeung Koon Yat is also a leading researcher on how to cook dried abalone and known as "Abalone King". He has considered that Japanese abalone is of high quality even when dried due to its good habitat, especially the ones from Iwate prefecture's Yoshihama, Aomori prefecture's Oma and Chiba prefecture's Oami. Since the opening of the restaurant, he has been using Japanese abalones. He is also selling them at retail stores for general consumers, making a significant contribution to the recognition of Japanese seafood by Hong Kong citizens.
After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, Mr. Yeung Koon Yat was worried about the impact on the production of Japanese abalones. In 2019, with the support of the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong and the Miyagi Prefectural Office, he sent his restaurant staff, etc to Miyagi prefecture. In Miyagi, they had exchanged their views with local producers and manufacturing companies, and informed them of their determination to continue to use Sanriku produced abalone. Mr. Yeung Koon Yat has thus been contributing to the reconstruction efforts of the Sanriku area, and has been contributing to promoting the export of Japanese food to Hong Kong.
Mr. Wan Tat Kong has been a chef in Chinese cuisine for about 40 years in Japan and Canada. In 1988, he became an expert chef, which is the highest-ranked Chinese cuisine chef in the Chinese national qualifications. From 2015, at the Japan Pavilion of the Hong Kong Food Expo, which is the largest food exhibition and sales event in East Asia, Mr. Wan Tat Kong has organized cooking demonstrations using Japanese food items, appealing for "Japanese food items for Chinese cuisine". In addition, he has actively been engaged with the Japanese local governments, such as giving advice to those promoting their products in Hong Kong. In 2018, he was appointed as the Aomori prefecture "A! Premium" Food Product PR Ambassador and was awarded Foreign Minister's Commendation in recognition for his contribution to Japan-Hong Kong relations through food.
Mr. Wan Tat Kong has also been actively appearing in the Hong Kong media, introducing Japanese food items. Making the most of his rich experience with Japanese food culture, he has been continuously creating Chinese dishes using food items from Japan on his own, and has been contributing to promoting the export of Japanese food to Hong Kong.
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