GEORGE TOWN – A week after 46 restaurants in Penang were feted for attaining recognition from the food industry’s gold standard bearer Michelin Guide, Penang gave the same honour to some of its famous hawkers.
Some 100 hawkers were proud winners of the LovePenang street food competition, which was held last year for two months.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow presented certificates and cash rewards to the winners here on Monday.
He spoke of how good food has become synonymous with the state, as now more recognition is also going towards hawkers on the mainland here.
Chow said that the competition was the continuation of the LovePenang campaign, which is intended to instil the spirit of unity through various community-driven activities.
“Penang food is unique and original, and its variety allows the state to earn its reputation as the country’s food paradise,” he added.
The event saw the participation of some 1,600 hawkers in a total of 21 food categories, with special attention given to the perennial favourites such as nasi kandar, char koay teow, and hokkien mee.
Each category has three respective winners.
They received RM5,000 for first prize, RM3,000 for the second prize, and RM1,000 for the third prize.
More than 260,000 votes were received by the organiser from more than 120,000 voters who had a hand in selecting the best hawker in their view.
Recently, 46 food establishments were recognised by France-based Michelin, including two outlets with the highly acclaimed one-star rating.
Michelin had announced the first Malaysian restaurants to receive the Michelin Star, as well as the Bib Gourmand award last month. – The Vibes, January 18, 2023
