'Diamond' Awards Recognize Taiwanese Restaurants Serving Quality US Beef
TAIWAN - Recognizing restaurants in Taiwan that serve US beef while encouraging others to do the same, USMEF established an awards program that complements the world-renowned Michelin Guide.
30 April 2018
3 minute read
The first USMEF Diamond Plus Precious Gourmet Selection awards ceremony, funded by the Beef Checkoff Program, honored 27 restaurants that demonstrated "the spirit of dependable and faithful partners who support US beef products and promise to provide high-quality US beef cuisine to Taiwanese consumers," said Davis Wu, USMEF director in Taiwan.
"This year, the Michelin Guide officially arrived on Taiwan’s dining scene to announce their 'star' restaurants in Taipei, and while the media and consumers were paying close attention to that, we took advantage by launching Diamond Plus Precious," explained Mr Wu.
"The results were exactly what we were hoping for – restaurant and foodservice operators learned of our new awards program and began contacting us for details on how to participate."
Evaluation of candidates for the Diamond Plus Precious award was performed by experts selected by USMEF. The judges dined at restaurants, considering presentation, aroma and taste of US beef dishes – which accounted for 60 per cent of the restaurant’s final score. Culinary creativity in using US beef accounted for the remaining 40 per cent. Five styles of restaurants were evaluated in separate categories: burgers, beef bowls, barbecue, hot pot and steak.
For a restaurant to qualify as a Diamond Plus Precious selection, it must meet three requirements:
In the inaugural Diamond Plus ceremony, Chen Jia-Jun, deputy chef of Just Grill at Regent Taipei, prepared dishes from all five restaurant categories, using a variety of US beef cuts to demonstrate their versatility.
The Diamond Plus Precious program is the latest in a series of promotions USMEF has conducted in Taiwan to put US beef in the forefront of the country’s growing food culture. In 2015, USMEF presented "Beef Bowl Month" and followed that in 2016 with the "Barbecue Month" promotion. "Hot Pot Season" was a major push in 2017 and this year the "Steaklicious US Beef Steak Month" is being rolled out.
"We’ve cooperated with about 100 restaurants for each event and now there are more than 700 outlets using US beef," said Mr Wu.
Media response to the new award was significant, including 33 online news reports, five food blogger reviews and five newspaper articles. One example of the coverage can be found here.
Looking to the future, Mr Wu said 20 restaurants will be chosen each year for the Diamond Plus Precious Gourmet Selection award. A Diamond Plus Precious Gourmet Guide is also in the works, so that consumers can easily find their favorite US beef restaurants in Taiwan.
"The recognition will encourage Taiwanese restaurants to use high-quality US beef and describe the cuts more clearly on their menus," said Mr Wu. "It will also provide consumers with a clear and accessible way to learn about US beef restaurants and choose their favorites. When a consumer sees the Diamond Plus Precious logo, they know they will enjoy the delicious taste of Diamond Plus Precious US beef."
Following a record year in which US beef exports to Taiwan topped $400 million for the first time, the market is showing no signs of a slowdown in 2018. Through February, exports were 25 per cent ahead of last year’s pace in volume (8,106 metric tons) and 42 per cent in value ($78.2 million).
Chilled exports soared 53 per cent in volume (3,800 metric tons) and 61 per cent in value ($48 million) with the US capturing 72 per cent of Taiwan’s chilled beef market – the highest market share of any Asian destination.
TheCattleSite News Desk
