December 11 - ‘MGM Chef Nic Gastronomusic Fest’ Marked a High Note to Wrap Up 2023’s Gastronomic Extravaganzas

[December 11, 2023] The second edition of “MGM Chef Nic Gastronomusic Fest”, jointly presented by MGM and Chef Nic, offered an unparalleled dining and entertainment mash-up experience to locals and tourists on December 9 and 10 at MGM COTAI, which has welcomed approximately 7,000 participants in two days. Striving for originality and excellence, MGM teamed up with Chef Nic to bring about a stellar line-up of 16 elite chefs from both teams, and curated a “one-bite fine dining” multisensory extravaganza combining a sumptuous feast from 11 international signature cuisines and high-octane music gigs by pop artists from Mainland China and Hong Kong that blew away the audiences. The “fork n’ roll” festival ended the year on a high note, further solidifying the status of Macau as a Creative City of Gastronomy.

“MGM Chef Nic Gastronomusic Fest” is created as a platform for cultural exchange through international cuisines; together with Chef Nic’s team of seven chefs including Danyi Gao, Edward Voon, Beichuan Yang, Domino Dee, Amanda Strang, Hilda Chan, and Chef Nic himself, and nine elite chefs from MGM including Adam Mathis, Yang Dengquan, Homan Tsui, Mario Gil, Sihui Pan, Jefferson Lim, João Costa Casimiro, Bruno Le Francois and Neo Ng. The festival brought in culinary favorites from 11 global dining capitals, in 20 dishes. Guests savored all the trendy eats from around the world in one setting at the event, which showcases the essence of a Creative City of Gastronomy.

The two chef teams displayed manifold dining capacities: the seven star chefs created dishes that embodied some of the world’s most popular flavors, such as Korean, Southeast Asian and paid homage to the French culinary foundation, in the form of reinvented desserts and more. Vegetarian and pescatarian options were available to appeal to a wider audience. On the other hand, MGM’s chef team took charge of Cantonese, Sichuan, Macanese-Portuguese, Filipino, French and Pan-Asian creations. A cuisine that cannot be missed in Macau, the Macanese-Portuguese creation – Roasted Octopus, Grilled Bell Pepper Rice, Sepia Garlic Puree – was one of the highlight dishes among the crowd. Other all-time-favorites were Chef Nic’s Signature Chocolate Mousse Pop, Chef Edward Voon’s Black Pepper Crab Au Gratin, and MGM Chef Homan Tsui’s Braised Beef offal and Wagyu Beef Cheek, to name a few.

Many dishes at the food booths were based on recipes of traditional cooking and re-interpreted by the creative MGM’s chefs and enhanced with quality ingredients. Behind the scenes, the integrated resort had mobilized about 100 team members to come together in order to make this a successful and unique gastronomic event.

Hubert Wang, President and Chief Operating Officer of MGM China Holdings Limited, said, “We are excited to have co-created another year of successful collaboration between MGM and Chef Nic team. Together, we make up a dream team to reinforce Macau as the ‘Creative City of Gastronomy’. This is another endeavor of MGM to continue positioning ourselves as a pioneer in cultural tourism, creating original and diverse entertainment offerings to appeal to both locals and international travelers. We look forward to surprising our customers and partners by coming up with more innovative and crossover initiatives in the areas of gastronomy and entertainment.”

Nicholas Tse said, “Four years ago, MGM made my dream of putting my two passions together a reality, with the amazing venue, and professional teams that they have. I am more than thrilled that we have the same vision and acquired taste for different forms of art in life. This time around, we are making the gastronomic component more interesting, so that together, we showcase the possibility of diversified culinary offerings that we can make happen.”

MGM Chef Nic Gastronomusic Fest was pleasing to the audiences’ taste buds and their ears: headlined by Nicholas Tse’s high-octane rock ‘n’ roll performance, alongside with Chinese rock band Tarzan, pop stars Hailey Liu and Young Cao from Mainland; Hong Kong band Dear Jane, pop singers Edmond Leung and Gin Lee, heartthrobs Panther Chan and MC Cheung, and girl group XiX warmed up the crowd as the opening act. The impressive lineup, each of unique style, put an electro spin on the rousing party in a high-energy atmosphere for an all-rounded experience that appealed to the five senses.

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About MGM

MGM is an abbreviation for MGM China Holdings Limited (HKEx: 2282) and is a leading developer, owner and operator of gaming and lodging resorts in the Greater China region. We are the holding company of MGM Grand Paradise, SA which holds one of the six gaming concessions to run casino games in Macau. MGM Grand Paradise, SA owns and operates MGM MACAU, the award-winning premium integrated resort located on the Macau Peninsula and MGM COTAI, a contemporary luxury integrated resort in Cotai, which opened in early 2018 and more than doubles our presence in Macau.

MGM MACAU is a Forbes Five-Star luxury integrated resort inspired by the arts with every element of the resort infused with creativity and style. MGM MACAU has approximately 600 guest rooms and suites and boasts a number of distinguishing features, including the architecturally stunning European-inspired Grande Praça, housed under a soaring glass ceiling. MGM MACAU’s world class facilities include the MGM Art Space, dedicating over 5,000 square feet to display authentic works of art, conference and event facilities, spa, and seven signature restaurants and bars to fulfill any gastronomic craving. Our property is conveniently located on the Macau Peninsula and is directly connected to the luxury retail shopping complex, One Central.

MGM COTAI is the latest integrated resort of MGM in China. Designed as the “jewelry box” of Cotai, it offers approximately 1,400 hotel rooms and suites, Asia’s first dynamic theater, meeting space, high end spa, retail offerings and food and beverage outlets as well as the first international Mansion at MGM for the ultimate luxury experience. The Spectacle at MGM COTAI becomes the record holder of the largest free-span gridshell glazed roof (self-supporting) on January 19, 2019, making it the first architectural and structural GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for Macau, China. MGM COTAI is being developed to drive greater product diversification and bring more advanced and innovative forms of entertainment to Macau as it grows as a global tourist destination. MGM COTAI is the only mega complex and hotel in Macau to gain three-star certification in both Green Building Design and Operation Label, as well as the first hotel in the Greater Bay Area and second in Greater China to receive the certifications.

MGM China is majority owned by MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) one of the world's leading global hospitality companies, operating a portfolio of destination resort brands including Bellagio, ARIA, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and Park MGM. For more information about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company's website at www.mgmresorts.com.

About Chef Nic

Founded in 2015, Chef Nic is a multi-faceted gourmet lifestyle concept personally led by Nicholas Tse, with a vision of “creating experiences, not just food.” Since its inception, Chef Nic has amplified the concept of “taste” and created a whole new universe of gastrono-lifestyle. Quality, consistency, safety are the brand’s core principles for its subsidiaries Chef Nic, Chef Nic Pi, collaborations with Xinhua Premium and Chef Nic Family.

Chef Nic is dedicated to bridging Eastern and Western culinary cultures and creating high quality innovative products such as Chef Nic Cookies, Parma Ham Mooncakes, Dumplings with Edible Flowers etc.; while Chef Nic Pi is committed to creating delicacies while spreading positive philosophies of life with widely popular products such as Roasted Pork Sausages, Pastas and Spam etc.

Being the first designated brand to collaborate with Xinhua Premium, a subsidiary of Xinhua News Agency’s, Chef Nic x Xinhua Premium collaborations showcase traditional “China Chic” gourmet in reimagined ways, while supporting the revitalization of rural industries, helping local delicacies to gain global recognition, further putting Chinese cuisines on the world culinary map.

Chef Nic unites people through food, a universal language. It bridges the culture from the East and the West, allowing foodies from all over the world to experience “the widest spectrum of taste within the shortest distance.” The brand further expands its culinary footprint by collaborating with various renowned brands and diversifying its product range. Notable partnerships include but not limited to century-old legacy Lee Kum Kee, Sheung Wan On Kee, McDonald’s, and Coca-Cola. Innovations even go beyond the culinary horizons and into the world of smart living, having joined forces with Xiaomi to launch an induction cooker for a convenient and effortless cooking experience.

In terms of content matrix, the brand continues expansion with the Chef Nic travelogues, variety shows, “Walk with Chef Nic’ AND ‘People’s Palate’” docuseries. Leveraging on its well-established multi-channel network with extensive coverage, delectable moments and culinary stories from cultures all around the world can be shared on all Chef Nic’s major social platforms, including Sina Weibo, Wechat, Douyin, Tencent Video, iQiyi, Youku, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

Chef Nic’s Gastronomusic Fest is a unique immersive experience of gastronomy and music, combining the best of entertainment, music, food and drink. This star-studded “fork’n roll” festival is set to roll out in various locations around the world in the near future.

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