October 17 - MGM and Chef Nic Fire Up the Third Edition of ‘MGM Chef Nic Gastronomusic Fest’

[October 17, Macau] — MGM proactively curates a year-round calendar of entertainment mega events that showcases great creativity and originality. MGM and Nicholas “Chef Nic” Tse are bringing the “MGM Chef Nic Gastronomusic Fest” back for its third edition, taking place on November 30 and December 1 at MGM COTAI, following the festival’s highly lauded previous runs. Multi-hyphenated artist Nicholas “Chef Nic” Tse is leading his team of chefs in an exchange of culinary skills with MGM’s celebrity chefs to present more than 20 new culinary delights to audiences. Nine pop singers from the Hong Kong SAR, South Korea and Thailand will also be lighting up the festival stage, creating an entertaining and multi-sensorial experience that stimulates the palate, audio and visual senses for local and international festival attendees, while demonstrating the charm of Macau as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

This two-day outdoor rock music festival features five hours of festivities each day, and has a special pop-up in-store, from two famous Southeast Asian eateries, Singapore’s Keng Eng Kee (KEK) Seafood and Thailand’s popular dessert parlor After You. The world-class restaurant KEK Seafood was ranked on 2021’s Asia’s “50 Best Restaurants – Essence of Asia” list and was also recommended for nine consecutive years on the Michelin Guide. Their famous Signature Chili Crab, which was showcased on the Neftlix documentary “Street Food: Asia”, will be brought to Macau for the first time at the Chef Nic Gastronomusic Fest. Additionally, the viral dessert cafe After You with a devoted fan following will be serving up a tempting array of novel renditions of Thai-style desserts. Their signature “Milk Bun”, which retails an annual average of 1.2 million boxes in Thailand; keep an eye out for a potential new flavor to be introduced at the festival, in addition to the already popular original flavor available in Hong Kong.

Nicholas Tse will be leading a team of six chefs: Danyi Gao, champion of the Chef Nic “Feng Wei” culinary competition in 2017 and Beichuan Yang, one of the four top chefs on the show; Edward Voon, who was listed on the UK’s Restaurant Magazine as “Top 10 Most Innovative Chef”; Domino Dee, the Western cuisine chef who embraces healthy and clean cuisines; Amanda S., with her talent in creating innovative French-Japanese desserts, and Hilda Chan, the rising chef on the radar of Hong Kong’s gourmet industry. They will be collaborating with MGM’s elite culinary team, including: Tiago Filipe Coelho Reis, Chef de Cusine of Grill 58; Sihui Pan, Chef de Cuisine of Aji; Yim Chan Tam, Executive Chef of Chinese Cuisine at MGM COTAI and at the helm of Chún, and Homan Tsui, Executive Chef of Chinese Cuisine at MGM MACAU and at the helm of the “Black Pearl One-Diamond Restaurant” Imperial Court. With their distinctive and exceptional culinary skills, these chefs will be fusing diverse culinary elements from across the globe, presenting unique gastronomic delights that promise to wow with every bite.

As a multi-sensorial, genre-defying outdoor cultural extravaganza of music, leisure and gastronomy, the Chef Nic Gastronomusic Fest promises to indulge attendees in a dazzling array of cuisines and experience the integration of creativity with delicacy on their tastebuds, and at the same time, gathers an exciting line-up of Asian pop singers to fire up the early winter of Macau with their rock and roll performances. Besides Chef Nic himself, there is also Hallyu queen Jessica Jung, Thai pop duo SCRUBB from the mega-hit drama “2gether”, as well as Hong Kong stars Tyson Yoshi, Gin Lee, Jeffrey Ngai, Yan Ting, JACE, Cloud Wan, and emerging girl group girl group VIVA. These top ten performers will be providing non-stop musical entertainment to attendees, and are sure to turn this festival into a smash-hit.

Hubert Wang, President and Chief Operating Officer of MGM China Holdings Limited, stated, “Rooted in our shared vision of ‘Creativity + Innovation,’ MGM collaborates with Chef Nic for the third time to present again the ‘MGM Chef Nic Gastronomusic Fest’. This trendy, genre-defying and multi-sensorial cultural IP extravaganza fully leverages on Macau as an interactive platform for diverse cultural exchange, which brings international gastronomy and musical culture to the city. While it attracts individuals from all over the globe to visit Macau, this event is also positioned to further elevate our city’s two golden calling cards of ‘Creative City of Gastronomy’ and ‘City of Performing Arts.’”

Headliner and star chef Nicholas “Chef Nic” Tse said, “In the blink of an eye, the Chef Nic Gastronomusic Fest has come to its third edition. Each time, I hope to outdo our previous run by infusing novel elements and exploring different dimensions of culture and

creativity, giving all our attendees a pleasurable and unforgettable experience. I hope that the Chef Nic Gastronomusic Fest will become a platform for encouraging exploration and innovation, and become a cultural icon in the city of Macau.”

The Chef Nic Gastronomusic Fest will take place from 30 November to 1 December on MGM COTAI’s first-floor podium. Tickets go on sale from 21 October on MGM’s official website, with prices starting from MOP888. For more information, please visit https://www.mgm.mo/en/cotai/entertainment/gastronomusicfest2024.

Event information:

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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Chef Nic