Yangju Holds 2025 Shinsan Market Cooking Contest to Boost Local Commerce
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
Yangju City held the 2025 Nam-myeon urban regeneration “Shinsan Market Cooking Contest” at Korea Culinary Science High School on the 16th to discover signature dishes and revitalize the Shinsan shopping area. Nine teams of local merchants presented dishes reflecting Shinsan’s stories, local image, and customer preferences. A tasting panel of three food experts and five residents judged menu completeness, originality, and locality. Grand prize went to “Matbam Pescotto Cream Spaghetti” (a creamy pesto-like risotto-style pasta using Yangju chestnuts), while the top award featured a five-dish set using regional ingredients like Yangju rice and local makgeolli (Korean rice wine); another standout was “Shinsan Market Flower Pizza” using market-bought tomatoes, spinach, lotus root, and homegrown arugula. Additional awards highlighted dishes such as duck soup, scorched rice with braised pollock, and local-style sundae guk (blood-sausage soup). The city plans follow-up support including promoting and trial-selling winning menus as part of the merchant-led urban regeneration model to strengthen the local economy and merchant skills.
