Kota Kinabalu: The Malaysian Social Entrepreneurs Foundation (MSEF) has brought its flagship Chef Junior Programme to East Malaysia for the first time, marking a new chapter in its nationwide effort to cultivate character, gratitude and life skills through culinary education.
The milestone was commemorated with Sabah’s first Chef Junior Appreciation Banquet, where more than 130 primary school students from eight schools prepared a 10-course banquet for approximately 400 invited guests after nearly a year of structured culinary training.
Advertisement
Malaysian Social Entrepreneurs Foundation (MSEF) President Datuk Tseng Hua Kien said the foundation spent the past five years refining the programme into a proven educational model that schools across Malaysia can adopt.
“We have not merely organised five editions of the Chef Junior Appreciation Banquet, but we have successfully developed a model that schools nationwide can replicate.
“Beginning today, we hope the ‘Chef Junior Recipe of Gratitude’ framework will reach more campuses, enabling more children to learn not only how to cook, but also how to be grateful,” he said in his speech at the banquet, Saturday.
Tseng said MSEF believes cooking is a powerful platform for character education because it teaches children far more than culinary skills.
He explained that the Chef Junior Programme integrates food education, life education and character development, encouraging children to cultivate responsibility, teamwork and gratitude while learning to appreciate food, respect their parents and teachers, and willingly serve others.
“A meal can fill a stomach, but a cooking lesson can transform a child’s life,” he added.
MSEF has invested more than RM3.39 million in the programme since its inception, expanding it to 59 schools nationwide and benefiting approximately 21,000 students.
He said the programme’s expansion to Sabah was more than the organisation of another appreciation banquet.
“We are not simply bringing a banquet to East Malaysia. Instead, we hope this educational philosophy will take root in more schools. These numbers represent more than the programme’s scale — they reflect the growing belief that meaningful education can begin in a kitchen,” he said.
The annual Chef Junior Appreciation Banquet serves as the culmination of nearly a year of practical learning. Since August last year, participating pupils attended weekly Saturday classes at Kian Kok Middle School, where they learned ingredient preparation, knife skills, cooking techniques and teamwork before putting their knowledge into practice by preparing a full banquet for invited guests.
Tseng also highlighted the programme’s unique peer-learning approach – “Big Hands, Little Hands” – in which students from Kian Kok Middle School’s Culinary Arts Programme mentor the younger participants throughout their training.
“While primary school students develop practical culinary skills, the secondary school mentors gain equally valuable experience in leadership, communication, responsibility and service,” he said, adding that this approach reflects MSEF’s belief that education is not merely about imparting knowledge but about growing together through guidance and real-world practice.
This year’s event brought together students from eight schools across Sabah, making it the first large-scale Chef Junior Appreciation Banquet to be held in East Malaysia since the programme was introduced five years ago.
For Tseng, the success of the programme is measured not by the meals prepared, but by the values instilled.
“When children learn to cherish food, appreciate their parents, respect their teachers and willingly serve others, then the true purpose of this programme has been achieved,” he said.
Kian Kok Middle School Board of Directors Chairman Datuk Clement Yeh Chang said the school’s Culinary Arts Programme has become a vital platform for nurturing both practical skills and character among young people.
“Since its inception four years ago, more than 80pc of our graduates have chosen to pursue higher education in culinary-related fields,” he said in his speech, highlighting that vocational education not only equips students with employable skills but also helps them discover meaningful career pathways.
He hoped the Chef Junior Programme would enable students to appreciate the time, patience and effort required to prepare even the simplest meal, and in doing so, recognise the daily sacrifices their parents make to put food on the table for their families.
The event also saw the launch of the “Recipe for Gratitude” handbook for the Chef Junior Gratitude Education Programme, as well as the handing over of the “Chef Junior Appreciation Night” legacy trophy to Penang Chinese Girls’ Private High School.
