Quest for hotpot qualification heats up

Chongqing hotpot enjoys global recognition as well. Customs statistics from last year show that Chongqing hotpot spicy soup base products were sold in 22 countries and regions, with an average of 900 metric tons exported annually.

Local brands such as Liuyishou, Dezhuang, Little Swan and Qin Ma have opened more than 200 hotpot restaurants in over 20 countries and regions worth some $228 million. Cai said that in order to come up with an occupational proposal for hotpot chefs last year, the bureau worked with a variety of associations and companies in Chongqing for years, conducting discussions and research.

"With the standardization of training and occupational identification, the sector is opening itself up to a big opportunity to develop and grow, both at home and abroad," Cai said.

To maintain high-quality development, the bureau listed "hotpot chef" as a regional featured occupation and started training prospective chefs in 2015. Some 60,000 people have obtained a vocational competence certificate for hotpot making, and Chongqing has held two national and nine regional hotpot vocational skills competitions so far.

Cai said they will try to obtain an occupational development qualification for hotpot chefs, and transform it from a municipal to a national standard. The process is expected to take one or two years.

Wang, the hotpot expert, said, "I believe becoming a hotpot chef will be a new choice for many people in the catering industry in the future, and the sector's development will be more orderly."