2025.10.17-10-19，Suzhou International Expo Center
Introduction of China Cuisine Association
China Cuisine Association (CCA), founded in April 1987, is the nationwide trade association for China’s catering industry. Established with the approval of the relevant state authorities and registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, CCA is a voluntary, cross-sector and cross-ownership organization that unites enterprises, institutions, industry bodies, social groups, restaurateurs, scholars, and culinary professionals engaged in restaurant operations and management, culinary arts, food service, gastronomic culture, hospitality education, culinary theory, and food-and-nutrition research.
With members spanning the globe, CCA’s specialized committees for snacks, restaurants, hot-pot, group catering, and prepared meals bring together China’s leading foodservice chains—Yum China (KFC, Pizza Hut), Golden Arch (McDonald’s), Quanjude, Haidilao, Luckin Coffee, Dadong, Xin Rong Ji, Qianxihe—and the state guesthouses of every province and municipality, together with national and international five-star hotel groups. It also counts major industry partners such as Unilever, Lee Kum Kee, Nestlé, and Xuetian Salt among its affiliates.
National-level flagship industry events and forums
Each year, the China Cuisine Association stages a suite of premier, nationwide forums and industry-development events that have been designated key projects under the Ministry of Commerce’s guidance and support program. These signature initiatives include:
- China Catering Industry Development Conference
- China International Catering Industry Expo
- China International Group-Catering Industry Development Conference
- China Fast-Food Industry Conference
- China Hot-Pot Industry Development Conference
- Chinese Folk Cuisine Industry Development Conference
- China Casual Dining Forum
- China Snack Festival
- “Chinese Cuisine” Arts Festival
Ministry of Commerce’s “Chinese Gourmet Gala” – China Chefs Festival
Launched by the Ministry of Commerce and organized by the China Cuisine Association, the China Chefs Festival has, for 34 consecutive years, served as the flagship national event within the Chinese Gourmet Gala. Widely dubbed “the Olympics for Chinese chefs” and “the Canton Fair of the restaurant industry,” the festival assembles the world’s premier culinary resources, creating China’s premier platform for industry exchange and collaboration. It showcases the pinnacle of Chinese culinary artistry, provides restaurants with a streamlined procurement and deal-making corridor, and partners with global “World Gourmet Cities” to advance China’s standing on the world culinary stage.
The 34th China Chefs Festival and 2025 China Culinary and Catering Expo
In response to the State Council’s call to accelerate the growth of the catering economy and trade events—and with the full backing of the Suzhou Municipal Government—the 34th China Chefs Festival and the 2025 China Culinary & Catering Expo will expand to an unprecedented scale.
• Worldchefs Asia Presidents Forum – making its China debut in Suzhou, bringing together the presidents of more than 20 national chefs’ associations, top restaurateurs and culinary masters from around the globe for an international cooking competition and a series of high-level forums.
• Chinese Culinary Art World Championship – the only Worldchefs-certified, CCA-hosted global competition dedicated to Chinese cuisine. Over 20 countries and more than 30 Chinese provinces and municipalities will field elite teams.
• Four national culinary competitions sanctioned by Worldchefs and organized by CCA will run concurrently, including the National Western Cuisine Championship and the 2025 National “Golden Chef” Invitational Showcase.
• The 34th China Chefs Festival will stage seven-plus national industry events, among them the World Gourmet Cities Forum, the Chinese Culinary Masters Hall of Fame Induction, the Chinese Cuisine Global Expansion Forum, and a dedicated procurement matchmaking summit.
Expected to gather:
• 100,000+ trade visitors: official delegations from culinary and restaurant associations in all 34 provincial-level regions, more than 3,000 leading restaurant chains and supply-chain companies, executive chefs and F&B directors from hotels nationwide, plus heads of canteens and catering services at major enterprises and institutions.
• 1,000+ exhibitors: a full spectrum of national restaurant brands, ingredient suppliers, and kitchen-equipment manufacturers.
China Chefs Festival—the defining annual moment for the nation’s restaurant industry—brings together its master chefs and leading entrepreneurs in one grand gathering.
Running alongside it, the China Culinary & Catering Expo gathers tens of thousands of trade buyers whose purchasing needs are immediate and immense. This is more than an industry milestone; it is a brilliant stage for brands to shine and a once-a-year chance to sit face-to-face with every segment of the F&B market.
We look forward to welcoming you!
