The USR program of "Human Resource Management of Hospitality Industry" and "Practice of Hospitality and Tourism Purchasing and Supply" of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, STUST, was successfully completed recently. This semester, teachers and students entered Jinsha Community in Shigang District, Tainan City. Following the life story of the elder seniors of the community, they examined the link between catering baking and local culture, used local ingredients and cultural characteristics to develop creative baked snacks, applied the concept of “directly from source to table” to imagine natural and delicious food, and transformed food into a medium to build community consensus and continue the local food source and cultural vitality.

【A group photo of the teachers and students from STUST to check the incense-making culture of Jinsha Community in Shigang.】

This year, the program of "Human Resource Management in the Hospitality Industry" and "Practice of Hospitality and Tourism Purchasing and Supply" incorporated the spirit and elements of social practices, such as sustainable diet and food and agriculture education. Two teachers and students from STUST—Jia-kai Su and Pei-juan Mao—went to Jinsha Community of Shigang District, Tainan City, 50 teachers and students participated in the activity from the perspective of humanistic care and sustainable urban and rural areas. They explored the past, present and future of the community through field research and observed important cultural activities and in-depth interviews with local seniors to gain a better understanding, the local history of Jinsha community, the "One Hundred Smiling Faces in Shigang" social project, the culture of spices and incense making, the customs of life, as well as the culture and allusions of the temples. Listened to the 90-year-old elders tell their life stories and their perseverance, the participating teachers and students were deeply touched by and the seniors’ spirit and respect for the value of life. This experience deepened their recognition of cultural heritage and community values, encouraging them to re-examine the link between catering and baking and local culture, develop new products that can better show local characteristics, and continue to promote the deliciousness and culture of local ingredients.

【Students of STUST were making creative baked snacks.】

The Citiwood Trail in Jinsha Community of Shigang, Tainan City, has become a popular flower viewing spot in recent years. The pink flower sponge stretches hundreds of meters in March every year during the blooming season, attracting many tourists. The "Social Practice of Food and Beverage Culture in Shigang District and Shanhua District" USR project and Tainan City Shigang District Jinsha Community Development Association have been working together since 2021. Combined with the expertise of students from the Department of Hospitality Management, the idea of the romantic pink design of Citiwood, developed a series of special desserts such as sesame mochi, sesame madeleine, sesame cherry blossom cake, cheese stick and ancient sesame noodle tea with local rich sesame, beef tomato and other ingredients. All of these have received warm responses.

【STUST students were interviewing the elderly in Jinsha community to investigate the local history of Jinsha.】

Prof. Jia-kai Su, who implemented the program of "Food and Tourism Purchasing and Supply Practice", said that it was the biggest challenge in the process of innovative product development how to combine the students' professional catering skills and build up the consensus of community residents and the characteristics of local ingredients to develop bakery products that can be actually produced. Professional practice and the mission of revitalizing the agricultural community is the power to support the continuous efforts of the teachers and students of the Department of Hospitality Management.

【STUST students were interviewing Chong-ren Kang, former chief of Jinshali of Shigang District, Tainan City.】

Deng-maw Lu, President of STUST, said that the teachers and students of the USR program team of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, STUST, walked into the community together to support agricultural production with professional practice, participate in the preservation and innovation of local culture, and help students and the society to develop the soft power of goodwill, empathy and caring. STUST expects the USR team to deepen cooperation with more local units, with teachers and students strongly connecting with local issues with professionalism and enhancing diversified learning with their practice.

【Teachers and students of STUST were taking a group photo with their partners of Jinsha Community Development Association.】