MGM, with the support of the Education and Youth Development Bureau of the Macao SAR Government (DSEDJ) and the Macao University of Tourism (UTM), successfully concluded the “MGM Traditional Macanese Cuisine Program” in the fourth quarter of 2025 and held its graduation ceremony on January 17, 2026, at MGM COTAI. The program brought together 64 participants, including MGM team members and local secondary school students from 17 schools, for hands-on training in Macanese culinary techniques. Since these cooking traditions were inscribed on the Representative List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021, MGM has committed to preserving and promoting this distinctive gastronomic tradition, reinforcing Macau’s position as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

Led by renowned Macanese chef Antonieta Fernandes Manhão (Chef Neta), the program was conducted at UTM, where participants received hands-on training in preparing a variety of signature Macanese dishes and desserts. They also gained a deeper insight into the historical and cultural influences that have shaped Macanese cuisine during the training. At the graduation ceremony, participants demonstrated what they had learned by preparing several authentic dishes for guests, while three representatives shared their key takeaways.

Guests attending the ceremony included: Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office; Leong I On, Division Head of Secondary Education of DSEDJ; Fanny Vong, Rector of UTM; Diamantina Coimbra, Vice Rector of UTM; Loi I Weng, President of the Fu Lun Youth Association of Macau; Loi Kat Sat, Principal of Macau Kung Luen Vocational & Technical Middle School; Karen Hoi, Head of the Student Counseling Office, Moral Education Section of Escola Dos Moradores De Macau; Antonieta Fernandes Manhão, the instructor of this program; Wendy Yu, Executive Vice President of Human Resources of MGM; Michelle Chiu, Vice President of Human Resources of MGM, and more.

Chef Neta said, “Every Macanese dish carries far more than culinary technique—it holds a piece of the city’s cultural memory. I am truly grateful for MGM’s support in helping these memories live on, and delighted to meet a group of students so full of passion and curiosity. I hope they will bring these traditional flavors home, weaving them into the everyday dishes of their own families.”

Program participant Koni Tai, a student from Santa Rosa de Lima English Secondary School and a participant in the DSEDJ’s “Programa de Iniciação de Aprendizagem da Língua Portuguesa”, shared: “Learning to prepare traditional Macanese dishes helped me better understand Macau’s unique blend of Chinese and Portuguese cultures through food. I realized that Macanese cuisine is not a static relic, but a living tradition passed down through generations. I hope to carry forward the memories and warmth embedded in these dishes, turning them into flavors that endure.”

MGM has long been dedicated to preserving Macanese cuisine. Beyond this training program, MGM partnered with Fuhong Society of Macau on a World Mental Health Day initiative, creating a large-scale food artwork inspired by the traditional Macanese dessert “orange cake” to promote public awareness of mental well-being. Internally, MGM also incorporates various Macanese dishes into the daily menu of its employee dining room “Home Base”, and organizes periodic promotional activities, such as inviting Chef Neta to host a “Macanese Cuisine Roadshow” in the back‑of‑house areas featuring her cookbook Receita Di Casa and traditional delicacies, helping enhance team members’ understanding of this intangible cultural heritage through everyday dining.

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MGM is an abbreviation for MGM China Holdings Limited (HKEx: 2282) and is a leading developer, owner and operator of gaming and lodging resorts in Greater China. We are the holding company of MGM Grand Paradise, SA which holds one of the six gaming concessions to run casino games in Macau. MGM Grand Paradise, SA owns and operates MGM MACAU, the award-winning premium integrated resort located on the Macau Peninsula and MGM COTAI, a contemporary luxury integrated resort in Cotai. 

MGM MACAU is a Forbes Five-Star luxury integrated resort inspired by the arts with every element of the resort infused with creativity and style. MGM MACAU has approximately 600 guest rooms and suites and boasts a number of distinguishing features, including the architecturally stunning European-inspired Grande Praça, housed under a soaring glass ceiling. The POLY MGM MUSEUM spanning almost 2,000 square meters, is constructed in accordance with Chinese national standards for the exhibition of Grade-One cultural relics. MGM MACAU’s world class facilities also include conference and event facilities, spa, and seven signature restaurants and bars to fulfill any gastronomic craving. Our property is conveniently located on the Macau Peninsula and is directly connected to the luxury retail shopping complex, One Central.

Designed as the “jewelry box” of Cotai, MGM COTAI offers approximately 1,400 hotel rooms and suites, meeting space, high end spa, retail offerings, food and beverage outlets as well as the first international Mansion at MGM for the ultimate luxury experience.  MGM has joined hands with renowned Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou to set up the “Macau 2049” residency in MGM Theater. The Spectacle at MGM COTAI becomes the record holder of the largest free-span gridshell glazed roof (self-supporting) on January 19, 2019, making it the first architectural and structural GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for Macau, China. MGM COTAI is being developed to drive greater product diversification and bring more advanced and innovative forms of entertainment to Macau as it grows as a global tourist destination. MGM COTAI is the only mega complex and hotel in Macau to gain three-star certification in both Green Building Design and Operation Label, as well as the first hotel in the Greater Bay Area and second in Greater China to receive the certifications.

MGM China is majority owned by MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) one of the world's leading global hospitality companies, operating a portfolio of destination resort brands including Bellagio, ARIA, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and Park MGM. For more information about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company's website at www.mgmresorts.com.

For media enquiries, please contact:    

Juliana Kung

Director of Public Relations

MGM

Tel: (853) 8806 3424

Email: julianakung@mgm.mo

Karen Lam

Assistant Director of Corporate Relations

MGM

Tel: (853) 8806 3421

Email: karenlam@mgm.mo