In a classroom at the Tongguan County Vocational Education Center in Shaanxi Province, instructor Cao Qiao distributes dough to more than twenty students. "Well-kneaded dough makes for a fragrant baked bun," he says as the group rolls and flattens the dough, preparing thousand-layer cakes for the oven. Within minutes, the sweet aroma of wheat fills the entire room. This is a typical teaching scene at the Tongguan Roujiamo Industrial Academy.
Today, it is not just roujiamo; nationally renowned local snacks like Baoji擀面皮, Yibin燃面, and Liuzhou螺蛳粉 have also established specialized culinary academies. These institutions aim to promote the development of local food industries while continuously preserving and passing on the production techniques and culinary culture behind these delicacies.
Roujiamo is a pillar industry in Tongguan County. However, with its expansion came challenges such as a talent shortage, a gap in skill inheritance among practitioners, and insufficient capabilities in standardized production and brand operation. In April 2025, the Tongguan Roujiamo Industrial Academy was established at the county's vocational education center, offering a three-year secondary vocational program to cultivate talent.
"Many people think a culinary industry academy just teaches cooking, but it's much more than that," said Zhang Pengfei, Party Branch Secretary of the Tongguan County Vocational Education Center and Dean of the Roujiamo Academy. He explained that while students learn the manual process of making roujiamo as a foundation, they are also trained in various skills including business management, quality inspection, and packaging and promotion.
Near the vocational education center, some enterprises in the roujiamo industrial park have already begun recruiting talent. Zhang noted that outstanding students sign agreements with companies to continue their education and are trained as senior management personnel.
"The establishment of several culinary specialty academies in recent years is closely linked to the industrial scale-up," said Chen Hongbo, founder of Hongcanwang, a leading domestic food service industry platform. He revealed that by 2025, the chain rate of China's catering industry had reached 25%, accompanied by a deepening of standardization and规范化 within the sector. The traditional master-apprentice model used in conventional restaurants can no longer meet current talent demands.
From the eastern gate of Shaanxi to the western edge of the Guanzhong Plain, at the Shaanxi Institute of Mechatronics Technology in Baoji City, students at the擀面皮 Industrial Academy are actively promoting Baoji擀面皮 through live-streamed sales. "For every order received in the live stream, a foam box is shipped from the nearby industrial park," said Gao Ying, Vice Dean of the Baoji擀面皮 Industrial Academy and Secretary-General of the Baoji擀面皮 Industry Development Association. Since its establishment in 2021, the academy has graduated two cohorts of students, with most now working in擀面皮 businesses or other food enterprises across the country.
In 2024, academies dedicated to Liuzhou螺蛳粉, Baoji擀面皮, and Yibin燃面 jointly initiated the establishment of a Local Characteristic (Intangible Cultural Heritage) Food Industry Integration Community for Industry and Education. The community currently includes over 50 members, comprising both vocational schools and enterprises from across the food industry chain. They regularly hold meetings to exchange experiences, organize on-site teaching sessions, and promote integration between enterprises and schools.
"Local specialty foods are intangible cultural heritage skills with long histories and important industries that drive development and attract talent," Zhang Pengfei stated. "I believe more and more young people will securely earn their livelihoods through the specialty foods they have loved since childhood."
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