SANDAKAN : – What will be the next UFO tart?
A local café is calling on the people of Sandakan to create an original pastry that could one day stand alongside the beloved UFO tart as a symbol of the town’s culinary identity.
The Sandakan Pastry Competition, organised by San Da Gen Kopitiam, aims to spark creativity among locals and discover a new pastry that captures the town’s flavours and spirit.
Organising chairman Anton Ngui said the initiative was a small but meaningful step to encourage innovation in Sandakan’s food scene.
“We hope to encourage Sandakan people to innovate with pastry making, and come up with unique pastries to represent Sandakan as a special food destination,” he said.
“We just want to play our small part to support this effort.”
Ngui said the UFO tart — a soft sponge cake topped with creamy custard and a signature swirl of butter — had become a point of pride for Sandakan, with many associating it directly with the town.
“Now we’re hoping to inspire the next generation of pastry makers to come up with something just as iconic,” he added.
He said the competition also hopes to draw in home-based bakers who have been flourishing in recent years.
“There are a lot of home bakers in Sandakan these days, and we hope this will be a platform for them to shine,” said Ngui.
The competition is open to sweet or savoury entries, with originality, creativity, and commercial viability as key judging criteria.
Winners stand a chance to take home RM500 for first place, RM200 for second place, and two RM100 consolation prizes. Entries will be judged based on taste (45%), creativity and presentation (45%), and ease of production (10%).
Participants must deliver their entries to San Da Gen Kopitiam between 2pm and 3pm on April 27 (Sunday).
Winners will be announced at 5pm the same day.
The closing date for registration is April 25. For more information, WhatsApp 012-2716988.
