JD.com, in partnership with Hunan Satellite TV, launches “Hometown Food Competition” premiering July 26, exploring over 100 hometown dishes with celebrity guests like Huang Xiaoming, and the winning recipes will be available at 7FRESH Kitchen.
On July 22, the first self-produced food variety show "Hometown Food Competition," co-produced by Hunan Satellite TV, Mango TV, and JD.com, was officially announced and will premiere on July 26. This food program, dedicated to "finding hometown flavors," will air simultaneously on Hunan Satellite TV's television channel and the Mango TV app every Sunday at 12:35 PM, with a rebroadcast on Hunan Satellite TV at 10:00 PM Sunday evenings. The full program will take viewers on a journey to explore more than a hundred hometown dishes from Hunan, Jiangsu, Sichuan-Chongqing, Guangdong, and other regions, searching stoveside for those unforgettable hometown tastes.
It is reported that "Hometown Food Competition" differs from other highly competitive cooking shows. By spotlighting the hometown flavors that everyone holds dear, the program turns its lens on the warm memories that belong to the dining table, emphasizing the lively, down-to-earth atmosphere of the kitchen. In each episode, folk culinary experts from different regional cuisines will compete around their province's signature dishes, ultimately determining the top 10 crowd-favorite recipes for each cuisine. Notably, the winning recipes will also be launched at JD.com's Qixian Kitchen, leveraging JD.com's robust supply chain capabilities to allow users nationwide to taste authentic local flavors.
The show's guest lineup is equally worth anticipating. Huang Xiaoming serves as the chief head chef throughout the season, while Li Weijia and Shen Mengchen co-host the program together. The roster of guest appearances will continue to update as the competition progresses: the Hunan region welcomes Meng Jia and Wang Feifei, who return from "Ride the Wind," bringing their spice-loving hometown flair back to their Hunan cuisine home turf; the Jiangsu region features Jin Sha and Sun Chengxiao, sparking delightful chemistry within Huaiyang cuisine; the Sichuan-Chongqing region sees Li Sidanni and Ao Ziyi in their element, pairing fiery personalities with fiery Sichuan dishes—definitely something to look forward to.
Underpinning the professional foundation of the entire season is a top-tier resident expert panel from the industry. The core judging panel includes national banquet master Lin Shuwei, food consultant to "A Bite of China" Dong Keping, renowned Chinese cuisine chef Hou Yurui, as well as veteran Chinese chefs and food critics such as Xu Meng, Gao Wenqi, and Cao Yu. Additionally, grandmasters of each cuisine weigh in: Xu Juyun oversees Hunan cuisine, Zhu Chengxin joins for Huaiyang cuisine, and Lan Guijun presides over Sichuan cuisine—many of these masters are national-level culinary masters or inheritors of intangible cultural heritage. This formidable guest lineup gives the journey of seeking "hometown flavors" both the warmth of everyday cooking and the depth of professional expertise.
During the broadcast period, JD.com will simultaneously launch a dedicated section for show-related items. By searching "food competition" on the JD.com app, viewers can not only watch videos of exquisite authentic dishes being prepared but also purchase the same ingredients, seasonings, cookware, and other great products featured on the show with a single click. Qixian Kitchen will also list the champion-inspired dishes at the same time, allowing viewers to place orders directly after watching the program. In parallel, JD.com is launching the "Food Discovery Plan." Open the JD.com app and search "food competition" to share delicious food videos from around you—whether it's your signature home-cooked dish or a hidden gem snack from a street corner—for a chance to win cash rewards of up to one thousand yuan.
How long has it been since you last had that authentic hometown dish? Is that taste that grew up with you still there? "Hometown Food Competition" premieres on July 26. Tune in every Sunday on Hunan Satellite TV or the Mango TV app to immediately reawaken your memories of hometown cuisine. Go to JD.com, search "food competition," grab the same kitchen essentials from the show, savor a bite of home, and cook up your own signature champion dish.