On March 16 2023, SJM Resorts, S.A. ("SJM") invited lecturers and students from the School of Hospitality Management of the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) to a workshop at Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau ("Grand Lisboa Palace") to learn from Mesa's Chef de Cuisine. In addition to teaching 25 Year-4 students and lecturers how to prepare modern Portuguese cuisine, the chef also shared valuable insights about the F&B industry's future developments during the workshop.

Passionate about Portuguese cuisine, Chef de Cuisine Andre Lai enthusiastically shared Mesa’s farm-to-table philosophy, his own personal culinary experiences, and demonstrated how to prepare two Mesa signature dishes – Bacalhau à Brás and Kumquat. After the demonstration, a group of students toured around the restaurant to learn more about its daily operations. The students expressed that the workshop was an extremely rewarding experience, as they were able to meet Chef Lai and see firsthand his passion for cooking and deft skills in action. The workshop was very engaging and further boosted the students’ interest in pursuing careers in culinary.

After the workshop, the group was taken on a tour of THE KARL LAGERFELD hotel tower, recent recipient of the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star honour after just one year of opening. The students and lecturers gained a thorough understanding of the integrated resort's varied offers and dedication to service excellence while seeing the world's first and only hotel wholly created by and named after the late fashion legend, Karl Lagerfeld.

SJM is dedicated to supporting the community and developing local talent as a leader in hospitality and gastronomy. By continuing to partner with academic institutions and providing learning and development opportunities to local students, SJM aims to promote the diversified development of Macau, reinforce the city’s status as a UNESCO-designated “Creative City of Gastronomy” and showcase the best of “tourism + gastronomy.”