With an ageing population and in response to growing demand for soft meals, Youth College coordinated by VTC’s Community Engagement Unit (CEU), has partnered with local bakery Kee Wah to develop elderly-friendly soft meal versions of traditional Chinese bridal cakes. This initiative brings together students and staff from Diploma of Vocational Education (DVE) Food Technology & Nutrition (FTN) and Diploma of Vocational Education (DVE) Artificial Intelligence & Robotics (AIR) integrating culinary science with engineering innovation.
The collaboration has demonstrated strong interdisciplinary outcomes: DVE (FTN) students led recipe development and production, creating bridal cakes that comply with IDDSI Level 5 (minced & moist) standards while preserving authentic flavours and mouthfeel. Complementing this work, DVE (AIR) students applied 3D printing technology to design and produce customised moulds and stamps, recreating the authentic shapes and surface patterns of the cakes. CEU further supported the project through packaging design and event coordination to facilitate industry–academy collaboration.
Through direct engagement and hands‑on Research and Development (R&D) with Kee Wah, students gained practical experience in traditional pastry techniques and soft meal formulation, while deepening their understanding of food safety, quality control and production of workflows. The project also enhanced their competencies in design integration, problem solving and project management. In response to industry feedback, students have refined their recipes and initiated discussions with a charity that operates a soft meal production facility to explore further development and potential scaling—laying a solid foundation for technology transfer and social application.
