Cheongsong-gun unveils new Apple Table menu ahead of apple festival

Cheongsong-gun in North Gyeongsang Province has finished developing new food items featuring Cheongsong apples and is ready to present them at the 20th Cheongsong Apple Festival, the county announced Friday.

Ahead of the festival, the county held a tasting and evaluation session Wednesday to assess the quality and flavor of the new items developed under its "Cheongsong Apple Table" initiative.

Cheongsong Apple Table is a dedicated space inside the apple promotion hall at the Cheongsong Apple Festival, created to develop differentiated food content using locally grown Cheongsong apples and to foster a restaurant and dessert industry rooted in local agricultural products.

The county began recruiting participating businesses in July, ultimately selecting four local vendors — Muin Cafe In, Munhyang, Cafe Olle and Farmhouse Restaurant Muku — and worked with each to develop menus suited to their individual strengths, with consulting support provided throughout.

The new lineup comprises seven items, including apple sandwiches, apple corn dogs, apple pork cutlets and apple tteokbokki.

"We will work with local restaurants to create a new food model that allows Cheongsong apples to be enjoyed in a variety of dishes beyond fresh-fruit sales," a county official said. "We will strive to offer festival visitors differentiated food experiences while giving local businesses an opportunity to develop new products and expand their markets."