Home » Blog » News » O SENTAI’s Debut Product ‘Winner of Delicacies’ Evolves From 38 Cards Into A Food Education Ecosystem 

O SENTAI’s Debut Product ‘Winner of Delicacies’ Evolves From 38 Cards Into A Food Education Ecosystem 

KUALA LUMPUR, 14 September 2026 — From a tabletop game to a food education ecosystem connecting education, culture, tourism, health, the environment and communities, social enterprise O SENTAI, now entering its fourth year, is expanding the impact of food education with Malaysia’s diverse culinary heritage as its starting point. 

In conjunction with Visit Malaysia, O SENTAI also plans to leverage its board game Winner of Delicacies to promote Malaysian culinary culture and develop more engaging food tourism experiences. 

O SENTAI founder Foo Ching Yee said Winner of Delicacies has sold more than 1,200 sets since receiving recognition at the 2023 Selangor Tourism Revival Competition. Today, it reaches nearly 10,000 people over 4 years through schools, community programmes, family activities, corporate training and various educational initiatives. 

Centred on Malaysian food culture, the board game features 38 distinctive food cards, allowing participants to discover local dishes while exploring the culinary characteristics of different states, ethnic communities and regions, ultimately gaining a deeper appreciation of Malaysia’s rich and diverse food heritage. 

From a Board Game to Schools, Communities and Tourism 

Over the years, Winner of Delicacies has expanded from primary and secondary schools and higher education institutions to family-based nature learning, community cultural activities, corporate training and cross-cultural exchanges. 

In the process, a simple board game has become an accessible gateway for people of different ages to learn about food. 

Winner of Delicacies is currently available at more than 20 cultural, creative and souvenir retail locations nationwide, covering Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, Perak and Sabah, enabling more Malaysians and international visitors to discover the country’s multicultural food heritage through play. 

Discovering Malaysia Through a Board Game 

Feedback from participants has also allowed O SENTAI to see new possibilities for food education. 

Through their first experience with Winner of Delicacies, participants have become more aware of the differences between the culinary cultures of Malaysia’s various communities and have begun exploring signature dishes from different states and regions. 

Some travellers have even transformed the 38 Winner of Delicacies food cards into their own “Malaysian Food Exploration Checklist”, using the cards to search for, taste and photograph Malaysian specialities during their travels. 

A single card, therefore, represents more than just a dish. It can become an entry point into discovering a place, a piece of history and a culture. 

Foo said O SENTAI hopes participants will go beyond simply knowing the name of a dish and begin understanding where it comes from, why it developed in a particular place, and the communities, land and ways of life behind it. 

Food Education Should Not Be Confined to the Classroom 

Food transcends age, geography, ethnicity and background, allowing Winner of Delicacies to create connections beyond the game itself. 

In activities involving families and senior citizens, the board game has served as a medium for intergenerational communication and family interaction. In schools and other institutions, it can also provide an engaging entry point for learning about Malaysian culture, nutrition and dietary issues. 

During exchanges with academics involved in the Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing (MyAgeing) at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), it was shared that games such as Winner of Delicacies, which involve recognition, memory and interaction, could potentially support cognitive engagement and memory exercises among older adults. 

This also opens up possibilities for such games to be further developed as tools to support learning and memory training among senior citizens. 

Beyond introducing local cuisine, O SENTAI also aims to strengthen participants’ ability to make informed food choices, including recognising different types of food, reading nutrition labels and developing healthier eating habits. 

The aim is to equip participants with better judgement when faced with the thousands of food choices available in everyday life. 

At the same time, O SENTAI incorporates farm and nature-based experiences into its programmes, helping participants understand where food comes from while learning to appreciate food, reduce waste and recognise the close relationship between the natural environment and everyday diets. 

For children, food education is further extended to essential life skills, including recognising ingredients and learning basic washing, preparation, cutting and cooking techniques. This allows children to build greater independence while learning about food. 

Feedback and experiences from schools, families, communities and participants of different age groups have further reinforced O SENTAI’s direction: food education should not take place only in classrooms — it should become part of everyday life. 

Four Years of Cross-Sector Collaboration: From Schools to Businesses, Tourism and Communities 

Over the past four years, O SENTAI has continuously expanded the applications of food education through cross-sector collaboration. 

Beginning with educational and family activities, its initiatives have gradually expanded into universities, schools, kindergartens, businesses, tourism, communities and sustainability-related programmes, positioning food as a medium connecting education, culture, health, the environment and society. 

Over the years, O SENTAI’s network of collaborations has spanned government agencies, educational institutions, businesses and social organisations, including Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), INTI International University & Colleges, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Tourism Selangor, Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated (MBI), Tzu Chi International School, Fatimas, Hock Soon, Biogreen, Etblisse, RE Sustainable Enterprise and Eco Lestari Strategy, among others. 

In education, O SENTAI brings board games and experiential learning into schools, allowing students of different ages to discover nutrition, local cuisine, food sources and environmental issues through play. 

In family and community activities, meanwhile, food becomes a medium for interaction, communication and learning across generations. 

Collaborations with tourism and cultural organisations have also enabled O SENTAI to gradually explore a “food education + cultural tourism” model. 

Beginning with a local dish, participants can go on to discover the communities, land, history and lifestyles behind it. O SENTAI hopes food can become more than a culinary experience during a journey — it can also serve as a window through which local and international visitors discover Malaysia. 

Collaborations in the corporate and sustainability sectors have further brought food education beyond the school environment. Through workshops, board games, experiential activities and various cross-sector projects, O SENTAI explores issues such as healthy eating, food waste, environmental sustainability and social responsibility. 

Foo said: “We are very grateful to the government agencies, educational institutions, businesses and community partners who have been willing to explore these possibilities together with O SENTAI throughout our journey. 

“We may come from different sectors, but ultimately, we can all find a common language through ‘food’. This is also why we hope to build a broader food education ecosystem in the next stage of our journey.” 

From schools to communities and from businesses to tourism, O SENTAI hopes to connect with more cross-sector partners so that food education is no longer limited to a single activity or a set of educational materials. 

Instead, it can become a form of everyday learning that continues in classrooms, homes, around dining tables, on farms, in communities and even during travel. 

From 38 Cards to a Complete Food Education Ecosystem 

Four years of educational experience and cross-sector collaboration have laid an important foundation for O SENTAI’s next stage of development. 

As it enters its fourth year, O SENTAI aims to further systematise the educational content, partnership networks and experiential learning models it has developed, building a more comprehensive food education ecosystem centred around food. 

The ecosystem will progressively connect games and curriculum development, meals and food product development, nature experiences, cultural and tourism experiences, and community activities. 

In the future, Winner of Delicacies will no longer be merely a board game. Instead, it will serve as a gateway into this broader food ecosystem. 

Participants may begin by discovering food through a game, deepen their knowledge through educational programmes, understand food sources through farms and learn how ingredients are transformed in the kitchen, before extending these experiences into curriculum development, food product development, local culture, tourism experiences and community participation. 

For O SENTAI, food is more than something consumed by the body. It is also a medium for understanding culture, connecting people and appreciating the relationship between land and nature. 

Foo described the original 38 cards of Winner of Delicacies as seeds that O SENTAI hopes will continue to grow. 

“We hope these 38 cards will continue to create more possibilities for food education, allowing more people to move from simply ‘playing a game’ to recognising food, understanding food, appreciating food and ultimately developing a deeper connection with it,” she said. 

Supporting Visit Malaysia by Helping Travellers Discover Malaysia Through Food 

Tourism will be one of the key directions as O SENTAI expands its food education ecosystem into its next phase. 

In conjunction with Visit Malaysia, O SENTAI plans to explore collaborations with various organisations, including Tourism Selangor, with the aim of transforming Malaysia’s rich culinary heritage into tourism experiences that are both educational and interactive. 

Malaysia’s different states, ethnic communities and localities each have their own distinctive culinary traditions. Behind a local dish are often stories connected to history, the natural environment, agriculture, migration and ways of life. 

O SENTAI hopes to bring these elements together by further integrating board games, local cuisine, cultural stories and on-site experiences. 

This means Winner of Delicacies could eventually become more than a game played around a table — it could become a “food map” for travellers exploring Malaysia. 

Travellers could first discover a dish through the game, then visit its place of origin to find it, taste it and learn the story behind it. 

The goal is for visitors to do more than simply “eat Malaysian food”. Through food, they can discover Malaysia, understand Malaysia and remember Malaysia. 

JCIPJ and O SENTAI Deepen Collaboration in Food Education and International Cultural Exchange 

Meanwhile, JCI Petaling Jaya (JCIPJ) incorporated Winner of Delicacies into an international cultural exchange programme in July this year. 

As part of the Dragon Ambassador programme with JCI City Hong Kong, JCIPJ organised an interactive Winner of Delicacies session at SJK(C) Kheow Bin, allowing students from Hong Kong and Malaysia to discover Malaysia’s multicultural food heritage through the board game. 

Through fun and interactive activities featuring Malaysian food cards, students from Hong Kong and Malaysia learned about signature dishes associated with different communities 

and regions, strengthening their understanding and memory of Malaysia’s diverse culinary culture. 

The activity also incorporated values such as appreciating food, reducing food waste and adopting lower-carbon eating habits, making environmental and food education more relevant to everyday life and more engaging for young participants. 

Building on this collaboration, JCIPJ and O SENTAI have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to deepen their partnership and lay the foundation for further collaboration in 2027. 

At the MOU signing ceremony, JCIPJ Vice President International Affair Liew Teck Lai represented the chapter in signing the agreement with O SENTAI founder Foo Ching Yee, formalising the partnership between the two organisations. 

Both parties will explore further opportunities in food education, children’s development, community programmes and international cultural exchange, allowing food education to serve as a bridge connecting local communities with international youth. 

Merdeka Promotion Extended Until 30 September 

In conjunction with Malaysia’s 69th National Day, O SENTAI is currently offering special promotions on its educational board games, enabling more families, educators and members of the public to discover healthy eating and Malaysian food culture through play. 

Portion Masters focuses on healthy and balanced eating. Through interactive gameplay, participants learn how to create nutritionally balanced meals, understand appropriate food portions and develop healthier eating habits. 

Winner of Delicacies, meanwhile, takes players on a culinary journey across Malaysia, introducing representative dishes from different states and the distinctive culinary traditions and cultures behind them. 

In conjunction with the Merdeka promotion, customers can enjoy discounts of up to 20% on board game purchases. 

The promotion runs until 30 September 2026, with free nationwide delivery across Malaysia. 

Through the Merdeka campaign, O SENTAI hopes families, schools and members of the public can celebrate Malaysia’s multicultural identity while sharing stories, discovering local flavours and bringing conversations about health, culture and food education back to the dining table. 

About O SENTAI 

O SENTAI was officially established in October 2022 as a social enterprise focusing on food education and food-related issues, with the aim of renewing public awareness of personal dietary choices, health and the environment in which people live. 

O SENTAI promotes food education through three key pillars: “Food and Envient”, “Food and Nutrition” and “Food and Culture”. 

Through board games, educational programmes, nature and farm experiences, cultural activities and cross-sector collaboration, O SENTAI encourages people to understand the relationship between food, themselves, their communities and the natural environment. 

Through food education, O SENTAI aims to help people develop healthier eating habits while recognising that food originates from the land and nature. It also encourages participants to appreciate resources, reduce waste and minimise the environmental impact associated with food consumption. 

From its beginnings in 2022 and the 38 food cards of Winner of Delicacies to the cross-sector collaboration network it has developed today, O SENTAI is transforming a simple question — “Where does the food we eat every day actually come from?” — into a more comprehensive food education system. 

What began with a single game is now evolving into a food education ecosystem rooted in Malaysia — one that connects people with food and has the potential to reach a much wider world. 

About The Author

Gaya Travel is celebrating 20 years in the industry. For editorial purposes, please write to us at editorial@gayatravel.com.my.

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