On Friday, May 2, 2025, Air Chief Marshal Somkid Sukbang, the royal household's official in charge of Her Royal Highness Princess Pachara Kitiyapa's royal duties, presided over the opening ceremony of the Food, Dessert, and Beverage Competition at the Central Nakhon Pathom Prison, under the auspices of the "Kang Jai" program initiated by Her Royal Highness Princess Pachara Kitiyapa. Notable attendees included Ms. Pongsawat Neelayothin, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice; Ms. Jirapa Sinthunawa, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and Vice Chairperson of the Kang Jai Fund Committee; Mr. Sakarn Phettharnarin, Director-General of the Department of Corrections; Mr. Kwanchai Santipharaphob, Commander of Central Nakhon Pathom Prison; and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thanawat Laiyim, Dean of the Faculty of Home Economics Technology at Rajamangala University of Technology Krungthep.

Her Royal Highness Princess Pachara Kitiyapa emphasized the importance of developing careers, including those in cooking, desserts, and beverages, and has consistently invited renowned experts to provide knowledge in this area. The Kang Jai Fund Committee operates in accordance with the royal guidance provided by Her Royal Highness and, on April 4, 2025, approved the standardized cooking competition and the promotion of home economics within prisons and correctional facilities under the Kang Jai initiative. The program extends to six facilities: Central Nakhon Pathom Prison, Women's Correctional Institution Nakhon Ratchasima, Women's Correctional Institution Chonburi, Saraburi Provincial Prison, Mukdahan Provincial Prison, and Ranong Provincial Prison.

The objective is to promote and develop vocational training in cooking and desserts within the Kang Jai project and related facilities. It aims to provide knowledge to inmates and prison staff on various topics, such as cooking techniques, packaging, presentation, cost calculation, nutrition, and issuing food handler certificates to facilitate post-release employment opportunities. This leads to skill assessments and labor standards enhancement by the Department of Skill Development, as well as opportunities to work as chefs or assistant chefs, which are in high demand in the labor market.

The competition has also involved discussions with faculty members from the Faculty of Home Economics Technology at Rajamangala University of Technology Krungthep, who will train officials to serve as instructors and pass their knowledge on to the inmates. In the future, they will assist in improving the quality of food, desserts, and beverages in prisons and correctional facilities, including developing healthy options aligned with non-communicable disease prevention strategies, as well as exploring other vocational opportunities such as handicrafts and various traditional crafts.

Additionally, support has been provided by Central Nakhon Pathom Prison, which serves as the training venue for the competition, featuring modern culinary facilities and a standard studio for cooking, desserts, and beverages. This prison is recognized as the first and only facility to receive GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certification and participated in the global food awards, "Cookbook Awards," in 2023, winning first place in the ASIA Special Awards category for their entry titled "THE POWER OF STYLING: PRISON FOOD."

To discuss the implementation of the competition for desserts and beverages, a working group has been established to prepare the competition guidelines and develop the signature foods, desserts, and beverages of each prison and correctional facility. The competition categories include:

1. Thai Food (creatively designed based on local context)

2. Desserts (sticky rice with ripe mango, where the dessert presentation can be creatively designed)

3. Beverages (herbal mocktails based on local context)

4. Signature Desserts from each prison and correctional facility.

The organization of this competition represents an advancement of vocational skills for inmates under the Kang Jai project, providing them with valuable skills and professions for the future.