Ciro Bianchi Tapped as First President of Cuba’s Gastronomy & Tourism Professorship

Outstanding intellectual Ciro Bianchi Ross is going to be the first president of Cuba’s Gastronomy and Tourism Professorship, which was officially established within the framework of Cuba’s International Travel Fair (FITCuba), taking place in Jardines del Rey.

The CEO of the Excelencias Group, Mr. Jose Carlos de Santiago, ambassador of the Iberian-American Gastronomy Academy to Latin America and the Caribbean, has supported this initiative that is going to open a new stage in the culinary development of the island nation.

Bianchi is a prestigious Cuban intellectual. He has spent over four decades working as a journalist and his remarkable chronicles and daring interviews have made him stand as one of the most-read figures in the country. His articles are included in different publications and his Sunday column on Juventud Rebelde newspaper is always reviewed by readers, because of the diversity of topics and his personal style. In 1992, Mr. Bianchi was awarded the “Jose Marti” Latin American Journalism Prize and in 1999 the Ministry of Culture gave him the “Jose Antonio Fernandez de Castro” Cultural Journalism Prize because of the work carried out throughout his life.

Furthermore, Mr. Bianchi is the prolific author of over 20 books. Among those he has dedicated to the gastronomy realm, “I’m the Chef”, 1996, puts together the finest dishes prepared by master Gilberto Smith Duquesne, who has cooked for boldface names, such as Fidel Castro, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Edith Piaf, Francois Mitterrand, Alicia Alonso and Alain Delon.

According to the statements issued by Minister of Tourism, Manuel Marrero, during the Varadero Gourmet Festival, “we’re living in a very competitive world, so we have to be capable of standing out with those elements that characterize us, such as the culinary culture.”

As for the quality of gastronomic offers in Cuba, the Minister underscored that a slight improvement can be already perceived. “This fact is proven by the 5 percent growth of positive opinions on the food served in Cuban premises. So, we’re committed to keep on working in an effort to rescue the culinary traditions of our country.”

Cuba’s Gastronomy and Tourism Cathedra is precisely going to contribute to bring those culinary traditions back.