Excelencias Group’s Intl. Gastronomic Seminar in Havana

In an effort to play a role in the development and advance of gastronomy in Cuba, professionals from several countries gathered this week at Havana’s Occidental Miramar to attend the third edition of the International Gastronomy Seminar “Excelencias Gourmet”.

In his keynote opening speech, Excelencias Group’s President and CEO Jose Carlos de Santiago said these one-and-only seminars provide peerless opportunities to share views and experiences in a businesslike fashion among participants from both the public and private sectors.

The realm of modern catering and the challenges faced by Cuban gastronomy were the topics of choice for this year’s seminar. Celebrated chefs, sommeliers, impresarios and experts arrived in the Cuban capital to share their knowledge, experiences and information through a number of lectures, panels, tasting sessions and pairings.

The presentation made by the Academia Iberoamérica de Gastronomía was no doubt one of the highlights. Executive director Nicolas Muela and Communication Chief Manuel Rodriguez talked about this institution founded in 2009 and its commitment to culinary culture in the Spanish-speaking Americas and overall human welfare.

Mr. Muela underscored his aspiration to help Cuba join that non-lucrative organization for the island nation could find in it a useful tool to upgrade its own gastronomic proposals and boost up travel and tourism in the country.

Following the opening day, the seminar featured papers and exchanges on wine sales, bar profitability, chocolate and modern catering. A demonstrative tasting session of wines and tapas –entitled Miniature Cooking- wrapped up the event.