During the opening ceremony, Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Tourism Adalberto Venero explained that one of the purposes of the event is to show the historic culinary values of Cuban Creole food and to fight for their preservation despite the current difficult contexts.

There is a gradual recovery of the tourism sector after the incidents of Covid-19, which undoubtedly affected the national economy, however, little by little we are regaining the strength of tourism in Cuba’s main sun and beach destination and events like Varadero Gourmet contribute to strengthen it even more, he said.

Venero said that strengthening service levels, granting more powers to the socialist state enterprise and combating the existing inflation are challenges of the sector that the event will address through innovative proposals that reflect Cuban Creole food in all its splendor.

The general director of Empresa Extrahotelera Palmares S.A. Jorge Acosta Paula acknowledged the work of the entity in support of vulnerable neighborhoods and training courses for young people with complex life situations, whom he congratulated for their performance and presence in Varadero Gourmet 2023.

Acosta Paula emphasized the need to strengthen the values of identity in the face of global culture and to create conditions for linkages with the various economic actors operating in Cuba.

On the opening day of the 13th edition of the Varadero Gourmet International Festival, Doctor in Historical Sciences Felix Julio Alfonso Lopez, professor at the Havana University, explained during a masterly lecture the mestizaje present in the recipes of Creole food with Spanish, indigenous, African, French and other influences.

The 13th edition of the Varadero Gourmet International Festival seeks to promote Cuba as a quality destination in terms of bar and canteen services through a combination of new trends and attachment to the roots of the national identity.

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