Romanian city of Sibiu and South Aegean region (Greece) received the European Region of Gastronomy 2019 award for their commitment to food and cultural diversity. A special ceremony was held at the Grande Bretagne Hotel in Athens, Grece on 25 January.
Set against a background of moving images from the currently nine European Regions of Gastronomy (for 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019), IGCAT’s President, Dr. Diane Dodd briefly illustrated the importance of the European Region of Gastronomy Award as a tool to support development in Europe’s regions and build awareness of the importance of food and cultural diversity for sustainable growth.
The South Aegean celebrity chef and European Region of Gastronomy Ambassador for the South Aegean 2019 candidature, Argyro Barbarigou talked about South Aegean gastronomy referring to it as a treasure. She stressed the need to promote Mediterranean cuisine, which she praised for being the richest and most ancient cuisine in the world, as well as a strong ally for a healthier and longer life.
Daniela Cimpean, President of the Sibiu County Council, and George Hatzimarkos delivered the respective regions’ acceptance speeches. Cimpean referred to the European Region of Gastronomy Award as a turning point that will position Sibiu region on the tourist map as a cultural and food destination in Europe. She stressed the importance of local gastronomy that, besides representing a significant part of the regional culture, acts also as a link between its past, present and future, and its multiple cultural realities, as the title Sibiu richness and legendary tastes suggests.
Sibiu Richness and Legendary Tastes project was introduced by Astrid Fodor, Mayor of Sibiu.
“It’s an ambitious project for it doesn’t involve only one entity, but more institutions that will work together on a programme in the benefit of the entire region and, therefore, it represents an important exercise for the inter-institutional collaboration for the community’s sake. The main benefits that we anticipate are firstly economic, by encouraging local food and gastronomy producers and businesses as growth engine. The secondary goals of the progamme are in the tourism and community health fields,” said mayor Astrid Fodor.
The consortium that filed Sibiu’s bid in the summer last year consist of Sibiu County Council, Sibiu City Hall, Medias City Hall, “Lucian Blaga” University in Sibiu, Sibiu Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture and the County Tourism Association in Sibiu.The bid included a short presentation of the region, with the gastronomy events that are hold year by year, but also the sights, the gastronomic products typical to the region of Sibiu, as well as some of the programmes that Sibiu is contemplating in 2019.
Silvia Draghi, European Commission – DG Growth awarded the regions, together with IGCAT’s President and the President of the jury, Blanca Cros. In her closing words, Silvia Draghi congratulated Sibiu and South Aegean for their successful bids to host the title in 2019, as well as all the regions and IGCAT for the significant work carried out so far. She claimed to be positively impressed by the collaboration efforts and knowledge-sharing systems adopted by the regions and noted the importance to Europe of gastronomy as a niche tourism sector. She concluded that the European Commission has a lot to learn from the Regions of Gastronomy initiative when it comes to cater for the needs of local populations and in facing current challenges.
The Regions of Gastronomy Platform and the European Region of Gastronomy Award aim to contribute to better quality of life in European and world regions, by highlighting distinctive food cultures, educating for better health and sustainability and stimulating culinary innovation.
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