Excelencias from the Caribbean & the Americas
From Madrid to Heaven
BY UNANIMOUS DECISION OF THE 14 NATIONAL ACADEMIES THAT MAKE UP THE IBERO-AMERICAN GASTRONOMY ACADEMY,MADRID 2020 AS CAPITAL OF THE IBEROAMERICAN GASTRONOMIC CULTURE WAS EXTENDED TO 2021. ON THIS AND OTHER TOPICS, EXCELENCIAS SAT DOWN WITH RAFAEL ANSÓN OLIART, THE MASTERMIND BEHIND THIS EFFORT
It was back in January 2020 when Madrid replaced Miami as Capital of the Ibero-american Gastronomic Culture. From that moment on, the invitation to residents and visitors to enjoy an incredible city and, at the same time, not only those dishes and typical sweets, tapas and wines that make the identity of Madrid's gastronomy so peculiar, but also the flavors that make Latin America great.
However, Madrid has been one of the Autonomous Communities most affected by the pandemic, which has forced it to reprogram activities and projects. For logical reasons and as a total show of solidarity, "the General Assembly of the Ibero-american Academy of Gastronomy (AIBG) unanimously decided to extend the capital to 2021," as its president, Rafael Ansón Oliart, explained to His Excellency.
"As is natural, Madrid is already a Latin American capital for many reasons and is undoubtedly one of the great gastronomic destinations in the world. Therefore, the AIBG has fully accepted its designation and the extension of the capital of gastronomic culture to the year 2021".
The renowned Spanish businessman and politician, who for 40 years held the presidency of the Royal Academy of Gastronomy, points out that "the AIBG was founded 10 years ago in Seville. It is currently made up of the National Academies of 14 Latin American countries, including Spain and Portugal. It was created with the objective of researching, protecting and highlighting the excellence of the gastronomic offer in Latin America, both in terms of raw materials, food and beverages, as well as traditional recipes, gastronomic culture and, of course, restaurants, bars, cafeterias and eating houses.
"To remember every year the importance of this offer we decided to take the example of the Olympic Games and choose a city that for 12 months would be the stage and showcase in which the different regions and Latin American peoples show their own cuisine, traditions and gastronomic activities, which would be a great opportunity for other countries and other continents to update and assess the significance of Latin America from a gastronomic point of view".
He recalled that "the first capital city was Cordoba, Spain, and then Guanajuato, Mexico, with very positive results. Later it was Buenos Aires, Argentina, and then Sao Paulo, Brazil, which gave way to Miami, United States, in 2019".
¿What activities will be going on while Madrid remains as the gastronomic capital?
"During this period that covers the capital city, a series of activities are carried out to learn about the global aspects of the gastronomic
This time a totem has been created to symbolize the capital of Madrid, represented by the letter M, which can be displayed in different slogans and programs in each of the 21 districts that exist in the city
offer of Latin America, but also the singularities of the different countries. For this reason there are events as specific as a virtual dinner in which each member nation provides a unique product, a dish, a recipe, and at the same time the drink with which that dish is taken; on the other hand, as it is a cultural capital, a congress on the new gastronomy in the 21st century will be organized, as it has been done in the other previous cities, highlighting that this one, at present, is not only concerned with achieving the satisfaction of the people, but also seeks to be supportive and sustainable. As it is logical, there will also be spaces dedicated to the different countries.
"The capital must also devote an important space to the world of beverages, so we must bear in mind that there are Latin American countries, including Spain and Portugal, which have excellent wines, although perhaps the most widespread and unique in the Latin American world is on the one hand the beer,
Like all ambitious projects that need funding, the capital city in Madrid will also have the support of private sponsors and backers, whose participation and support I would like to thank from this moment on
and on the other hand, the distilled, the cocktails.
"Iberoamerica has and offers some of the best known and most valued cocktails at the moment. For this reason, along with the meeting of chefs and the compilation of pre-columbian, current, traditional and creative recipes, a significant space will also be dedicated to the universe of cocktails and, in general, the harmonies of their foods and those recipes along with the drinks of each country.
"As a feature of originality, this time a totem has been created to symbolize the capital of Madrid, represented by the letter M, which can be displayed in different slogans and programs in each of the 21 districts that exist in the city".
Could you please tell us about the institutional and private support, as well as the sponsors?
"As expected, we have had the support of the Madrid City Council, which in the last edition of Fitur signed the transfer of the capital city of Miami to Madrid; also of the Community of Madrid and, of course, the General Secretariat of Ibero-america (SEGIB) and the Union of Capital Cities of Ibero-america (UCCI).
"Like all ambitious projects that need funding, the capital city in Madrid will also have the support of private sponsors and backers, whose participation and support I would like to thank from this moment on; not only the capital of the gastronomic culture of Ibero-america but also a sector such as the hospitality industry in Madrid and many other places that are suffering, perhaps more than any other, from the problems and drama of the new coronavirus epidemic.
"On behalf of the AIBG I would like to express our gratitude to each and every one of the National Academies that make it up, once again to the Madrid City Council and its Mayor José Luis Martínez-almeida; to the Community of Madrid and its President, Isabel Díaz Ayuso; to Rebeca Grynspan, Ibero-american Secretary General; to Almudena Villegas, who presides over the UCCI; and to all those companies and public and private entities that have joined this effort of solidarity that represents the capital for the hotel and catering sector.
"Similarly, we would like to thank the company in charge of coordinating and executing these projects, Vertical Marketing, with the global management of Carolina Caldés, and, in general, the people of Madrid: a particularly hospitable people who have made famous the phrase that says: from anywhere in the world you have to go to heaven, but, if possible, pass it through Madrid first".