The U.S. Embassy, through the Foreign Agricultural Service Office, partnered with the Pan-American Academy of Culinary Art (APAC) to present a culinary festival San Salvador to launch the “Sabor USA” marketing campaign on May 20, 2017.
U.S. Department of Agriculture “Sabor USA” campaign aims to increase international awareness and demand for U.S. food products by allowing professional chefs, culinary students and local consumers to deepen their knowledge of the quality agricultural products imported from the United States. Participants at the culinary festival in San Salvador also learned about the versatility of the agricultural products and how they can be used in conjunction with Salvadoran food elements.
U.S. Embassy El Salvador Chargé d’affaires Mark Johnson spoke at the festival and explained, “Last year, El Salvador imported around $170 million in food and drink from the USA, and every year more US products enter the local market. Among the most popular products are apples cheese, and potatoes.”
Sixteen APAC students participated in a competition to create a dish highlighting ingredients imported from the USA in one of three categories: beef and apple; pork and rice; and beans and potatoes. The ingredients were provided by Associations of USA Exporters: U.S. Meat Export Federation, U.S. Rice Federation, U.S.A. Poultry and Egg Export Council, Potatoes of Idaho, U.S. Dry Bean Council, Potatoes USA and Washington Apples. The dishes were judged by Hotel Holiday Inn Chef Aldo Rivera, and U.S. Embassy Chef’s Jerry Gonzáles and Chef Jorge Sánchez. The winners were:
- Beef and Apple: Adelia Ramírez García and Katherine Stephanie González Hernández
- Pork and Rice: Jorge Ramón Navarro Bonilla and Ricardo Antonio Figueroa Salvador
- Purple potato: Diana Abigail Pimentel Rosales and Liliana Marisol Barillas Villalta,
- Black Beans: César Alexander Quintanilla Artiga and Mauricio Hugo Tobar Cornejo
The names of each of the category winners were placed in a raffle for a scholarship to attend the International Culinary Certification valued at $600. The raffle winner was Mauricio Hugo Tobar Cornejo.
