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Guest Columnist
Dynamism. It is the best adjective to describe the restaurant sector in Bogotá right now. Numerous gastronomic concepts have been developed during the pandemic, which have sparked very interesting and imaginative restaurant openings. I recently visited Bogotá as gastronomic jury for the 2nd Bogotá Marcando Estilo (BME), and as a buyer for a group of suppliers that were exploring possibilities for doing business with us. The objective of this new edition of the BME was to highlight the Colombian capital´s gastronomic, fashion and tourist attractions, created in a collaborative effort between the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce and El Corte Inglés, which catered especially to Spanish tourists. During my meetings with various professionals, their high entrepreneurial spirit always stood out, along with impressive motivation, imagination and enthusiasm among the young and not so young entrepreneurs. Their professionalism is up there with those from most well-known gastronomic countries. Chefs here have had excellent training and many of them also have international experience, either through advanced training programs or through stages at renowned restaurants in the main gastronomic capitals. This has allowed them to explore other cuisines and new ways of working. It is very interesting to see how they have incorporated this knowledge and expertise into their own culinary proposals. I don't want to forget about the food industry. The efforts that a significant number of companies are undertaking to adopt state-of-the-art processes and technologies are noteworthy, and they are beginning to bear fruit. Compared to my previous visit, I have seen a significant increase in the number of companies starting their international journey, some of them in markets as demanding as Japan or Europe. In my view, these companies will set the bar for the rest. A determining factor in the internationalization of a country's gastronomy is its capacity to successfully export it. I take home with me very pleasant memories from this trip and the feeling that, in coming years, Colombian gastronomy will give all of us much to talk about.1 Juan Merino Merino International Product Development Manager for Restaurants at El Corte Inglés
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The original column was written in Spanish. Free translation was done by an official of the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce.
