Belizean cuisine featured at forum
Visitors have come to Belize for years to view our numerous natural attractions, but like travelers to any destination once they have ventured out to see the sites they want to enjoy a hearty, maybe even exotic meal. To help hotels and restaurants create dishes the guests will remember even when they get back home, the Radisson Fort George Hotel hosted a special food fest this morning.
Despite the poor attendance by food suppliers, wholesalers and importers of the tourist and resort industry, the second annual Food Symposium presented a number of interesting dishes made from local produce, that are sure to boost anyone’s business and save them money.
Doug Fox, Coordinator, Food Symposium
“In the past, Belize has always felt that they have been excluded from the international tourist community, that they were a special little poor place. Now we have a mentality among our operators of professionalism. They are marketing their products competitively with the rest of the world. The plates that you see presented now in Belize and the flavors and the mannerisms in which they are trying to present it, are as professional as anywhere else in the world and this is very encouraging for our future.”
Valerie Woods, Director of the Tourist Board, in addressing the gathering, says B.T.B. supports efforts that promote local products and that the Ministry of Tourism will continue to liaise with other ministries to ensure the growth of eco-cultural tourism.
Valerie Woods, Director, Tourist Board
“When visitors come to Belize, they come here to experience what is Belize and what better way to promote the culture and destination, than through food and beverage. Belize has many ingredients that are locally produced and can be and should be incorporated in the various quality cuisine being offered in restaurants countrywide.”
Doug Fox, who coordinated today’s event, says the presentations show how with just a little bit of imagination and good management, you can take leftover vegetables and turn them into exciting dishes.
Doug Fox
“It is made by boiling, taking the used water after you have boiled the vegetables and making the Jello and that keeps the vegetable flavor in it. You can take any vegetable that’s left over and put it in there and make an unusual display. All of these items are ideas of what to use with your leftovers.”
Fox says the symposium gives tourist operators a different perspective of different things they can do to excite both local and tourists enough, that they will come back as well as promote Belize.
Doug Fox
“You don’t want to see chocho or carrots on every plate. If you are going to pay a very good cost for a meal, you want an unusual flavor, you want something different and when the tourist goes back home, they are asked two questions. One, did you enjoy your vacation? And the second one is, how is the food? And that’s always followed with, did they have anything different?”
The symposium had on display products by Running W Meats, and Premium wines and spirits.
