MÉRIDA, Yucatán.- The varied Yucatecan gastronomy will be one of the foundations for the economic reactivation of the state and the peninsular region in 2021, so drawing up a strategy for the coming months will allow the economy severely affected by the Covid pandemic to recover.
A group of prominent Yucatecan chefs with international recognition are committed to making the Yucatecan capital a powerful magnet for the arrival of national and international visitors, who can be seduced by the wealth and gastronomic variety of La Blanca Mérida.
In an interview, the renowned chef and ambassador of Yucatecan gastronomy, David Cetina Medina, highlighted that traditional regional dishes have a great potential to win back the arrival of visitors to the region next year, which will help the reactivation of the entire tourism sector.
Chef Cetina pointed out that regional gastronomy will be an important piece in the economic recovery of the state’s restaurant and hotel sector.
“We are experiencing a gastronomic bonanza, which should be used by all sectors, we have to project everyone to make the city of Mérida a powerful magnet that attracts visitors,” he said.
He commented that Yucatecan food “has some peculiarities that make it unique, such as the flavors and smells, which place it as one of the best in the world; at a time when restaurants and hotels are the most affected due to Covid-19, gastronomy can become a powerful resource for recovery ”.
Slow recovery
The executive chef of Mi Viejo Molino restaurant, Lorena Dogre Oramas, pointed out that the economic recovery in the sector has been very slow, and there are many employees and their families who depend on this area, so a thought-out strategy has to be consolidated in recovery thinking of improving towards 2021.
She indicated that 2021 will be a very complicated year and that the Mi Viejo Molino brand has not yet been able to reopen its branches 100 percent in the city, and branches such as the one in Chetumal, Quintana Roo, were closed.
“It is a worldwide impact that hit us all. We do not know what 2021 will be like and how long it will take us to recover, so gastronomy will be of the utmost importance for restaurateurs and the tourism sector ”, she considered.
Chef Gerardo Llaca pointed out that Yucatecan gastronomy is a national and international reference, which could be used very well in 2021, with a view to recovering the Yucatan’s restaurant businesses, but also helping the tourism sector to have more visitors.
He stressed that his gastronomic concept consists of personalized cooking experiences for a small number of people, which also becomes an attraction for visitors in times of pandemics.
“As such, I don’t have a restaurant, what I offer is a gastronomy workshop of all kinds, in which only 14 people can fit in an intimate experience with the chef.
People can also cook from a distance and the important thing is to project the local gastronomy to the whole world ”, Chef Gerardo Llaca pointed out.
