The European Region of Gastronomy Award ceremony for 2018 was held this morning at Aarhus Theatre in Central Denmark. The event kicked off with a warm welcome from Bent Hansen, the Chairman of Central Denmark Region and the Mayor of Aarhus, Jacob Bundsgaard.
Dr Diane Dodd, President of IGCAT spoke about the need for this Platform and Award and reiterated that Europe’s competitive advantage is its quality of food products, its wide variety of produce and culture and food diversity connected to terroir, landscape, lifestyles and traditions.
Presentations were made by official representatives from Galway, West of Ireland and Noord Brabant giving an overview of their vision for their programmes. Acceptance speeches were delivered by Cllr Michael Connolly, Chairman of Galway County Council, Cllr. Noel Larkin, Mayor of Galway City, and Anne-Marie Spierings, Vice Governor and Provincial Executive for Agricultural Development, Province of Brabant. The Mayor of Veghel, Ina Adema introduced the tasting of food from Noord Brabant.
Phil Hogan, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development presented the awards to Galway, West of Ireland and Noord Brabant for their successful bids to host the title in 2018. He congratulated the European Region of Gastronomy on the process and importance of bringing communities together. He insisted that the EU recognizes its quality produce and will not be compromised.
Hosted in the framework of Aarhus – Central Denmark Region 2017 – Rethinking Good Food. The Danish region successfully bid for and was officially awarded the title, European Region of Gastronomy 2017 alongside Riga-Gauja Region and East Lombardy, at a ceremony in Expo Milan in October 2015. The region is developing a programme of events for 2017 with a special emphasis on creative clusters for businesses that aim to celebrate the region’s produce and traditions while exploring sustainable food production.
The European Region of Gastronomy Platform and Award aim to contribute to better quality of life in European regions, by highlighting distinctive food cultures, educating for better health and sustainability and stimulating culinary innovation.
IGCAT – International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism – organises the award with the support of European institutions. IGCAT is an international interdisciplinary network of experts aiming to empower and facilitate local communities to realise the potential of their distinct food, culture, arts, sustainable tourism and other local resources.
For more information contact: info@igcat.org