The Gastronomic Corporation is waiting to confirm the location of the fairgrounds, because there is the mayor’s decision to prohibit the Caldas park for fairs.
The Popayán Gastronomic Corporation opened the calls to participate in the five categories at the Gastronomic Congress fairgrounds, in its twenty-second edition, which will take place from September 5 to 8, 2024, in which it will offer the best of traditional cuisine of the region, in addition to a varied gastronomic, cultural and commercial offer. Around 80 entrepreneurs will exhibit.
Traditional chefs, men and women from the region, can be part of the Fairgrounds if they have at least three years’ experience in offering gastronomic products and customer service. With this requirement they fill out the proposal in which they must specify the dishes that will be offered and their characteristics of weight, size, prices, garnishes, among others, outside of complying with the requirements established by the Popayán Gastronomic Corporation to provide attendees with the best products and great attention during the event.
Being part of the Popayán Gastronomic Congress, as a participant in the Fairgrounds, positions you in the regional gastronomic sector, before more than 45 thousand spectators who will taste the preparations for four days, from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
From July 8 to 11, 2024, the proposals will be evaluated and on July 12, those selected to participate in the XXII Gastronomic Congress of Popayán will be announced.
In Caldas Park or in the Casa de la Moneda?
With four months left until the Gastronomic Congress, the directors of the Gastronomic Corporation still do not know where in the city this event will take place, especially the fairgrounds, an aspect that remains to be confirmed. “We will continue to insist on the need to hold this great city event in its natural setting, which is the Francisco José de Caldas Park, in the center of the city,” they say in a statement.
Last March, the mayor of Popayán, Juan Carlos Muñoz Bravo, announced the ban on using the Caldas Park for events and exhibitions. In that sense, it was reported by the Gastronomic Congress that it would move in September to the facilities of the Casa de la Moneda convention center and surrounding sites, which was well received by a large part of the community, because it is the occasion to that tourists visit the city and one of its attractions is, precisely, the Caldas park and, in general, the historic center, which on those days is taken over by exhibitors and the tents that are installed, which cover the architecture of the city. , its monumental sector.
Precisely, as a result of the mayor’s announcement, the Gastronomic Corporation issued a statement in which it agreed with that decision. The message said verbatim:
Due to the information arising from the Municipal Mayor’s Office of Popayán in the sense of not allowing the use of Parque Caldas for events and exhibitions in the city, the Gastronomic Corporation of Popayán informs the public that:
• The XXII Gastronomic Congress of Popayán will be held from September 5 to 8, 2024 at the facilities of the Casa de la Moneda Convention Center and surrounding siteswhich will be properly adapted to install the event stages and house the more than 45 thousand people who participate in each edition of the Congress.
• Reiterate that the Popayán Gastronomic Corporation has always strived for the care and maintenance of Caldas Park before, during and after the congresses that were held in this venue for more than 16 years. There was always investment in cleaning drains, caring for paving stones with the installation of industrial mats and washing after events. In addition, the respective enclosure was made to protect the gardens and surrounding facades and waste disposal was carried out under the regulations, all of the above in association with the responsible authorities and entities.
• Beyond arguing about the prohibition of the use of Caldas Park for holding events, local and national authorities are urged to implement in Popayán as a priority, an infrastructure project that has the capacity to develop massive and diverse events in the capital of Cauca and thus enhance the great tourist offer of this region.
• Finally, we invite all citizens to continue supporting the holding of the Gastronomic Congress, which in its XXII edition, will give flavor and color to Popayán from a new fairground where the public will enjoy popular cuisines, taverns, traditional and commercial beverage stands. , crafts and peasant markets. In addition to the live cooking workshops with the most renowned chefs in the country who will be on the stage of knowledge and the concerts with the highlights of regional music on the stage of flavor. Without a doubt, the academic forum will continue to be the meeting space for academics, chefs, cooks and cooking lovers because Popayán Prepares It, You Enjoy It!