In an exciting opportunity for our Austin Culinary School, Chef Pablo Guerrero was invited by the Gourmonde organization of AREGALA to participate in a conference from June 4-7, honoring the great country of Peru which was designated as the 2013 top culinary destination of the Americas. The three day trip was completely filled with culinary demos, international menu presentations and a number of election ceremonies for various organizations. In regards to the elections, we are very proud to announce our own Chef Pablo was officiated as director of the Latin America and Caribbean chapter of Chefs Without Borders, a high honor for him and the school.
On top of his work with Chefs Without Borders, the trip also included learning about how much good food plays a role in Peruvian culture. Chef Pablo met with 400 students from a local culinary school in the town of Chiclayo and also toured the hotel infrastructure, focusing on the kitchen and catering for the event.
Lectures from participating culinary educators from Cuba, Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Finland and the U.S. proved to be both educational and conversation sparkers, with much of the interest being in the online component of AESCA. No culinary conference would be complete without an extravaganza of food as each master chef presented a menu of food that represents the diversity and unique flavors of their country. Chef Pablo’s menu of clam chowder, shrimp and grits, oyster Rockefeller and cedar plank salmon was very well received by tasters.
The highlight of the trip, however, was a fundraising event in which the attending chefs catered a fundraiser for Hospital Las Mercedes children’s burn unit. More than 200 guests came and tasted the food, making the night a complete success. The next AREGALA event will be held in Finland in October, where Chef Pablo will again represent AESCA in his newly appointed Chefs Without Borders role.
