CATIE promotes training for women from Turrialba in food administration and management

• 17 women participate in the culinary program aimed at directing traditional cuisine towards sustainable tourism.

August 3, 2023. Thanks to a partnership between CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) and the International Rotary Club, a culinary program targeted at women from different rural areas in the Turrialba canton was inaugurated today.

The program aims to direct traditional cuisine towards sustainable tourism. For this reason, CATIE joined the project with the interest of promoting family agriculture and contributing to the production of high-nutritional and quality foods.

Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim, General Director of CATIE, welcomed the participants, emphasizing the institution's commitment to strengthening resilient and culturally respectful food systems. CATIE and Rotary Club once again join forces to support the most vulnerable groups, especially by providing opportunities for women. He also expressed gratitude for the support provided by chefs from the United States and Turrialba in this initiative, the new Turrialban cuisine.

Joshua Céspedes Campos, President of the Rotaract Cartago Club, a part of the Rotary International family, stated that this is a project focused on business and traditional cuisine. "We have 17 women from all over the Turrialba canton who will be undergoing a one-month training here at the CATIE facilities, where we have found an essential ally to carry out this work," he said.

The objective is to provide them with certified training in entrepreneurship and culinary topics, such as food handling, with an emphasis on innovation.

Céspedes mentioned that there are two participants from the indigenous area, as well as from places like Guayabo or Mollejones, and the central canton. "We are providing them with transportation and accommodation, as we want to facilitate everything for their training. The project's cost amounts to about 30 thousand dollars," he concluded.

Mauren Sánchez, a neighbor from Tayutic and part of the local coordination, stated, "We have tried to identify women with special situations, for example, single mothers, heads of households, unemployed, and economically vulnerable. We want them to empower themselves not only in the culinary area but also in the administrative and economic aspects."

The interest is for them to leave the program convinced that cooking is their greatest strategy to earn a living, and they can decide whether they want to develop a home-based business or seek employment. In both cases, they will leave with the necessary skills.

The Participants

Sara Bañez Madriz is a resident of the Grano de Oro locality in the indigenous area. "I come to participate to learn more about cooking and see the possibility of working in a school or something similar. I am very grateful for this opportunity since I have never had anything like this in my life. I live with four sisters, a brother, and my mom. I want them to feel proud of me and of being able to help at home since I am currently unemployed," said Bañez.

Lucía Sánchez Arias, on the other hand, is from Tayutic. Since she is currently unemployed and there aren't many job options in her community, she is thankful for the opportunity. "Thanks to this knowledge, maybe we will strengthen what we know about traditional dishes and give them a different or professional touch. Hopefully, we can take all this knowledge to the tourism industry and attract more people to visit Turrialba," she commented.

This partnership and program are part of CATIE's contributions to the Turrialba community to contribute to its development and promote training with technical tools that can help improve their quality of life.