Our hosts, the Secretary of Tourism of Santiago de Cali and the Secretary of Tourism of Valle del Cauca, welcome the Délice participants.
Cali, the city where rhythms inspire, welcomes you with open arms. We are sure this experience of discovering our flavors, the salsa culture, the magic of the Pacific, and all our charming tourist offers will be a memorable and exciting journey.
Cali, also known as the Salsa Capital of the World and the Pacific Capital Region of Colombia, offers a fusion of cuisines that amaze thanks to its origin and cultural richness. Indigenous cuisine, for example, with its flavors of corn, potatoes, cassava, and fruit variety, has been mixed with afro Colombian cuisine, which, with its African roots, enriches the seasoning through dishes and native ingredients. Also, European flavors, which arrived with the Spanish colonizers and later merged with our native food, created new flavors and delicious gastronomic temptations that have become representatives of our culinary culture.
Therefore, I am sure you will live a unique experience tasting aphrodisiac flavors, singular textures, and extraordinary recipes that combine traditional and contemporary preparations. In addition, you will have the opportunity to meet acclaimed chefs from the city, traditional cooks from the Pacific coast, and entrepreneurs who exalt all our cultural and gastronomic heritage to create amazing dishes, captivating tours, and successful businesses that have boosted economic development for the region.
Please enjoy every moment and dish, let yourself be carried away by the explosion of flavors in the 'Alameda Market,' get inspired by our chefs and cooks who carry traditions, such as Viche and Maceta sweets, and allow yourself to learn about our gastronomic and Salsa culture. Our commitment is to ensure you the best time in this adventure, and for this purpose, we have been preparing every detail for your delight.
We encourage you to live to the fullest every minute of this journey and fall in love with Cali through moments that will never be forgotten.
Welcome to the city that inspires life.
Stefania DOGLIONI
Secretary of Tourism,
Santiago de Cali
Welcome to Valle del Cauca, a land full of opportunities, a region that always opens its doors to all visitors, a land that inspires to the point of becoming a song.
Welcome to multi-ethnic and multicultural Valle del Cauca, a region proudly known for having one of Colombia’s greatest gastronomies. Here, different cultures influence add the most amazing diversity to our traditional dishes. You will find from the Pacific coast to the northern area of Valle del Cauca a great variety of recipes that imprint in their flavors the history of our people.
During your visit, I am sure you will fall in love with our land; you will understand why Cali is known as the world capital of salsa and why we are well known for our food; you will find yourselves hand in hand with the best chefs and traditional cooks of the region; you will be able to immerse in each of the sub-regions of our region, learn about its history, traditions, and the personal touch of our food given by our seasoning, spices, and flavors that make us so unique in the world.
You will get to know amazing facts, such as the high-quality coffee we cultivate in 39 of the 42 municipalities of the department. In addition, you will have the opportunity to taste Viche, a liquor traditionally produced by women on the Pacific coast and recognized as part of Colombia’s cultural and ancestral heritage.
But most importantly, you will be able to observe how our gastronomy is increasingly positioning itself in national and international scenes, thanks to our chefs looking at our origins for inspiration to bring authenticity to the preparations and elevate the quality of our cuisine.
So welcome once again to Valle del Cauca, welcome to my house, and welcome to your home.
Julián FRANCO
Secretary of Tourism,
Valle del Cauca