Chef Gómez in action

 
Chef Bernardo Gómez, a renowned chef who teaches at various institutions throughout Colombia and the region, and who was the recipient of the Gourmand Award in 2010 for the "Best Cookbook of Colombia," conducted workshops on various types of U.S.-grown rice and shared innovative recipes created by pairing U.S. rice with other Colombian delicacies.  More than 100 individuals from hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, culinary schools, and companies attended the workshops.

"The new promotional efforts in Colombia are designed to boost market share in the important foodservice sector," said Brian King, a rice merchant in Marked Tree, Arkansas, and chairman of USA Rice's Western Hemisphere Promotion Subcommittee. "Under the TRQ agreement we increase our access to Colombia each year, and these workshops help us bolster demand for our product."

Colombia is one of the United States' top ten rice export markets, bringing in nearly 80,000 MT of rice valued at over $60 million in the first seven months of 2014.

Contact:  Sarah Moran (703) 236-1457

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