How can new gastronomic experiences be created using products we are familiar with from childhood, such as milk, cheeses, and ricotta? This was the main topic of the gastronomic workshop held on June 24-25 in Selemet village, Cimișlia district, for the members of the Ovi-Caprine Cluster "Cimișlia-Basarabeasca." The event, which brought together over 20 participants, was facilitated by the team of Romanian expert Stelian Burduhos, as part of the UNDP project "Resilient and Inclusive Markets in Moldova," funded by the Swiss Government.
Over the course of two days, participants, mostly entrepreneurs in the dairy product sector, shared their experiences and benefited from the guidance of Romanian experts in crafting their business stories and adapting to current trends in global gastronomy while preserving the local specifics. On the second day of the workshop, a cheese-based gastronomic package was created and tasted, which generated great excitement among the participants.
"Everyone left the workshop with new ideas to test in their businesses. It's always refreshing to learn about new trends in the field, and to test them practically, discovering that preparation doesn't require huge efforts, while the results are impressive. We hope that the dishes prepared during the workshop will inspire local guesthouses to collaborate with meat and dairy producers to offer tourists a menu made from fresh local products," said Silvia Strelciuc, UNDP Moldova consultant.
The workshop was hosted by the "La Mădălina" guesthouse and is part of a series of events organized to support local entrepreneurship development and capitalize on the potential of traditional Moldovan products. A similar event took place on June 21-22 for members of the "Heart of Nistru" tourism cluster, also funded by UNDP and the Swiss Government.