ARLINGTON, VA -- USA Rice recently turned a challenge into an opportunity with the creation of the first-ever Virtual Chef Webinar Series in Colombia. In previous years the annual workshops for professional chefs have taken place in-person in major cities such as Bogota and Cartagena, but this year, the events went online to allow greater participation and to respect restrictions put in place due to COVID-19.
“These four webinars reached more than 2,100 registered online attendees,” said Sarah Moran, USA Rice vice president international. “The objective was the same online as it was live – to provide a technical education for professional chefs and rice importers on how to cook U.S. rice and to emphasize the benefits of using it in their businesses.”
Originally streamed via Zoom, the webinar series is now available on the USA Rice
Colombia Facebook page.
Chef Daniel Riveros, a USA Rice culinary ambassador in Colombia, was the host for sessions that featured special guests including Pablo Restrepo, owner of the foodservice company, “Practic Food;” Ana Santa Fit, an Instagram chef influencer; Luz Dary Cogollo, an expert in traditional cuisine; Mariana Briceno, a catering specialist; and Tono Shinozaki, the corporate chef for Best Choice Company, a U.S rice importer. Each guest shared their personal recommendations on how to incorporate rice as an essential ingredient in a variety of recipes.
“Colombia is an important emerging South American market for U.S -grown rice,” said Moran. “Imports have been strong since the 2012 U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement which allows a duty-free quota for U.S. rice. USA Rice conducts multiple promotions there each month to engage with consumers and trade professionals.”
In 2019, the U.S. exported 147,000 MT of rice valued at nearly $50 million to Colombia and auctions for licenses to export duty-free rice have brought more than $80 million to the United States' six rice research boards to fund research projects for the benefit of the U.S. rice industry.