Promoting, enhancing, and praising local products and restaurants are the objectives of the third workshop organized by the Association for the Economic Enhancement of the Azores (AVEA).
It will be held in São Miguel on November 23rd and 24th. It will focus on meat, with an emphasis on locally certified products.
“The islands are conducive to raising cattle on natural pastures and, on the other hand, to ancestral methods of feeding and managing cattle and this is greatly reflected in the unparalleled flavor, marked by great juiciness and soft texture,” said Eládio Braga, Chairman of the Board of the Association for the Economic Enhancement of the Azores.
Chef Rodrigo Castelo (Taberna Ó Balcão, in Santarém) and sommelier Milton Furtado (Grand Hotel Açores Atlântico) will be present as trainers.

Workshop focused on meat for economic valorization

The third cycle of four workshops promotes knowledge exchange between the local economy, students, and trainers.
It allows sharing techniques to deepen the local players’ approach to meat.
Topics on catering will be covered, from the selection of cuts, the use of less noble meats, and treatment in the kitchen and living room. “We believe that sharing knowledge and techniques to empower local caterers is essential, and this training is once again along those lines,” says Eládio Braga. The highlight of the initiative is the dinner on the 24th at 7:30pm.
This moment will consolidate the lessons learned over two days.
The menu created by Chef Rodrigo Castelo, with the collaboration of the students, will focus mainly on meat.
The wine pairing will be the responsibility of sommelier Milton Furtado, with a selection of white and rosé Azorean wines and a red from the Tejo region.
This initiative carried out in partnership with the Azores Tourism Training School (EFTA), is part of the SABOREA project.
The INTERREG MAC 2014-2020 – Madeira Azores Canary Islands Program co-financed the project, which involves several partners from the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Senegal, and Mauritania.
The program and other information are available on the website of the Azores Tourism Training School (www.efta.com.pt).
The first two workshops focused on wine and fish.
This time, it’s meat as a locally certified product that will be the focus of students and chef trainers for two days.

In Diário Inuslar-José Lourenço, director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno.