IGCAT recently received international expert, Dr. Carlos Fernandes from the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo, Portugal. During his visit, he reported on the work that Minho is doing as European Region of Gastronomy 2016 in terms of development and empowerment of local establishments. As one of the founder regions holding the European Region of Gastronomy title, Minho’s experience is important in the current review of the guidelines for the award. Together with the President of IGCAT and Executive Director of the European Region of Gastronomy, Dr. Diane Dodd they discussed many aspects of the award and listed new criteria that could be included into the guidelines for future regions wishing to hold the award.
Dr. Carlos Fernandes wrote the successful bid book for Minho, European Region of Gastronomy 2016 and he is an IGCAT Expert and Board Member. His research is currently focussed on developing the host-guest relationship that can empower local SMEs from the hospitality sector.
About IGCAT
IGCAT (International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism) organises the award with the support of European institutions. IGCAT (
About the European Region of Gastronomy
The European Region of Gastronomy Platform and Award aim to contribute to better quality of life in European regions, by highlighting distinctive food cultures, educating for better health and sustainability and stimulating gastronomic innovation. Candidate regions are invited to join a knowledge-exchange platform of European regions in order to further cross-border collaborations and develop shared initiatives.