The Hague, 20 January 2018. The Ambassador of Cuba in the Kingdom of The Netherlands H.E. Soraya Alvarez Núñez, presided over the opening ceremony on January 18, 2018 of the Food Festival dedicated to Cuba in the Crowne-Plaza Promenade Hotel, one of he main hotels in the city of The Hague. The ceremony was co-presided by the General Manager of the hotel, Mr. Patrick Aarsman. The Food Festival ran for three days -18, 19 and 20 of January.
The opening ceremony was attended by Ambassadors, members of the diplomatic corps officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other Dutch govenmental institutions and representatives of the Dutch media, businesspeople and friends of Cuba.
In the welcome remarks, both the Ambassador and the General Manager thanked Diplomat Magazine, a specialized news outlet based in The Hague, for the support and collaboration in the promotion of this new edition of the Festival, in which they foresaw days of enjoyment and appreciation of the Cuban culture through its traditional music.
In her opening words, Alvarez Núñez underlined the values of the Cuban cuisine which are related to the mixture of cultures that shape the Cuban identity: indienous people from Cuba and Yucatan, Spain, Africa and Asia. The Food Festival marks the beginning of the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, which will take place all year-long.
The Ambassador also introduced young Cuban chef Reynier Suárez Rivera and his assistant Claudia de la C. González Valdés, who created and prepared the exquisite traditional menu served during the Festival. To add to the tradition of taste and enjoyment, guests were welcomed with a mojito prepared by Lester Fernández, a member of the staff of the Embassy of Cuba in the Netherlands.
The entertainment of the opening evening was by the duo Caney, who performed classic songs of the Cuban musical history. Cuban singer Jorge Martínez also lended his voice to enliven the evenings of the Cuban Festival during the three nights the Food Festival ran in The Hague.
(Embacuba Paises Bajos)