The Yum Cha restaurant in Santiago and the Ruta de los Abastos in the O'Higgins region were included in the prestigious list that includes 100 places around the world. Two experiences that reflect the diversity and quality of Chile's local gastronomic offer. The message of Imagen de Chile is: "Come eat in this country".
"Chile is at a crucial moment to exploit the gastronomic tourism we have. Basically Chile is a pantry, it is one of the largest pantries of products in the world: we have some of the best wines in the world, the best seafood and other types of products, and that is being exploited now, through chefs, projects and producers," says Nicolás Tapia, owner and founder of the Yum Cha restaurant, one of the Chilean destinations highlighted by Time magazine in its list of 100 extraordinary places to visit in 2024.
These are two Chilean experiences that shine in this renowned list that includes hotels, restaurants and places to visit around the world.
The innovative Yum Cha restaurant opened its doors in 2022 in Santiago and is based on the Chinese tradition of sharing food accompanied by tea, but with Chilean ingredients that contribute to the local gastronomic identity . " Local chef Nicolás Tapia's 10-course tasting menus use teas from different parts of the world, including oolong from Nantou, Taiwan, and red tea from Hadong, South Korea, as a guide to combine with local produce and seafood from Chile's cold Pacific waters," states Time magazine.
The second destination recognized by Time is The Route of the Abastos in the O'Higgins region, the first rural gastronomic tourism circuit in Chile, with 10 experiences between Santa Cruz, Pichilemu, Paredones, Litueche, Marchigüe and La Estrella. "The Ruta de los Abastos works with small producers (winegrowers, beekeepers and fishermen, among them) between the Andean valleys and the Pacific Ocean to create sustainable gastronomic adventures," describes Time.
These are two destinations that offer different experiences but that speak of Chilean gastronomy and identity from different perspectives.
"It is not a triumph for us, it is a triumph for Chile, for the pantries, for gastronomic tourism to be that flag that says from now on that, apart from coming to surf the wave and apart from skiing in these beautiful places of ski centers, and apart from going to the driest desert in the world, eat those territories. Look at what these territories produce, eat it," says Pamela Villagra, food journalist and co-director of the Ruta de los Abastos.
The Undersecretary of Tourism, Verónica Pardo, highlighted the importance of the gastronomic experience in Chilean tourism: "there are many cooks, cooks, gourmets who are not thinking about gastronomic tourism, and are thinking about getting their food ahead and, therefore, it is important that the food experience is part of a tourist route, because I believe that Chile must be sold with its everything".
"We can't forget that the eyes of the world in 2024 are being placed on what we eat. What we are saying to people, to the world, is: Come eat in this country," says Pamela Villagra.
The executive director of Imagen de Chile, Rossana Dresdner, said: "this is a sign that Chile, in many areas, is at a global level and Chileans have to, together, show more of our great strengths".
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