Chefs Tita and Catherine Lemoine will apply their knowledge in projects that the Office of the Vice President is developing to fight against hunger in the Dominican Republic

Chefs Tita and Catherine Lemoine will apply their knowledge in projects that the Office of the Vice President is developing to fight against hunger in the Dominican Republic
Santo Domingo, February 20, 2014

With the support of the Office of the Vice President of the Republic, renowned Dominican Chef Inés Páez (Chef Tita) and Venezuelan Chef Catherine Lemoine, participated in the International Gastronomy Fair Madrid Fusion 2014, with the purpose of updating their culinary knowledge and then applying what they learned to the National Program for Food Safety and Nutrition “Cero Hambre” (Zero Hunger), run by the government.

Vice President Margarita Cedeño de Fernández supported their participation in the fair, considering that the native chef has developed an innovative kitchen concept that goes hand in hand with the actions taken by the Social Policy Coordination Cabinet, which involves the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Catherine Lemoine is also an expert on Asian food, carrying out gastronomic research on Thai food, for which she visited major cities and regions of Thailand.

“La Nueva Cocina Dominicana” (The New Dominican Cuisine) initiative, implemented by Chef Tita, has important similarities with the programs “Comer es Primero” (Eating comes First) and “Chef contra el hambre” (Chef against hunger) conducted by Dr. Cedeño de Fernández.

Madrid Fusion is celebrated since 2003, traditionally during the month of January, at the Palacio Municipal de Congresos, Campo de las Naciones in Madrid, where chefs of enormous prestige participate, both Spaniard and from the rest of the world, such as chefs Juan Mari Arzak, Ferrán Adriá, Martín Berasategui, Joan Roca, Paco Roncero and Quique Da Costa, among others.

About Chefs Tita and Lemoine

Chef Tita has been designated “Ambassador of Dominican cuisine to the world” because she is the first native chef to focus her line of cooking and create the project Rescue of Dominican Gastronomy, and for projecting a New Dominican Cuisine, with the trends and the forefront of modern times to place it in the arena of the world’s greatest cuisines.

She has conducted research for 12 years, both at the national and international levels, on the origins and the history of Dominican products and cooking habits, and promotes the use of native foods.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism from UNIBE and a Diploma in Culinary Arts from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra; she has explored gastronomic venues such as Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Spain.

She owns the restaurant Travesías and also leads the program “Gourmet Cuisine” that is broadcasted nationally and internationally. She writes about food in national newspapers and contributes to several major magazines.

She has participated in important gastronomic events in the Dominican Republic, such as in Taste Santo Domingo, Cocinando por la Niñez (Cooking for Children), and as a judge for Copa Culinaria de las Américas 2012 (Americas Culinary Cup 2012).

Catherine Lemoine was academically trained in Argentina, at the prestigious Instituto Superior Mariano Moreno, where she combined her four years of intense study with the experience of working alongside renowned chefs Iwo Komiyama and Borja Blázquez.

She also acquired knowledge of Thai cuisine by working under an expert and respected Thai chef based in Buenos Aires, where she learned the secrets of this gastronomic culture, from the traditional preparation of curries, to the combination of the traditional five flavors: sour, bitter, sweet, salty, and spicy.