« Cités de la gastronomie » (Capitals of Gastronomy): Lyon and Dijon as prototypes

Thursday, January 23rd: 02:00-03:15 p.m., Arcole room

« Cités de la gastronomie » (Capitals of Gastronomy): Lyon and Dijon as prototypes

The creation of Cités de la Gastronomie is the flagship of the management scheme that results from the declaration by UNESCO that French cuisine is an intangible world heritage asset.

At the instigation of the Mission Française du Patrimoine et des Cultures Alimentaires (MFPCA – French Mission for Heritage and Food Cultures) and the prizewinning cities, cultural facilities devoted to gastronomy have been established in Dijon, Lyon, Paris-Rungis and Tours. The four cities have formed themselves into a Network, a means of bringing themselves together into a federation so that, together, they can contribute to the promotion of gastronomic eating and also to the world’s cultures and heritage. Each of the Cités de la Gastronomie focuses in particular on individual creative strategies and specific economic models. Within the Network, each of them promotes one specific area, one driving force (wine and the vine in Dijon, healthy eating in Lyon, responsible gastronomy in Paris-Rungis and food science in Tours). This makes it possible to enhance exchanges and, let us hope, future links and collaboration between the four facilities.