The gastronomic offer in Baja California is so important that it became a State Heritage yesterday, the award was presented by the World Organization of Tourism.

This past September 24, there was a meeting of the Counsel of Cultural Heritage at the Baja California Institute of Culture, where they made the official petition.

Juan Tintos Funcke, Secretary of Tourism in Baja California explained that "The culinary arts in Baja California have a long history, from the indigenous groups in the area like the Kumiai, the religious missionaries who established the wine country, the presence of the Russian community in the Guadalupe Valley, emblematic creations like the Caesar Salad, which was created in Revolution Ave.; the margarita which was created in Ensenada and the Puerto Nuevo Style Lobster, all of these factors which make Baja California's gastronomy, were the ones that made it worthy of this distinction".

The fame of the culinary arts have been exposed internationally due to the visits from world renowned chefs like Rick Bayless and Anthony Bourdain, although Baja California's flavor isn't the only thing it has to offer. As the Secretary of Tourism explains, the flavors are deeply routed in the history of the state, by mixing traditions from all it's people, both local and immigrants, making it a rich and varied culture.

Cooking in Baja California has been one of the strongest tourism factors in the state for the past few years. It should be noted that most of the activity in the region has been due to it's diffusion around the world, with international events and the participation of many chefs and culinary artists like Javier Plascencia, Miguel Angel Guerrero, Diego Hernandez, Guillermo "Oso" Campos Moreno, Jair Tellez, Benito and Solange Molina and Sabina Bandaera from "La Guerrerense".

Day to day you can observe new comments about how great Baja California is, it's wine, it's traditions and now with it's culinary arts being recognized, it is a new chapter in the culture of the region.

The announcement of the award took place during the celebration of the course "Gastronomy as a took in competetive tourism" which is taking place this week in Rosarito Beach, in an event of the World Organization of Tourism.

Brenda.Colon@sandiegored.com

Daniel.Aguilar@sandiegored.com