TASTE OF THE MARIANAS Food fest kicks off at American Memorial Park

After months of planning, the second food festival kicked off Saturday evening attracting a huge crowd who were just excited to sample the different types of food prepared by participating hotels and restaurants.

Even the brief rain shower did not dampen the spirits of people as food and drinks flowed from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the American Memorial Park.

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio commended both the government and private sectors for carrying out an innovative way to market the CNMI as a tourist destination in the Pacific. But members of the hotel industry noted that any marketing strategy can only become effective if there are available direct flights to ferry tourists from various destinations in Asia to the Northern Marianas.

Aqua Resort Chef Hubert Friedle, chair of this year’s food festival, said the participation of various hotels proved their commitment in finding ways to attract visitors to the island as they show them the high quality of food prepared by chefs.

At one point the Marianas Visitors Authority ran out of tokens as the establishments enjoyed brisk business the whole night. They came not only to enjoy the food but also the music provided by the local band.

Emphasizing on the importance of creating an event to entice travelers, Mr. Friedle believes that the food festival is an added value in selling the CNMI as a destination.

At the same time, the event brings out the best creative minds in the festival as the chefs are encouraged to participate in different contests lined up for the whole month. Last Saturday’s winners in the Appetizer Category were Nikko Hotel, first place; Aqua Resort, second place; and Coffee Care, third place. On the Fruit
Carvings contest, Nikko Hotel bagged the first and second places, while Aqua Resort won third place.

Since the Asian crisis begun in July 1997, the island’s tourism economy has continuously declined, forcing many hotels to lower room rates just to attract guests. Mr. Friedle noted that many hotels cut down the number of workers as he expressed concern on its possible effect to the standard of service.

Taste of the Marianas 2000 will be held at the American Memorial Park every Saturday of May, which has been declared Tourism Month.