Dominican Cuisine: Bringing Together the Dominican Diaspora in New York

“Dominican cuisine has become a force for bringing together the Dominican community in New York.” This statement was affirmed by the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) New York Director Yamile Eusebio during the opening presentation of the workshop “Food Writing for Foodies,” which took place on Friday, October 12 at the 809 restaurant in New York City.

The workshop was led by Elaine Hernández,
food blogger and expert in food journalism and communication and was part of the first Dominican Gastro Tour 2018. The Tour included many activities organized by DominicanaOnLine.org which all sought to highlight the qualities of Dominican cuisine among the Dominican Diaspora in New York.

“Escritura gastronómica para
Foodies” (Food Writing for Foodies) had the main goal of showcasing writing tools and communication strategies for business people working in gastronomy and restaurants, as well as cooks and community managers who attended the workshop at 809, a restaurant specialized in top-notch Dominican cooking.

809 was involved in the workshop by providing various dishes prepared with recipes that highlight Dominican cooking. The
three tapas were croquetas de moro de guandules (rice and bean croquettes) filled with crab (in homage to the Samaná province); taquitos de yaniqueque (a fried bread) filled with shrimp and slices of mango and bollitos de plátano maduro (little ripe plantain balls) filled with chicken and accompanied by avocado mayonnaise and chipotle.

During the workshop the participants created descriptions and short stories inspired by the snacks. The stories used narrative resources to describe the organoleptic characteristics, the ingredients and feelings that the dishes produce.

“Gastronomy builds identity and those who utilize it to create content must strategically use digital communication as a tool for sharing Dominican cuisine. This is done with aesthetically-pleasing publications that use
a descriptive text and language that stimulates the senses and connects emotions,” said Hernández.

The workshop took place as part of Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States thanks to DominicanaOnLine.org, an initiative of the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development that promotes Dominican culture.