Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Menparekraf) Sandiaga Uno encouraged a culinary festival from Bandung, West Java, namely the Keukeun festival, to expand to international events. According to him, this will stimulate the economy because it can increase job opportunities. Sandiaga said that the festival, which has been held 11 times, has the potential to be displayed in front of other countries. "Finally, if the event is properly curated, this event is not only national, but also an international event," said Sandiaga when reviewing the 2022 Keuken Festival at Kiara Artha Park, Bandung City, West Java, Sunday. In the near future, according to him, Indonesia will face a number of international events such as the G20 Presidency, Asean Summit, and the Travel Exchange Forum (Travex). However, for the G20, the time needed to be prepared is too short. So, he continued, the other two international forums will be the targets to bring a culinary festival from Bandung. On that occasion, Sandiaga and the Governor of West Java Ridwan Kamil had time to try a cooking demonstration at the festival. In addition, he also tried a number of culinary presented. One of the dishes to try is a chocolate dessert product called Chocloud by Nadi. The product, said Sandiaga, is no less delicious than ordinary imported chocolate products. "There is chocloud, because we usually export cocoa and import the finished product, but it's really delicious here," said Sandiaga.
Meanwhile, the initiator of the Keuken Festival Meizan Diandra said the festival, which has been held since 2011, carries a mission to introduce Indonesia's diversity through culinary arts. The reason, he said, the existence of cultural differences in Indonesia actually gave birth to thousands of flavors that come from local raw materials. In Keuken 2022, there are 48 popular local food brands. Furthermore, the culinary festival will be held in Jakarta in December 2022 and in Solo in March 2023. "This is an interesting journey, when Keuken is finally trusted by friends to introduce their brand, launch their products, and introduce their new menu," said Meizan.
