The Ministry of Culture and Youth today presented the Fogón Futuro National Gastronomy Strategy, a national roadmap that connects producers, cooks, communities, academia, and the tourism sector to strengthen Costa Rican cuisine as a living heritage and a driver of sustainable development.
The Ministry of Culture and Youth (MCJ), in partnership with the Parque La Libertad Foundation and with the support of public institutions, the private sector, and academia, today launched Fogón Futuro, Costa Rica’s National Gastronomy Strategy, conceived to position Costa Rican cuisine as a global benchmark for identity, sustainability, and creativity.
The launch event brought together authorities, tradition bearers, chefs, entrepreneurs, universities, and the media, in a day that combined presentations, regional tastings, and announcements of the first projects underway.
“Gastronomy is living culture. With Fogón Futuro, we want every dish to tell a story, every local ingredient to be an opportunity for development, and our cuisine to be recognized for what it truly is: a national heritage and a driver for the future,” stated Jorge Rodríguez Vives, Minister of Culture and Youth.
Three pillars in action for a cuisine with identity and purpose
- Research. Comprehensive mapping of the gastronomic value chain and creation of the Fogón Futuro Gastronomy Observatory, with its technical secretariat at the Parque La Libertad Foundation starting in 2026. This observatory will generate data, knowledge, and coordination between institutions and territories.
- Activate. Gastronomic laboratories held in 2025 in Isla Venado, Limón, Vara Blanca, Palmar Norte, and the Zona de los Santos, where traditional cooks, producers, and chefs worked on the revitalization of local recipes, ingredients, and techniques, strengthening the leadership of women, indigenous peoples, and rural youth.
- Celebrate. In March 2026, the Fogón Futuro Festival will take place, an international gathering that will bring together academia, farmers, tradition bearers, the tourism sector, and leading chefs, with the support of UNESCO and national universities.
“Revitalizing our gastronomy is essential to add value to agriculture, strengthen identity, and promote cultural heritage and biodiversity. Fogón Futuro puts people and their knowledge at the center,” highlighted Patricio Morera, executive director of Parque La Libertad.
Linkages and Territorial Transformation
In a country that concentrates nearly 6% of the world’s biodiversity in just 0.03% of its territory, Fogón Futuro proposes a new way of understanding development: from farm to table, and from the table to the territory.
The strategy brings together traditional cooks, rural communities, producers, academics, artists, tour operators, and decision-makers to boost local economies, regenerative tourism, and purchasing with traceability and origin.
“Our cuisine is living biodiversity: heirloom corn, tubers, fruits, wild greens (quelites), sea and forest; but also design, hospitality, and creative economy,” explained Paco Cervilla, director of Fogón Futuro. “We want Costa Rican gastronomy to be an unmissable experience in the country.”
Goals 2025–2030
- Position a gastronomic country brand based on identity, quality, and sustainability.
- Consolidate the Fogón Futuro Observatory as a national platform for knowledge and coordination.
- Establish national and international networks for gastronomic cooperation.
- Turn the Fogón Futuro Festival into one of the most relevant culinary gatherings in Latin America.
A Commitment to Heritage and the Creative Economy
Fogón Futuro is part of the national agenda for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and promoting the Costa Rican creative economy.
The project recognizes cuisine as a space for encounters, the transmission of knowledge, and the creation of opportunities.
“When cuisine becomes a cultural and tourism product, it multiplies value throughout the entire chain: from the farm to the table, and from the table to the country,” pointed out Rodríguez Vives. “Fogón Futuro is an open hearth where memory, innovation, and territory converge to build a Costa Rica that recognizes itself in its diversity and commits to a sustainable future starting from its table.”
About Fogón Futuro
Fogón Futuro is the national strategy of the Ministry of Culture and Youth to strengthen Costa Rican cuisine as intangible cultural heritage and a driver of sustainable development.
Through the Observatory, territorial laboratories, and the 2026 Festival, it connects communities, producers, academia, and the private sector to protect edible biodiversity, professionalize skills, and stimulate local economies with identity.
