Project Definition

#tasteofwestzeelandicflanders
 

WEST ZEELANDIC FLANDERS AS A FOOD REGION ON THE MAP

West-Zeeuws-Vlaanderen is a destination known for its scenic beauty, but also increasingly for its high-quality culinary offerings in restaurants and the unique preparations of chefs in the kitchen. A destination that you can experience with your senses, by tasting, feeling, seeing and smelling everything that comes from the sea and the land. For Marcin Beaufort, this is reason enough to put the region on the map as a food region.

RENEWED FOCUS ON THE SHORT CYCLE

The past period has once again clearly shown that the inhabitants and guests attach great importance to a shorter, local, traceable and ecological food chain. "I notice that consumers like to know where their products come from. How are they grown? Where do they come from? And how do you use these products? The questions are endless, but the answers are not easy to find.
The agricultural and culinary cultural heritage, the lost knowledge about the handling, preparation and processing of some of these products are elements to be worked on. In the FOODREGIO WZVL project, I want to use my authentic culinary knowledge and experience to inspire residents and guests and show them what is possible. By highlighting the products of agriculture, fisheries, farmers and growers.
A lot is already being done around food, but there is still a lot of potential for the region," says Marcin Beaufort. He owns a culinary consultancy and developed the plan "FOODREGIO WZVL". "My pride in the region where I work and its culinary culture means that I am very involved in what happens here.

INFORM, INSPIRE AND ORGANISE

Marcin is involved in three pillars: informing, inspiring and organising. "I involve both small farmers, growers and organic producers in the project, as well as large producers who practice their profession with equal pride and passion and bring quality products to the market. I want to raise awareness of the products that exist in our region. To this end, I am working with "WeZienJeHierGraag", an initiative of the Marketing and Promotion working group set up by the municipality of Sluis shortly after the first lockdown. The aim of FOODREGIO WZVL is to reach a large target group that will function as a community, which people will want to join in order to gain inspiration and knowledge about regional and farm products.
 

FOOD AND FOOD COMPETITIVENESS

In the future, Marcin hopes to involve the entire Zwin region in his project. "The region is applying to be declared the food region of the Netherlands. In the coming years, the catering industry will have to step up its game after the scarcity of the past year, and the focus on food tourism can help. The FOODREGIO WZVL project does this in a unique way. Eating and eating together is the connecting factor. It will benefit regional solidarity on both sides of the border.