The Diplomat
Last Wednesday, the Embassy of Ecuador and Influencia Hispana, with the support of the embassies of Peru and Panama, organized the discussion Ibero-American Identity: Dialogues that Unite Us.
The event featured the participation of renowned chefs such as Mario Sandoval (Spain), Miguel Ángel Méndez (Ecuador), and Miguel Ángel Valdiviezo (Peru), who highlighted gastronomy as a fundamental link between Ibero-American countries.
Influencia Hispana emphasized the importance of creating these platforms to celebrate a common heritage and project it into the future through inter-institutional and business collaboration. This event was held as a prelude to the 2025 Influencia Hispana Awards.
The Ecuadorian ambassador, Wilma Andrade, underscored the value of gastronomy as a channel for understanding and recognition. He emphasized that “Ecuadorian cuisine is a profound expression of its history and territory, where ancestral knowledge and flavors are manifested.” He also celebrated the recent recognition of the Ecuadorian province of Manabí as a 2026 World Region of Gastronomy.
For his part, the Peruvian ambassador, Luis Carlos Ibérico, highlighted the table as an “emblem of cohesion in the family, social, and cultural spheres.” He noted that “Peruvian gastronomy emerges from a historical combination of native products and Spanish heritage, which later adopted African, Japanese, Chinese, and Italian influences.”
The event took place in the auditorium of the Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo law firm. Its president, Javier Cremades, highlighted the uniqueness of the Hispanic legacy in the world and asserted that gastronomy is one of the most sophisticated forms of Ibero-American cultural expression and that today’s chefs are key cultural protagonists.
Miguel Ángel Méndez, promoter of initiatives such as Raíz Ecuador, called for collaborative networks among Ibero-American chefs to showcase their haute cuisine using cutting-edge techniques while maintaining their identity. Peruvian chef Miguel Ángel Valdiviezo defended the authenticity of traditional cuisine as a vehicle for memory and integration and highlighted the evolution and success achieved by Peruvian cuisine worldwide. Finally, Spaniard Mario Sandoval celebrated Madrid’s multicultural gastronomy and cuisine as a powerful tool for cultural projection that fuses cultures, ingredients, and techniques.
Influencia Hispana is a cultural platform based in Spain that promotes integration, visibility, and empowerment projects for Hispanic and Ibero-American communities. Through events, campaigns, and strategic alliances, it promotes recognition of migrant and cultural contributions in Europe, building bridges between Latin America and the world through identity, diversity, and talent.
