Creative Economy Agency

Pride of the Local Community

Representatives from the creative city network, including Uzuki (Japan), Kuching (Malaysia), and San Antonio (USA), emphasized the importance of pride in the unique food identity of each city. This is particularly true for those in the food industry, such as chefs and restaurant operators. When there is pride in the city's food culture, it can unlock potential and lead to new creative developments. For example, Kuching (Malaysia) works with new-generation chefs from Kyujin restaurant to present local dishes and ingredients through fine dining courses, showcasing the food culture of Sarawak state.

Being a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities network serves as a stamp of recognition, reinforcing that each city has its own distinct food identity. This fosters pride and drives the food industry forward across multiple dimensions, including social, economic, and environmental aspects. Songkhla also has the potential to manage academic knowledge from educational institutions, support the production and industry of private sectors, and involve restaurants and chefs who recognize the importance of local ingredients. However, what is crucial is the need to establish a shared direction. This way, all parties can understand their roles and how they can contribute to driving and working in their respective areas, whether as individuals or organizations. This will maximize the benefits of being a creative city, ensuring that the advantages are spread across all sectors and that the entire city benefits collectively.

Local Flavors to Endless Creativity

Uzuki (Japan) and Kuching (Malaysia) emphasized the importance of using local ingredients to support farmers and local entrepreneurs while preserving traditional flavors and cooking methods and exploring new possibilities from local raw materials.

Uzuki focuses on sustainable agriculture by promoting local organic produce. Organic waste, such as branches and leaves, is often disposed of as industrial waste without being fully utilized. To address this, Uzuki has developed a project from the ground up, producing soil conditioners from organic waste, particularly branches and leaves, mixed with animal manure, which is then provided to farmers at affordable prices. The annual production capacity is between 1,600 to 1,800 tons. When farmers use the soil conditioner, they can apply for the “Honmamon” label, which enhances organic agricultural products and raises awareness about not using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This project improves soil structure and maintains the balance of microorganisms in the soil. Additionally, Uzuki runs a school lunch program using organic produce, as part of their commitment to the Slow Food movement, encouraging people to grow and consume local produce through organic agriculture.

Kuching takes advantage of the rich culture and biodiversity of Borneo Island's crops as key ingredients to promote creative food activities. This reflects the local culinary techniques and the use of indigenous ingredients, while also embracing modern cooking methods to enhance creativity and explore new possibilities with local ingredients. Kuching has a project called Combat Malnutrition for Urban B40, which addresses the issue of aesthetically imperfect crops that are still of good quality. These crops are processed into canned food and distributed to low-income urban populations to prevent malnutrition. A unique feature of this project is that the recipes and produce come from small local farmers, and the cans feature nutritional information along with the farmers' names. These ingredients are local crops that are rich in nutrients, and the project has expanded to include sales in department stores.

Kuching also organizes the Rice Heritage Festival, which provides an opportunity for local chefs (Kampung chefs) to share traditional cooking methods while presenting new dishes made from indigenous ingredients. The festival includes folk performances and rituals related to rice cultivation, serving as a platform to showcase local food culture and make it more accessible. Combining this cultural expression with creativity, the festival has become a source of inspiration, highlighting the endless potential of local culture.

Creative Cities of Food and Tourism

One of the clear economic activities of creative cities of food is tourism. For example, San Antonio (USA), with its long history and status as a UNESCO World Heritage City, is home to more than 300 years of historic architecture and sites, such as the Alamo. The city is also renowned for its delicious Mexican food. San Antonio attracted 37 million tourists in 2017. After becoming a creative city of food, the number of visitors increased, reaching 39 million in 2018 and 41 million in 2019. However, the number of tourists declined after the COVID-19 pandemic. The city generated revenue of $7.71 billion in 2017, $8.33 billion in 2018, and $8.54 billion in 2019.

Creative Cities of Food in Thailand

Currently, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network covers creative work in seven fields: City of Literature, City of Film, City of Music, City of Crafts & Folk Arts, City of Design, City of Media Arts, and City of Gastronomy.

Thailand is represented in the UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy network by two cities: Phuket and Phetchaburi. The context of creative cities of food around the world varies, each contributing to the local economy through tourism and the support of local ingredients. This would not be possible without the pride of the local people in presenting their culinary heritage, which is central to the food initiatives in many cities within the UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy network.

Promoting Songkhla as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy will help drive local economic development through tourism, elevating local products, and organizing international conferences and knowledge exchanges. This will further propel Songkhla into becoming part of the UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy network. Cities such as Uzuki (Japan), Kuching (Malaysia), and San Antonio (USA) will play a key role in learning and developing food-related creative activities. These activities will promote local products, stimulate restaurants and businesses through food festivals, and encourage sustainability in the city's food system. The overall goal is to benefit the economy, society, and environment of Songkhla, drawing lessons from diverse global contexts.

Reference:

The International Conference and Learning Exchange to drive Songkhla towards becoming a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy network, held on February 26-28, 2025, at Buri Sri Phu Hotel, Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province.