Advantages of US Beef Shared at Taste Ambassadors Event in Romania

ROMANIA - Introducing US beef in a country where it is not well-known, USMEF partnered with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) at the Taste Ambassadors exhibition, an event for HRI professionals in Bucharest, Romania.
calendar icon 21 July 2017
clock icon 2 minute read

Funded by the Beef Checkoff Programme, USMEF joined other agricultural organisations in showcasing US products, presenting new culinary ideas and meeting with Romania’s HRI distributors and their clients.


Chef Stefan Popescu prepares US beef at the Taste Ambassadors exhibition in Bucharest, Romania

US beef also received exclusive attention at a special culinary demonstration and tasting featuring US ribeye. The presentation was conducted by Stefan Popescu, executive chef of Pullman Bucharest Hotel and one of the most well-respected chefs in Romania.

"Chef Stefan has done a fantastic job of promoting US beef, and he was able to demonstrate the high quality and consistency of the product, along with its advantages over the competition in consistency, juiciness and flavor," said USMEF Representative Yuri Barutkin.


A crowd of Romanian HRI professionals and food media gathers around the US booth to watch Popescu cook US beef

Mr Barutkin noted that although US beef is present in select Romanian restaurants, there are still large gaps in understanding the product and US beef’s advantages are not widely known in Romania.


Alternative cuts of US beef were promoted to Romanian HRI professionals looking to serve budget-conscious consumers

"The goal of USMEF in this kind of market is to educate the HRI audience about US beef, ensure that buyers and traders are aware of the supply of US beef that is available and to introduce beef alternative cuts," said Mr Barutkin.

"In Romania, as is the case with many countries in eastern and central Europe where disposable incomes are rather tight, alternative cuts of US beef present good opportunities for some budget-conscious consumers and allow many more restaurants to feature US marbled beef on their menus."

USMEF will follow up on this small project with an educational masterclass for a Romanian HRI audience later in the year.

The Taste Ambassador event followed USMEF’s participation in a US beef promotion earlier this spring at a steakhouse inside the Marriott Hotel in Bucharest.

"In recent years, this steakhouse has been holding special events for beef from different origins – for example, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Argentina and Japan," explained Mr Barutkin.

USMEF presented information on US beef and its advantages over the competition, with Chef Nicolae Lica preparing a dinner featuring a range of US beef cuts.

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