Nutritional Value of U.S. Pork Demonstrated in Dominican Republic

Collaborating with an importer in the Dominican Republic and utilizing local nutritionists and chefs to demonstrate the flavor and health value of U.S. pork, USMEF presented a pork cooking show at the Kitchen Center in Santo Domingo. Funded by the National Pork Board, the workshop-style event was designed to educate professionals who promote healthy lifestyles.

Chef Rafael Rizek demonstrates cooking techniques at the U.S. pork cooking show in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

“We invited a nutritionist and a fitness trainer to share with the audience the health benefits of U.S. pork,” explained Lucia Ruano, USMEF representative in Central America and the Dominican Republic. “Also, Chef Rafael Rizek from the cooking program ‘Tu Chef at Home’ showed the audience how to prepare different cuts of U.S. pork. The message was well-delivered, as the presenters drove home several important points on the attributes of U.S. pork.”

Rizek demonstrated how to prepare cuts such as U.S. pork steak, pork rack and baby back ribs. While U.S. pork dishes were sampled, the nutritionist and trainer interacted with participants – many of whom were also nutritionists and trainers, – to help them better understand the nutritional value U.S. pork provides.

Participants sample U.S. pork dishes at the pork cooking show at the Kitchen Center in Santo Domingo

About two dozen people seeking healthier lifestyles attended the workshop, which was co-sponsored by IMEX, a fast-growing importer of American products that imports and distributes meat to the foodservice industry in the Santo Domingo metropolitan area.

U.S. pork baby back ribs were sampled at the USMEF pork cooking show

“With several years of experience importing American products, IMEX has built a reputation for having high-quality products and services and the company is an important business partner for USMEF,” said Ruano. “They were big supporters of this approach, in which the industry reaches out to a segment of the population interested in healthy eating. The slogan ‘Being fit starts from the inside to the outside’ was used by nutritionists, with U.S. pork highlighted as a very healthy protein option.”