U.S. Beef Alternative Cuts Promoted to Georgia’s HRI Sector

With tourism picking up in Georgia’s growing hotel, restaurant and institutional (HRI) sector, USMEF presented a U.S. beef cooking seminar for 35 chefs and restaurant managers in the capital city of Tbilisi.

Funded by the USDA Market Access Program (MAP), the Texas Beef Council and the Beef Checkoff Program, the seminar focused on alternative cuts of beef that can be developed into menu items for HRI and foodservice businesses.

Georgia, a country of more than 4 million people, is a port hub serving many countries in the region. With more than 100 resorts, it is also a popular vacation destination, hosting nearly 10 million visitors in 2019, prior to the COVID pandemic.

“As things return to normal, we expect tourism to ramp up very quickly. We are already seeing signs of a revival in hotels and restaurants,” said Galina Kochubeeva, USMEF representative in Russia and the Surrounding Region.

The U.S. beef seminar was led by chef R. Bruce Laudermilk, senior faculty manager at the Culinary Arts Center of Azerbaijan. Laudermilk explained the advantages of U.S. beef compared to competitors’ products, USDA safety and grading programs and the process of aging U.S. beef cuts.

A U.S. beef seminar in Tbilisi, Georgia, focused on cuts for chefs and restaurant managers in the HRI sector