UNPHU opens Gastronomic Laboratory in honor of Chef Mike Mercedes

Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU), through its Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, inaugurated the Mike Mercedes Gastronomic Laboratory, in honor of the outstanding Dominican Chef, Miguel Mercedes Jiménez, with a history in culinary art of more than 50 years; it is considered one of the main international promoters of Dominican gastronomy of all time.

During the event, the rector of the University, architect Miguel Fiallo Calderón Expressed: “This space that we inaugurated today, with its equipment and utensils, is another step that adds value and strengthens our School of Hotels and Tourism. From now on, our students of these careers, as well as those of our school, who end up with a technician in Hospitality with two specialties, in tourist and gastronomic services; will have a modern and specialized laboratories ‘’.

The installation has a modern and innovative equipment and high technology, for a kitchen with high quality standards. It is designed for the realization of the culinary practices of the students, in which they will be able to develop their knowledge and competences linked to their profession. It has a restaurant set for the realization of the practices in the service, classroom of teaching, as well as a complete Industrial kitchen. The culinary laboratory has its hydroponic garden, which has an innovative teaching system for the planting of food products, benefiting the students of hospitality, who will be responsible for their maintenance and the production that will be carried out in the culinary activities.

The inauguration was attended by the authorities of FUDPHU and the academy, personalities linked to the tourism sector, such as Mr. Luis Felipe Aquino, president of the Caribbean Tourist Exchange; Judith García, president of the Santo Domingo Hotel Association; Yenny Polanco Lovera, president of ADOMPRETUR; Rafael Papo Blanco, vice president of the Viva Whyndam Resort chain; Lic. Bolívar Troncoso, director of the Dominican Geographic Institute and Honorary Member of Conpeht; Roberto Luberes, vice president for the Caribbean of Conpeht; Ginna Ely, operations manager of the Radisson Hotel; Alejandro Aponte, president of ADOCHEF; Winston Cruz, president of ADAVIT; Cecilia Lopez, CEO of Sistedeco; and Luisa Felix, Buen Vivir Magazine.

The event was held on March 31, 2023, on the campus of the university.

About Miguel «Mike» Mercedes Jiménez 

Miguel Mercedes Jiménez, better known as Mike Mercedes, was born in San Felipe de Puerto Plata, on January 6, 1936, and was a Dominican Chef who was able to walk his talent through more than 180 countries, making known through his culinary creations, all the gastronomic culture of the Dominican Republic, brought our flavor to outstanding people of his time such as the Pope, John Paul II, for the kings of Spain, Juan Carlos I and Sofia de Borbón, for Queen Beatriz I of the Netherlands, for, Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina, Golda Meir, Francois Mitterrand, President Carlos Menen of Argentina, Anoldo Alemán President of Nicaragua, Hugo Chávez President of Venezuela.

He also cooked for great artists such as Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, El Canario, Johnny Pacheco, Gloria Estefan and her husband Emilio Estefan, among others. He was official chef of the 15th Central American and Caribbean Games, Santiago Dominican Republic 1986, among other socially and politically influential figures.

Although he had already dabbled in the culinary art since 1957, it is in the 1960s that he left the law school of UASD, to pursue the profession that would lead him to fame and glory.

Some organizations acknowledged their outstanding work. The Paris Philanthropic Society and the Long Island Chef Association, awarded him a badge and a trophy, through the then governor of New York, Nelson Rockefeller. In 2007, he celebrated his 50th birthday in the kitchen at the Hotel El Ambassador.

Captions:

1. Arcjitect Raúl De Moya, Pedro Jiménez and the architect Miguel Fiallo Calderón
2. Ribbon cutting by Rector architect Miguel Fiallo Calderón, next to architect Raúl De Moya, Soraya Pérez, Gilberto Soto and Mr. Pedro Jiménez
3. Rector architect Miguel Fiallo Calderón, together with students, Chef and staff of the Hotel and Tourism area
4. Students at the School of Hotels and Tourism

5. Mike Mercedes Culinary Laboratory