Foundation Conservation Carpathia in partnership with the Argeș Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Directorate, invites small entrepreneurs around the Făgăraș Mountains to join the new free consultancy programme for the authorisation of Local Gastronomic Points. The programme runs from October 2022 to March 2023 and will support interested parties with free technical assistance in the procedure of authorising a Local Gastronomic Point.
Registration for the free consultancy programme can be done online by accessing this form and also by calling Cosmin Vorovenci on 0749 094806.
The local communities targeted by the consultancy programme are: Dâmbovicioara, Rucăr, Dragoslavele, Stoenești, Valea Mare Pravăț, Bughea de Sus, Lerești, Nucșoara, Albestii de Muscel, Arefu, Sălătrucu, Cetățeni.
What do a kitchen at the foot of the Făgăraș Mountains, the nature and the tourists who are visiting the area have in common? The Local Gastronomic Points are family-run places, with seasonal peasant cuisine, which offer tourists local, simple, fresh food, produced on their own farm or in the vicinity, respecting the rules and conditions of hygiene, so that the health and integrity of the tourist is not endangered. Basically, the locals invite guests who come to the village on holiday to their dining table, which can be an important source of income for them.
Since 2018, the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority has created the possibility of setting up and authorising Local Gastronomic Points. This initiative is aimed at tour operators who want to offer a meal to locals or guesthouses that do not have a licensed dining establishment.
In order to help those interested, the Conservation Enterprise team of Foundation Conservation Carpathia organises individual meetings with those wishing to start the authorisation process, offers them free advice on preparing the technical documentation required to obtain authorisation from the DSVSA. The Conservation Enterprise team supports the local households throughout the authorisation process, but also in the subsequent implementation of the Local Gastronomic Point through advice on its promotion.
Foundation Conservation Carpathia through the Conservation Enterprises Programme, started in 2021 the technical consultancy project to help with the opening of Local Gastronomic Points. In the spring of 2022, the Argeș Sanitary-Veterinary Directorate for Food Safety authorized the Luiza Burnea-Tigău Local Gastronomic Point in Dâmbovicioara, as a result of the program carried out by Foundation Conservation Carpathia.
What is a Local Gastronomic Point?
The meals in a Local Gastronomic Point are served in the owner’s own household, for 12 people, and the daily menu includes a small number of local, traditional dishes cooked by the owner and members of his family.
The menu is based on local ingredients and recipes. A maximum of 2 soups, 2 main courses and possibly 2 desserts are cooked, depending on the local specificity of the area where the Local Gastronomic Point is established.
The menu is prepared and served on the same day. The methods of preparation of the menu are, as far as possible, traditional, respecting hygiene conditions at the time of preparation.
As these types of activities go beyond private consumption, it is necessary to obtain the health, veterinary and food safety registration document in accordance with ANSVSA Order No 111/2008.
What benefits does a Local Gastronomic Point bring to local producers in the Făgăraș Mountains area?
A Local Gastronomic Point can generate constant income for local producers in the Făgăraș Mountains area and support long-term economic growth for the local economy.
Visitors arriving in the southern Făgăraș Mountains can stop at a licensed local’s table and enjoy food with local taste, natural ingredients, specific to the area.
A local gastronomic point can also generate income from the sale of other products the family makes, such as cheese and various dairy products, fruit, vegetables, jams and jellies or handicrafts.
Foundation Conservation Carpathia supports households interested in obtaining authorization as a Local Gastronomic Point around the Făgăraș Mountains, supports business ideas that respect nature and the local characteristics.
How to receive free consultancy from Foundation Conservation Carpathia?
Access to the free consultancy programme for the creation of local gastronomic points is done, in the first instance, by scheduling a meeting with the Conservation Enterprise team. Applicants will be guided step by step through the process of preparing the application and obtaining the permit, as follows:
- Get in touch with the Conservation Enterprise team by filling in the form available here or by calling 0751887908, Cosmin Vorovenci
- The Conservation Enterprise team will help you to prepare the application for obtaining the sanitary, veterinary and food safety registration.
- Fill in a standard application form (also available on the website www.ansvsa.ro, or at the county DSVSA offices)
- Submit the file for obtaining veterinary health and food safety registration. This will contain: – a sketch of the food production site; – a copy of the certificate issued by the National Trade Register Office; – a copy of the identity card.
- The county DSVSA inspectors will visit the food preparation unit, where they will assess the establishment, if it complies with the general rules for this type of activity, stipulated in Annex II, Chap. III of Reg. If this is not the case, the owner will be notified of the deficiencies found and the deadlines for remedying them (see Reg. EC 852/2004)
- We are constantly supporting you in the process of authorising and implementing the Local Gastronomic Point
- We provide support in promoting the Local Gastronomic Point
Photo credit: Iulia Naum
