The Food Capitals Network aims to facilitate connections and collaborations between our member cities. Throughout network multilateral collaborations, cities have the opportunity to strengthen their relationships with other cities on topics related to food & gastronomy.
The Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN) and The Food Capitals are joining forces to explore the connections between cultural districts, cities, and urban gastronomy. This collaboration is built on a shared ambition to foster dialogue across sectors and encourage new ways of thinking about how food shapes public space and cultural experiences. Through knowledge-sharing, joint initiatives, and member engagement, both networks aim to deepen understanding and spark innovation at the intersection of culture and gastronomy.
Led by Cali and developed in close collaboration with The Food Capitals headquarters in Lyon, the Latin America Connection Working Group provides a dedicated platform for exchange and cooperation. It enables member cities to share experiences, identify common priorities, and develop initiatives tailored to regional challenges and opportunities. The group aims to strengthen connections both within Latin America and across the global network. Its ambition is to foster long-term collaboration, enhance international visibility, and support innovative projects that celebrate and promote the region’s unique culinary identities.
Get to know more about the Latin America Connection Working Group >>
The Food Capitals by Délice Network and the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism have launched a new partnership designed to strengthen global collaboration between cities and regions sharing common values around food, gastronomy tourism, and sustainability. This alliance reflects a shared ambition to connect urban and rural perspectives while promoting food as a powerful driver of cultural identity, economic development, and community well-being. Through this partnership, both organisations seek to amplify local initiatives and share best practices on a global scale, reinforcing the role of gastronomy as a catalyst for more sustainable and resilient communities. Together, they promote a vision in which food not only tells stories and connects people, but also contributes to more inclusive, creative, and forward-looking societies.
Maíz (corn) has long held a central place in the culinary, cultural and agricultural traditions of many societies around the world. In 2022, Mérida and Puebla (Mexico) and Tucson, Arizona (USA), from The Food Capitals network and UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy, founded Pueblos del Maíz as a festival and exchange platform celebrating corn as a heritage ingredient that transcends borders, unites food cultures, and supports sustainable food systems and tourism. The project has since grown to include San Antonio, Texas (USA), and Bergamo (Italy).
The Quais du Polar Book Festival is a highlight of Lyon's cultural scene. For the 2022 edition, the Festival called out to Délice to set up two exceptional evenings in restaurants, in presence of international authors and chefs. For this first attempt, Cape Town & Lisbon were celebrated through 4-hand dinners with a Lyonnais chef, in presence of two authors from the cities.
Our “Food Festival Think Table” Working Group brings together our member cities in a dynamic online forum designed to exchange ideas, insights, and best practices. Through regular sessions, participants explore key challenges shaping the future of food festivals, including sustainability, environmental impact, and responsible resource management. The group also addresses how festivals can maintain their uniqueness and cultural identity in an increasingly crowded landscape. In addition, members collaborate on methods to better evaluate economic benefits and long-term impacts on local communities. By fostering open dialogue and shared learning, the Think Table aims to strengthen innovation, resilience, and strategic thinking across all participating cities.
As part of the Gastropolis Kobe, one of Kobe's biggest food event, The Kobe farm fest invited two Délice cities, Riga and Portland, to present and promote their city through gastronomy. During their stay, they had the chance to meet with officials and city representatives from Kobe.
Göteborg Restaurant association wanted to organized its General Assembly in a Délice City, and thus they choose Madrid. During their meeting, they discovered Madrid's gastronomic scene, and went back to Sweden empowered with inspiration and innovative ideas. This collaboration was facilitated by Madrid's tourist office.
In November 2019, Felipe Garcia, vice-president of Visit Tucson was invited by Toursim Montreal to come and share Tucson's experience in building their food/gastronomy strategy during a workshop. Indeed, Montreal is rethinking its strategic plan and got inspired by Tucson's way of doing!
Brussels was looking to create a label to promote Belgian cuisine restaurants and chip stands. They created the label “Brusselicious” that showcase Brussels certified restaurants. This label was created with the inspiration of the Lyon’s label “Les Bouchons Lyonnais” and with the collaboration of Lyon, another Délice Network member. ©T.Le Duc
During a three day festival each October, the Honk Kong Wine and Dine Festival, organized in partnership with the Bordeaux Wine Council, gathers the best food from all over Hong Kong and the best wines from Bordeaux. In a celebration of culinary excellence, created 10 years ago, over 450 booths serve food and drinks to 150 000 visitors. A festival not to be missed in Hong Kong giving a great visibility to Bordeaux Wines.
In the City of Torino was held in September 2018 the Terra Madre - Salone Del Gusto, the flagship event of Slowfood. Two member cities commited in sustainable food, Stavanger (Norway) and Aarhus (Denmark), were invited to participate and exchange on the challenges and plans for the future.
Stavanger participated to the Regional Meeting for Slow Food Nordic countries while Aarhus participated at the Earthink Festival dedicated on food & Sustainability in Terra Madre.
ONLY LYON Tourism & Convention Bureau was looking to promote the food scene of Lyon, to the citizens of Lyon and also the tourists. They created a gourmet agenda, called “It’s Lyon’s Treat”, showcasing the rich diversity of the food offer in Lyon. This project was created with the inspiration of Lausanne à Table and with the collaboration of another member, Lausanne.
At the Brussels Food Truck Festival 2016 the City of Riga was represented by Latvian burger company B-Burgers, specialising in preperation of craft burgers from biological local products. Their signature dish is Chef’s burger that consists of grilled biological beef, caramelised onions in lime-tree honey, cheese, spicy sauce, tomato and lettuce accompanied by home made crisps and sauces. At the festival refreshing Valmiermuiža sodas from typical Latvian fruits and berries – quince, lingonberry and chokeberry, were also offered alongside the burger.
The B-Burgers food truck travelled some 2000 km from Riga to Brussels to promote the Riga - Gauja Region 2017 – the European Region of Gastronomy.
The name says it all. In September, the city of Brussels has hosted a culinary festival giving visitors the opportunity to taste Brussel’s gastronomy while enjoying Bordeaux’s wines. A perfect symbiosis for the sixth edition of this festival where 15 chefs and 5 pastry chefs from Brussels and 50 wine-growers from Bordeaux were gathered.
In 2012, during this important public event, Lausanne invited three Délice Network cities to bring along a chefs to showcase their cuisine and their specialties to the public. Birmingham, Barcelona and Lyon participated in the presence of chefs Andy Waters, Rafa Penya & Martin Schmied.
Through collaborative projects, annual gatherings, study tours, and continuous exchanges, our network fosters a dynamic community where cities learn from each other, share best practices, and co-create innovative solutions for the future of food and gastronomy.
We invite cities that share our commitment to food-driven urban transformation to join us in shaping a better food future.
