Dear friends, finally and almost after 10 years of a long learning process around the Chilean territory, I want to share with you a story which we have looked forward to for a long time now: we have reached the last and final stage of Conectáz. We are convinced that it will allow us to learn faster than we have done so far, but above all, it will help us to generate a deep knowledge about our ingredients, geography, origins and culture from a different perspective.

We feel the duty to openly share what we have learned in all these years and also what we are willing to learn in the near future.

Starting from January 2016, Conectáz has been divided into two kitchens and physical spaces, the Test Kitchen and the Lab Kitchen, the first located on the second floor of Boragó and the second in the department of bio processes of the Catholic University of Chile, a project that is managed in collaboration with José Miguel Aguilera, the National Science Award winner of 2008. Both initiatives are composed of different groups of collaborators and aim to complement themselves and to generate synergy between both teams, in order to create knowledge.

Conectáz also considers pursuing various projects that will boost the economy around the new Chilean ingredients. We intend to have a mobile application, absolutely free for chefs and entrepreneurs, which will tell them more about the endemic ingredients pantry of Chile, that are distributed throughout the country, taking in consideration that many of them have never been removed from the water, rocks, trees for the sake of human consumption in the modern society, yet they used to have in the past not only medicinal uses but also an important role in those people´s nourishment.

During this stage of Conectáz, that includes other projects such as the anti-symposium NGELEMEN (www.ngelemen.com) and Boragó Books, we will try to encourage the debate, learning and knowledge about our territory.

We will try to spread the information about the huge variety and possibilities of the Chilean territory with regard what they could represent in the future, always linked to our original culture that speaks of a dynamic, relevant and deep tradition, which could affect the expansion and exploration of new flavours, and above all, the way to feed more people in a delicious and healthy way.

Rodolfo Guzman, Boragó (Sanriago, Chile)