The Foreign Service Journal, March 2019

42 MARCH 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL underserved communities) compete in a series of contests to crown the year’s Super Chef, with heavy and enthusiastic cover- age, not just on television, but in print, radio and social media. All contestants receive valuable culinary training and embassy- sponsored English classes. U.S. embassies around the world consistently focus soft power to engage young people, particularly at-risk youth, as a means of helping promote U.S. prosperity and security. Fully 43 percent of Panamanians are under 24 years old, and we know that lower-income, underprivileged youth are highly susceptible to transnational crime networks that currently threaten our national security andmight one day even threaten our interests in secure operation of the Panama Canal. Super Chef Panama was designed to get Panamanians to appreciate the importance—and enjoyment—of investing in their own young people, helping prevent marginalized youth from becoming the foot soldiers (and cannon fodder) of organized criminal networks. Through the program the embassy also showcases U.S. prod- ucts on national television; advances the U.S. and Panamanian tourism industries; promotes education and English-learning to disadvantaged youth; and highlights the uniquely creative Ameri- can entrepreneurial spirit. Before leaving Panama inMarch 2018, Ambassador John Feeley encouraged other embassies to consider the Super Chef model, extolling the virtues of soft power in today’s foreign policy environ- ment. “Soft power is patient,” Amb. Feeley toldmembers of the press. “It takes time to simmer. It often requires several ingredients, a mixture of cultures, an open mind to innovation while mak- ing sure to preserve the essen- tial goodness of the dish. And after being prepared, it is a dish that cannot be served alone.” The Recipe for Success Extensive public-private sector collaboration is one of the pri- mary ingredients of Super Chef. Everyone does what they do best, so the burden and benefits of the program are shared. Multiple private sector sponsors support the annual program, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends U.S. food exporters to supply the “secret ingredients” that the contestants must feature in their dishes. The program illustrates how complex challenges like expanding opportunities for at-risk youth are best addressed with cross-sec- toral alliances involving the private sector, the media, the government and civil society. The program embodies our motto in Panama and other Spanish-speaking countries: “Estamos Unidos,” or “We are united,” a word play on the Spanish for the United States, los Estados Unidos . Despite growing concern that the United States no longer welcomes immigrants, culinary diplomacy shows that the great Americanmelting pot still bubbles. Through a relatively small annual $10,000 grant to the Restaurants Association of Panama, the embassy has created this inspirational program, which reaches thousands of Panamanians with important policy and programmatic messages. It illustrates the importance of giving youth a chance to succeed in Panama, nomatter what their background, ethnicity or gender. Through the program, the embassy also shares deadlines to apply for scholarships and exchange programs like the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative. The embassy teamhas taken “Super Chef” to new heights of success, advancing important policy goals such as the further inclusion of Afro-Panamanians in society (Panamanians of African descent make up about Why in the world would a U.S. embassy be involved in a foreign reality TV cooking show? The winner of Super Chef 2018, Trinidad Roja, with Embassy Panama’s Public Affairs Officer Francisco “Paco” Perez. U.S.EMBASSYPANAMACITY