The Foreign Service Journal, March 2019

44 MARCH 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Qaida. The three “Northern Triangle” countries of Central America that suffer from extreme gang violence—El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras—could each institute its own Super Chef program to help create positive alterna- tives for youth. With those three countries engaged, a regional com- petition in Central America that included Panama would be within reach. Such a competition would not just make for great television; it would advance the U.S. foreign policy goal of encouraging Central American nations to work together to combat gang violence and transnational crime. Super Chef could be replicated in many other countries without the local embassy having to take the lead from the beginning. All that is required is a private sector organizer (ide- ally connected to the hospitality industry, as in Panama) and a local TV channel looking for popular, free content, that would be willing to produce the show. The host government can help provide contestants via vocational cooking programs, an easy way to target underserved youth, while the private sector can donate a scholarship for the winner. Our embassy in Panama and the Restaurants Association of Extensive public-private sector collaboration is one of the primary ingredients of Super Chef. Panama have both indicated their willingness to help start another Super Chef competi- tion elsewhere led by any other group that includes an American embassy partner, including by sharing organizational pro- cesses and lessons learned. But there are other reasons that embas- sies should consider creating their own Super Chef. It’s fun. It’s a morale booster. And it’s easy to involve multiple embassy sections and their contacts in the awards events at partner restaurants. In Panama, even the Drug Enforcement Administration attaché served as a guest presenter, showcasing his BBQ ribs recipe in 2017. Also, Super Chef is the kind of model anyone can love. Republican or Democrat, foreigner or U.S. citizen, liberal or conserva- tive: With the current partisan bickering in Washington, D.C., it’s hard to find new initia- tives capable of generating widespread sup- port. But Super Chef would certainly qualify as one of them. Food critic James Beard once said that “food is our common ground.” Francisco “Paco” Perez, PAO in Panama, echoed Beard’s remarks in highlighting why this program has struck a chord in Panama. “I was supposed to teach a Panamanian student chef from Colón how to make gumbo,” said Perez. “In the end, he showed me more than I showed him. We all have to eat, and we all have to cook. It is something that unites us all as one, as our great motto, e pluribus unum, states. Tolerance, understanding and empathy tend to emerge around the table through a shared meal.” Paco Perez is right. The world could use a little more culinary diplomacy to solve its problems. And American foreign policy needs a dash of effective soft power in the broader recipe. Around the world, foreign audience approval of the United States has dropped from a median of 64 percent in the period from 2008 to 2016 to 50 percent in 2018, according to Pew Research data. Soft power opens doors to new initiatives, expands understanding and lowers tensions. It also creates opportunities for avoiding conflict when possible, confronting conflict when necessary and rebuild- ing after conflict ends. n U.S. Ambassador John Feeley, fourth from right, at a gathering to celebrate Super Chef Panama 2017. Also shown are, from left, Rony Robinson of Embassy Panama City; Patricio Garrido, executive director of Super Chef Panama; Domingo de Obaldia, president of the Restaurants Association of Panama; Ernesto Montanez, 2017 Super Chef winner; and Ricky Dominguez of BellaVisa. Medcom Executive Chef Delyanne Arjona is at Amb. Feeley’s right, and Delta Airlines representative Jeanette Diaz is at the far right. U.S.EMBASSYPANAMACITY