On March 28, ATO Sao Paulo launched its new market promotion campaign for U.S. food, beverages, and culinary traditions at a dinner for 100 chefs, media, and opinion leaders. This campaign will support the branding of U.S. food products and create an identity for all promotional tools developed by the ATO, and targets media multipliers in traditional press, culinary / cultural media, and social media. #USFoodExperience will introduce the six unique culinary regions of the United States, inviting guests to experience the flavors of each. ATO partnered with Public Affairs under its culinary outreach and education efforts to bring U.S. Chef James Briscione to Sao Paulo. He prepared a menu featuring U.S. ingredients like Alaska sockeye salmon and halibut. The menu will also highlight characteristics of the gastronomy from each U.S. region.

Northeast
Did you know that the United States has six distinct gastronomic regions? They are: Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, Pacific, West and Midwest! Formed by the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania, the Northeast region of the country is known for hearty meals brought to its coast by British settlers and famous for locally caught cold water seafood dishes. This is also the land of Yankee braised beef, Boston baked beans, New England clam chowder and Maine lobster.

Southeast
Made up of Washington, D.C. and the states of Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, and book-ended by the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea, the Southeast region is a never-ending source of inspiration for local cooks, rich with seafood. Crawfish, crab, oysters, shrimp and saltwater fish are frequently featured in Southeast cuisine, which has French and African influences that are especially noticeable in “Creole” and “Cajun” cooking.

Southwest
The cuisine of the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma is influenced by the American Indians, the first Spanish settlers, and Mexicans living in the region. It includes a variety of dishes prepared with local ingredients and often peppered with Mexican-style spices. Tex-mex cuisine is a variant of Southwestern cuisine that is most popular in Texas and along the Mexican border. Popular tex-mex dishes include barbecue and chili. These cowboy-inspired dishes are so popular in the Southwest and throughout the United States that many places have annual chili festivals and BBQ contests with prizes for the best recipes. The Southwest is also the origin of salsa, nachos, tacos, and burritos in the United States.
Pacific
Formed by the states of Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, American Samoa, and Marianas Islands, this Pacific style cuisine reflects the ethnic makeup of the region, with noticeable influence from Asian and Native American traditions. Common ingredients in the cuisine include salmon, shellfish, and other fresh seafood, game meats such as moose, local mushrooms, and fruits – such as pears, cherries, apples, blueberries, and grapes.

West
Composed by the states of Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah, cooking in the American West gets its influence from Native American and Hispanic cultures, as well as later settlers that came in the 19th century. Rural culture permeates Western cuisine, with meals centered on beef, chili, cured pork, jerky, game meat such as elk and deer, poultry, and trout.
Midwest
Formed by the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, the Midwest region of the United States has many cultural influences in its cooking, including German, British, Italian, Hungarian, and Scandinavian. Immigrants from these countries came to the region and brought their culinary and cultural traditions with them. Midwestern dishes feature local products, such as corn and beef, and dairy products. Wheat bread and cornbread typically accompany meals. Main dishes may include roasts, stews and dishes made from trout or white fish.