The documentary series Fogón, Pasión y Sabor is a production involving three Unicaucan professors: Carlos Humberto Illera, who is the main thread of this story; Carlos Mauricio Muñoz Bermeo, responsible for weaving the script of this dream; and Alba Lucía Pedraza, who made the realization of this idea possible from the production side. However, on this occasion, we had the opportunity to speak with Marco Paredes Manzano, the creative producer and general director of this proposal, which we invite you to discover below.

Marco Paredes Manzano is passionate about the audiovisual world. Originally from Cali but an adopted native of the capital of Cauca, he came to study Spanish and Literature at our Alma Mater. However, life had other plans for him and led him down a different path as he was quickly immersed in the world of cameras, training in Audiovisuals at the National Learning Service (SENA). In 2008, along with Professor Alba Lucia Pedraza, he began his journey into audiovisual entrepreneurship. As he describes it, he was inspired by the cultural and heritage richness of our department. “It was about leveraging this Cauca beyond the war-torn backdrop and using it as a vast space to create content related to the significant Historical and Cultural Heritage of this department in various manifestations. Not without reason are all these recognitions from UNESCO, from the Archaeological Park of Tierradentro in Inzá, from the Marimba and Chonta music in Guapi, Timbiquí, from Holy Week here in Popayán, from the Biosphere Reserve of the Colombian Massif where Colombia's main rivers originate, and also from the Creative City for its gastronomy,” Marco said with excitement, highlighting all these gems in our territory that are often overshadowed by the ravages of war.

Marco Paredes Manzano filmaker and producer

Thus, along with a very talented team, Marco began to create various audiovisual content inspired by Caucan settings and stories. While pursuing a degree in Digital Audiovisual Media Production at SENA, he developed an interest in gastronomy, leading him to discover a product developed by the communications team of this institution. “In 2013, as part of the dynamic, we had to produce some audiovisual projects, and that’s when we started to consider the possibility of creating a project around traditional cooking and food. I had already seen some documentaries made by the Communications Division, specifically by Andrés Rebolledo, about 12 years ago, when they made a documentary in Almaguer about the panela sweets with Mrs. Oliva Hoyos and Professor Carlos, as part of the research support for their Culinary Heritage group,” the filmmaker explained, recalling his initial encounters with traditional culinary knowledge.

Oliva Hoyos traditional cooker 

Thus, this audiovisual content led to a meeting with Professor Carlos Humberto Illera and his research group, which made the path clearer. As Marco expresses it, “This research group has been responsible for publishing and researching traditional cooking, which allowed us as creators to have a very important concept when it came to the creative proposal. This is what defines the MinTic calls, showing the jurors that these are solid projects when discussing this topic, demonstrating that they know what they are talking about and that it is not improvised.”

In 2022, this group of audiovisual creators formed an alliance with the local channel from the municipality of Rosas, 'TV Rosas - Cauca,' with the aim of participating in the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications (MinTic) call, specifically directed at non-profit community and local channels. These dreamers, in their quest to strengthen this public audiovisual medium, managed to win the call. Thanks to this, we can now enjoy a local production that highlights the work of traditional cooks such as Oliva Hoyos, Teófila Betancourt, and Rocío Rosero, while also promoting tourism in municipalities like Guapi, Almaguer, and Popayán.

Teófila Betancourt traditional cooker

It is important to highlight that in order to carry out this production, they had to face various situations. Access to the most remote areas of Cauca is still challenging, in addition to the armed groups present in these areas. "There were several days of shooting, and different scenarios required transportation by plane, boat, traditional bus, and horseback, traversing territories and climates that are not easy for anyone. However, Professor Illera demonstrated his great commitment to the topic and to the project from the beginning. This is part of what the University of Cauca offers through its professors, who are very dedicated to research, to the topics, and especially to regional projects," Marco mentioned, referring to the dedication of Professor Carlos Humberto Illera. For a long time, he has devoted his knowledge to the traditional cuisines of the region, preserving our typical dishes and honoring those who are the bearers of one of our greatest treasures: the special gastronomy of this part of the country!

This highlights the importance of supporting audiovisual content that originates in southwestern Colombia and involves the participation of local talent from the University of Cauca. These are people who have dared to dream big, who invest in strengthening public media, and who are also driving projects that promote cultural appropriation and regional identity, in this case, highlighting the Historical and Cultural Heritage of knowledge around traditional cuisine. Considering this last point, we once again invite the entire University of Cauca community to engage with this experience and to be inspired to give their all, just as this group of audiovisual creators has done.

Rocío Rosero Traditional cooker 

And you, have you voted for Fogón, Pasión y Sabor yet? This production, with the University of Cauca's seal, is nominated for the India Catalina Awards. Together, we can make sure this trophy stays in Cauca and help change the perception of our department—a department with many positive experiences and aspects.

How to vote:

•  First, go to the website: https://premiosindiacatalina.com​
• Once there, select ‘Public Nominee Voting’.
• Next, you will need to register by creating a user account with your name and email address—it's super easy!
• Then, activate your account using the registered email.
• After activating your account, return to the main page, go to ‘Public Nominee Voting’, select “Best Community Channel Production,” and search for Fogón, Pasión y Sabor. Click the ‘Vote’ button.

As this university of excellence and solidarity, which is #PatrimonioDeTodos, we are pleased to support projects that help change the stigmatized view of the Cauca department. Let’s vote—time is running out!