Food Tourism: Ernest Ikoli Press Centre Yenagoa Turns Spot For VIPs

Members of the Travel Writers’ Corps of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) had pleasant food tourism experience on Monday when the CEO of Hot Sauce Kitchen, Miss Peculiar Blessing Igrubia, one of the food vendors operating at the food corner of Ernest Ikoli Press Centre on Azikoro Road, Yenagoa, capital city of Bayelsa State, took time to showcase her customer service skills.

Miss Igrubia, a post graduate student at the Ignatus Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, would make any time tourist to want to repeat the visit to Yenagoa because of her her level of public relations and good manners.

Food tourism, otherwise called culinary tourism, occurs when a tourist travels beyond his immediate neighborhood to find great food elsewhere.

As consumer desire for new experiences increases, the desire for ‘authentic’ restaurant experience becomes more important to the tourists at destinations.

The food tourist usually has a desire for new tastes, knowledge and concepts and therefore food creates its own cultural capital, which destinations need to capitalise on.

Gastronomy (food tourism) has become a vital component of the tourism experience. Dining out is common among tourists and food is believed to rank alongside climate, accommodation, and scenery in importance to tourists.

Chairman of Bayelsa State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Samuel Numonengi, popularly known and addressed as “the Oracle”, accompanied by Chairman of the Travel Writers’ Corps, Comrade Piriye Kiyaramo, popularly known as Mr Tourism and Stanley Imgbi, Membership secretary of Travel Writers’ Corps, were impressed with quality of customer service at the Hot Sauce Relaxation Corner when they tasted white agidi served with chicken pepper soup.

No wonder, a lot of high profile dignitaries prefer visiting the Hot Sauce Kitchen at the Ernest Ikoli NUJ Press Centre, Yenagoa.

You can have fresh palm-wine, yam chips with fish or chicken, plantain chips with chicken or fish, chicken pepper soup with white agidi, cow tail pepper soup and piompiom with goat meat or chicken.