Gastronomy has always played a significant role in the Municipality of Ponte de Lima, as it is a segment that greatly boosts the local economy. Over time, gastronomy has taken on new dimensions and is now one of the many attributes for which our region is known. Ponte de Lima is, in fact, one of Portugal's great gastronomic hubs.

For the Municipality of Ponte de Lima, the focus on gastronomy and food is fundamental; it is essential to debate gastronomic heritage, its challenges, opportunities, and the future of this sector, which is why the 1st International Gastronomy Symposium was conceived. The foundation stone has thus been laid for future reflections and discussions around gastronomy.

The importance we place on the value of our gastronomic heritage as well as thinking about its confluence with gastronomic innovation, was one of the drives that led the Municipality of Ponte de Lima to organise this symposium; and it is proud to have been a pioneer in launching this discussion that is important to everyone who has taken part in this event. Another concern of the Municipality of Ponte de Lima is the sustainability of this sector and so by stimulating the production of our endogenous products and thus spreading the circular economy, will then lead to a richer gastronomic ecosystem yet a smaller ecological footprint.

This symposium was the starting point for us to develop the Ponte de Lima Gastronomy Laboratory, because we are a national reference in traditional gastronomy, but Ponte de Lima also wants to assert itself in culinary innovation.

The contributions of the speakers and guests have also been crucial to the success of this event. As Mayor of Ponte de Lima, I would like to thank all those who took part in this symposium for their commitment, and I hope that by sharing this knowledge we can go further in this type of project that we would like to achieve.