When Cartagena's gastronomy enters the program, so does the destination.
Four centuries of Cartagena cuisine. Chef Juan Jiménez brings them to your event.
Cartagena’s culinary tradition spans four centuries, blending indigenous, Spanish, and Afro-Caribbean influences. Chef Juan Jiménez interprets these rich traditions at each event at InterContinental Cartagena de Indias, bringing international quality and local authenticity.
Corozo, the fruit of a thorny palm native to the Colombian Caribbean, boiled and sweetened, produces a juice that captures the geography of this city in a single glass. Titoté is the coconut caramelization technique that gives rice its dark, deep version, a preparation that Cartagena's cooks have kept alive with a fidelity that few contemporary kitchens maintain toward their own traditions. Posta negra, beef slow-cooked with panela until it reaches that dark, glossy finish, is one of Colombia's most representative dishes. This year, Colombia's gastronomy industry recognized Cartagena as the country's Best Gastronomic Destination. Liliana Rodríguez, executive president of Corpoturismo, put it plainly: "We are a city that knows how to welcome. Our table tells its story of cultural encounter." (El Universal, Cartagena, May 2026)
All of it is adaptable. Juan Jiménez builds each proposal around the group: their preferences, dietary needs, and the event's tone. Cartagena's cuisine has the range to serve a medical congress, a board-level international meeting, or an incentive program with equal coherence and intention.
For corporate groups, incentive programs, and conferences arriving in Cartagena, this cuisine is incorporated into the agenda in specific ways. The live stations during coffee breaks have proven to be one of the moments that generate the most connection among attendees: the chef prepares arepas de huevo and carimañolas on the spot, shares the story behind each recipe, and what was a break between sessions becomes the point in the day where people talk, ask questions, and meet each other. Corozo juice, as an opening drink, is, for most international visitors, their first contact with a flavor exclusive to this region. At gala dinners, posta negra cartagenera with black coconut rice and traditional sweets to close, cocadas, alegrías de maíz, enyucado, and caballitos de papaya, build a menu that tells the story of the city on the plate.
Planners working in Colombia for incentives and corporate events find here an argument that strengthens the program: attendees leave with a concrete, specific gastronomic reference tied to a place they know they visited.
The Incredible Coffee Breaks and event menus at InterContinental Cartagena de Indias are designed so that this cuisine sits at the center of the program. Live stations, pairings of Caribbean fruits with traditional drinks from the region, and the dishes of this city prepared by someone who knows them well.
Source: El Universal, Cartagena, May 27, 2026