VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A TV journalist interviews Medan Mayor Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution (left) on Thursday (March 25, 2021) ANTARA/Said

The Medan city government has vowed to transform the Kesawan City Walk area into a culinary hub offering authentic culinary delicacies of varied ethnic groups of North Sumatra Province.

Thus, visitors keen on enjoying the city's authentic culinary arts can easily spot food stalls selling an array of cuisines of ethnicities, such as Malay, Minang, Indian, and Chinese communities.

“One of the criteria for small and medium enterprises opening food stalls at the Kesawan City Walk is that they offer authentic cuisines of various ethnic groups,” Medan Mayor Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution noted in a statement that ANTARA quoted here on Saturday.

Showcasing the cuisines of multi-ethnic groups is part of the city government’s endeavors to preserve the heritage of cuisines and cultures of communities in North Sumatra Province and to make Medan “the Kitchen of Asia,” he remarked.Following the revitalization of the Kesawan City Walk, SMEs will be allowed to open their food stalls by adhering to the regulations of the city government’s cooperative and SMEs office, he remarked.

The soft launch of the Kesawan City Walk’s revitalization and refurbishment program will take place on Sunday, Nasution confirmed.

Revitalizing Medan’s vital historical and cultural heritage site was part of the city government’s endeavors to make it the “Kitchen of Asia”, he affirmed.

The city government’s efforts garnered the backing of all elements of the Regional Leadership Communication Forum (Forkopimda) as the Kesawan City Walk’s culinary and pedestrian hub would later help to increase the businesses of local small and medium enterprises, he explained.

The refurbishment of this iconic tourist site is also projected to contribute to the city government’s regional income revenue, he noted.The Kesawan neighborhood area is well-known as one of Medan’s key historical and cultural heritage sites where both domestic and foreign visitors can observe the ancient buildings, including those from the Dutch colonial era.

The revitalization and refurbishment of this Kesawan City Walk is expected to enable Medan to have its culinary brand as the Kitchen of Asia, according to Nasution.

“From now on, let us brand our culinary richness as the Kitchen of Asia,” the son-in-law of President Joko Widodo stated.

Meanwhile, Head of the Medan city government’s Housing and Spatial Planning Division Benny Iskandar noted that once the Kesawan City Walk’s revitalization was completed, its corridor of A. Yani Street would be brimming with a plethora of the city’s popular authentic culinary delicacies.

The other corridors would be offered to street performances from various segments of communities in Medan, Iskandar remarked//ANT