Belize City Pastry Chef Wins B.T.B.’s Innovation Challenge

Belize City pastry chef Einar Marin is the winner of the Belize Tourism Board’s Innovation Challenge. The initiative aims to transform tourism for the future. Submissions were made by those who felt their product or service would create significant returns for Belize’s tourism industry. Marin’s successful entry saw him walking away with ten thousand dollars as start-up funds for his sweet treats.

Einar Marin

Einar Marin, Winner, B.T.B. Innovation Challenge

“Bleu by Einar Marin started April 2020, at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. I was still in school finishing my bachelor’s in gastronomy. I started making cakes one day at a time. We started with one cake a week; now we are doing two three cakes a day plus breads, plus other stuff. So it is a big, we appreciate the support from the Belizean community, the local, the tourists – everybody is interested and that is something positive for us. Currently I have my bachelor’s in gastronomy which is also tied to the tourism sector. It’s a plus because nowadays everything is social media. So people see pastries, people see food and people see the restaurants and cafés and they just want to visit especially with Latin America’s top fifty pastry and culinary destinations. It is a big milestone that we want to succeed later on, two three years from now. Being able to be on that top fifty list is a dream of ours and I am sure we could at least hit number fifty one day and put Belize on the map.”

Josue Carballo

Josue Carballo, Industry Development Director, B.T.B.

“We are excited about this new venture and we look forward for innovation to continue within our country and, particularly so, to be able to impact and upgrade our tourism sector. So congratulations Mister Einar Marin. We look up to you as an example for our youths and as an example in our tourism sector.”