WHO ARE WE AND WHAT DO WE WANT?

It was only after we chose the internet domain when it struck us that the acronym for We Are Romania is WAR. We decided that this doesn’t bother us at all, because what we really want to stress is that “you are welcome”: get ready for/with WAR and you will be welcome 😀. But first and foremost, let’s do the introductions….

ABOUT US

We are a private initiative group (voluntary and non-profit) for the promotion of Romania as a European tourist destination with the following characteristics: safe and easily accessible, highly valuable in terms of gastronomy, history, geography, arts & culture culture and people. We have no connection with the Romanian state, nor do we want to – we are interested in telling a human-to-human story to all those curious to learn more about our country. And not just to tell stories, but to meet each other in the events you will find promoted here at WAR.

Cezar Ioan – a writer, wine journalist, founded in 2002 what has since proved to be Romania’s longest-running specialised publication. He organizes multiple annual wine competitions, provides communication and tourism consultancy to wine producers and wine associations, etc. Together with the aforementioned Cosmin, Cezar organized the first National Congress for Gastronomy and Wine in Romania, which later led to the Parliament’s legislation of the first Sunday of October as a National Day of Celebration of Gastronomy and Wine in Romania. He is the author of the book “Connaisseur Without Arrogance”.

Cătălin Mahu – is by training an engineer turned serial entrepreneur since 1990, owner of a chain of restaurants in Bucharest, the country’s capital (his brand, “La mama”, means “At Mother’s”) and also a book author: his volume, “Povestiri la colțul mesei” (“Stories From the Corner of the Table”), was declared in 2019 “the best Romanian entrepreneurship book I read this year” by the editor of Romania’s leading financial daily.

Cosmin Dragomir – a writer, journalist specialized in research and promotion of Romanian cuisine, civic activist. He founded a tiny publishing house dedicated exclusively to gastronomy – GastroArt. The volumes of other authors published by his publishing house – as well as those actually written by him – recover the historical heritage of all regions of Romania and put it back into circulation with a view to a future in which the main differentiators of Romanian gastronomy (seen as a synthesis and living showcase of the Balkans and the three empires that met here – the Ottoman, the Tsarist and the Austro-Hungarian) will attract the deserved international attention.

Ștefan Chirițescu – a creative mastermind of strategies for clients of one of the most important advertising agencies in Romania, he has 22 years of experience working with big brands in different domestic and international industries. His valuable contribution to WAR is, among other things, to bring us all up to date with the sociological and business realities of the local market as a whole and in the international context.

Carmina Nițescu – coming from tourism field where she has been working since 2006, Carmina discovered wine during her travels around the world and decided to study it. She holds WSET Level 3 Wines Certified qualification from Wine & Spirits Education Trust London and in 2020 she launched Winesday.ro, a project made around wine where she writes articles about wine and organizez themed wine tastings. Also, she created and launched Winesday App in 2022, a mobile app that puts on Romania’s map everything that is of interest for wine lovers (wineries, accommodation units, restaurants, wine shops, wine bars, wine courses organizers and event organizers). The app combines wine tastings, culinary experiences with wine tourism in Romania and is available (in Romanian and English language) for free download on AppStore & Google Play.

Adriana Sohodoleanu, PhD, is a researcher based in Bucharest, Romania, known for her doctoral focus on New Romanian Cuisine. She has contributed essays to publications such as the Oxford Food Symposium’s Proceedings, Dilema Veche, Iscoada, and various media outlets. Sohodoleanu co-authored a historic cookbook and makes regular appearances on Radio Romania Cultural, discussing food as a form of infotainment. Her work over the past decade explores the connections between food, travel, anthropology, and sociology, emphasizing their relationship with society and culture. She sheds light on Romanian culinary heritage and the intricate ways food culture intertwines with broader socio-political contexts

Adelina Boboc – a professional journalist and does a lot of volunteering for projects and events related to the promotion of Romanian gastronomic culture, being also responsible for WAR’s communication to the local press and public.

Mihnea Dumitru – a content creator in the age of AI, meaning he better finds a new job. He has a Ph.D. in Political Sciences and studied in South Korea, Canada and the UK. He returned to Romania in 2005 and is passionate about telling a great story to as many people as possible.

Cristina Elena Andrei – translator and linguist, blogger and content creator, civic activist and advocate for human rights and cultural heritage, specialised in the history of language, passionate about history in general and the history of Romanian gastronomy in particular.  This latter passion drove her into an occasional collaboration with Cosmin Dragomir in various projects related to the Romanian gastronomic identity (conferences, articles etc.). Their long-lasting friendship and shared interests – particularly in old books – resulted in Cristinaʼs editing of an anthology of essential texts for the history of Romanian gastronomy (Antologie de texte esențiale pentru istoria gastronomiei românești, Gastroart Publishing House, 2019).

WHAT YOU CAN FIND HERE

We primarily circulate honest ideas and visions that encourage you to want to know our world better. And, because we know that love goes through the stomach (and that’s our specialty), we’re going to highlight the uniquely diverse and rich heritage of Romanian gastronomy first.

We promote events where – beyond reading from a distance – you can connect directly with the gastronomy, geography, history, culture and especially the local humanity and the “Romanian way of life”.

Because we are a small team of volunteers, most of the events you will find here are those organized by us in the framework of other projects, independent (but related to the promotion of Romania), or in which we are involved and we trust, or events in which we are not involved but which we consider important. A short starting list, which we will complete as we go along, can be found below:

  • The National Zacusca Competition (a competition for large and small producers of Romanian zacusca – an entree of multiple vegetables cooked and preserved in oil that differs fundamentally from both “zakuski” – the Russian-Ukrainian snack from which it takes its name, and from the ajvar of the former Yugoslavia or Bulgarian lutenitsa or other dishes that might seem similar from Turkish or Levantine cuisines) – Bucharest, April 2024
  • TOT MAI ROZ / EVER MORE PINK (social and fun event with wine, cocktails, pink food and music) – May 18, RUAL – first AproBistro, Bucharest
  • The Fetească Circle (tasting, socializing and getting to know wines from Romanian varieties – not only Fetească, but others as well) – 2 June 2024, RUAL – the first AproBistro, Bucharest
  • Fetească regală national competition (Fetească regală wine competition, on the occasion of the International Fetească regală Day) – 3 June 2024, Clubul Diplomaților, Bucharest
  • Gastronomy month with Fetească regală in the restaurants La Mama Ateneu and La Mama – Romanian Peasant Museum – 1-30 June, Bucharest
  • Festival dedicated to the National Soup Day (live music, dance, conferences, gastronomic exhibition with sale) – 21-22 September, Lake Sfântu Gheorghe, Băneasa commune, Giurgiu County
  • Fetească Circle (tasting, socializing and getting to know wines from Romanian varieties – not only Fetească, but also others) – 21 September, RUAL – first AproBistro, Bucharest
  • National Day of Romanian gastronomy and wines (festive enogastronomic dinner) – 6 October, Resort Casa Timiș, Chițorani, Jud Prahova
  • Year of Fetească – communication campaign and commercial activations for wines from the 3 indigenous Romanian varieties that bear the word Fetească in their name (white, royal, black) – March-December 2024 (details on: https://vinul.ro/tag/anul-de-feteasca)
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