TIRANA, December 17/ATA/ Agro-tourism is a new model of rural development in Albania.
Prime Minister Edi Rama conveyed today the success story of chef Arian who runs the “Smoked Duck” restaurant in Pogradec.
He succeeded to transform the place into a point of reference for the area within a short period of time, for the duck he serves, is among the most requested dishes after Pogradec spotted lake trout.
“Smoked Duck” confirms the great transformation in gastronomy as an added value for the tourist package by the lake, at the same time as a first-hand evidence of how a family initiative can get transformed quickly into an enterprise that employs dozens of young people to create a genuine economic value chain from the farm to table”, said Rama.
Chef Ariani himself said that he started with a small restaurant in 2011.
“Day after day the customers increased and as I had a passion my brother and me managed to find a better place, developed the building thinking that it had a greater potential”, he said.
At present, the restaurant hosts tourists from all over the world, from the Nordic countries up to the French, famous for their fine wine taste.
In the last 5 years, Ariani, together with his brother and sister, have devoted themselves to the growth of the farm in their native village.
“We have obtained land by concession from the government and developed viticulture. We have also developed animal husbandry. We managed to produce almost 100% of the products by ourselves. It is a big challenge, since we have the motto to bring the indigenous product from the land to the table”, he said.
An Italian, who has chosen Albania to live for 5 years, said that “Smoked Duck” is one of the restaurants he frequents the most.
“I have been in Pogradec for almost 4-5 years. And I regularly visit “Smoked Duck” restaurant. Here the food is very good and I know Chef Ariani well”, he said.
On his part, Chef Ariani cannot hide the satisfaction he feels when his customers return to the tables of his restaurant.
“Customers are satisfied and come back. And I am very happy and I try and will always try to please them more and more, because I know, they will always expect more from me.
“Smoked Duck” has been a challenge,” he said. /p.s./
