The life of each person is always in constant change, one day we are doing an important job thinking that it is for good, and another day an innovative and exquisite work is being done, such as the production of edible flowers.
This is the case of Dioselina Bell, a woman, mother, wife and professional, whom before working on flowers, was a psychology professor and coordinated this career School at the USMA (Universidad Santa Maria la Antigua). A very dynamic person, sociable and proud of what she has accomplished in her life, and even more so now that she has the job of her dreams. Dioselina Bell has left her mark on the Panamanian gastronomic industry to the point of being recognized as Panama’s queen of edible flowers and gourmet herbs and even offering her talent to guests of great international importance.
What motivated you to start producing edible flowers and gourmet or aromatic herbs?
“Well, all my life I have liked flowers, it is a legacy that I bring from the times that my grandmother took care of me. She had very nice gardens and she always knew the name of the flowers, being my first experience from an early age. I was motivated to produce flowers on a large scale when I came to start working with my husband at the company, while he produced hydroponic vegetable produce such as different varieties of lettuce, mint, rugula, coriander, chard, among others. While producing these healthy products, we made specialties, and I became more and more involved in the company with him”.
Describe the variety of edible flowers and which one is the most requested and why?
“As for the variety of edible flowers that I produce, there are violas, pansys, nasturtium, carnations, calendula, chamomile, cosmos, roses, and carnations, that are spectacularly colorful. However, the ones that people like the most are the pansys, because are attractive and very pretty, they give dishes a lot of showiness. A kind of flower that gastronomy professionals know a lot, having both Pastry Chefs and Culinary Chefs request them a lot.”
Your flowers were even on Pope Francis’s dishes during his visit to Panama. What is the difference between an order for a public personality and a daily client?
The selection of orders and specialties is actually done by the Chefs, my orders are framed around what they request for the creations they are making. An example is Chef Cuquita who asks me for the flowers that best suit her dishes, especially when she was in charge of Pope Francis’ food during WYD 2018. At the Summit of the Americas held in Panama we attended many chefs who were in charge of preparing the gastronomic dishes for the international personalities invited.”
How can your talent be developed so that it becomes an icon of our Panamanian identity?
“I don’t know if it was luck or virtue that I have produced flowers and decorations for Chefs of different nationalities who have been our target market and they have promoted me. In 2018 we won the prize of the good fork precisely, based on the quality and variety of my products and a digital platform where they began to ask the Chefs, which were the producers that served them the best and I got first place, because many mentioned my flowers. I always try to innovate and bring new things, yes, attached to the investigation of what can really be eaten, bearing in mind that there are many producers in the world that precisely produce them and I learn a lot from them, everything about the edible flowers. I am happy that my research and contributions have placed me as a pioneer in Panama’s gastronomy.”
What is your vision of gastronomic tourism in Panama and what do you propose to develop it even more?
“Gastronomic tourism in Panama has a great future, because the typical dishes are very accepted by most other nationalities, we have also already made some adaptations that have improved or added a more gourmet touch to the typical dishes and it has been a delicacy.
I think that if people of each town in Panama decides to add a touch of what they know how to do, of what they inherited from their ancestors who did it with love, keeping those customs leads people to be interested in the history of these dishes. In Panama we still lack culture to learn to value and try to highlight the meaning of each dish, each recipe from the grandmother or the neighbor who lived before and who made contributions that remained for the next generations.”
What advice would you give to all the people who have an innovative idea and don’t dare to carry it out?
“I recommend people who have an innovative idea and don’t dare to do it to lose their fear, to try to start and do it little by little. Always understanding that at the beginning there are always trials and errors, but that only those experiences are what will lead us to reach the goal. You have to be persistent, organized, never give up, put a lot of love into what you do, dedicate yourself to these tasks. You always have to be honest, not corrupt, because you have those values and integrity that make you a better person. All this will open the doors for you to achieve everything for which you have been working.”