SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Feb. 19 (EUROPE PRESS) –
The Plaza de la Encarnación de Hermigua, in La Gomera, has hosted the presentation of the book ‘Tradition and Vanguard’, a work by the renowned Michelin star chef from Gomera, Miguel Navarro, who is in charge of the restaurant at the Hotel Escuela Rural Casa de Los Herrera.
This book becomes the first work of the Hecansa Collection, a center attached to the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce of the Government of the Canary Islands, and the author reflects in it a new way of understanding the traditional gastronomy of La Gomera without forgetting the roots and the identity of the Island linked to its products.
The event was attended by the president of the Cabildo de La Gomera, Casimiro Curbelo; the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce of the Government of the Canary Islands, Yaiza Castilla; the general director of Tourism Planning and Promotion, Ciprián Rivas; the accidental mayor of Hermigua, Jacob Piñero, and Miguel Navarro himself, who was very moved by having been able to carry out a work “that treats the culinary tradition of La Gomera with the utmost respect”, and for which they have been inspired “by all those elements that constitute its gastronomic culture”.
‘Tradition and avant-garde’ brings together a series of traditional recipes to which the author has introduced his touch of creativity and avant-garde, featuring the fresh products of the island and made with all the care of the gastronomic culture that has developed in La Gomera along its history.
Casimiro Curbelo assured that the book represents a proposal that brings closer to the culinary tradition of La Gomera and that it addresses elements that are part of the culture and identity, since it manages to combine the artisanal products of the Island with the most popular recipes, “taking a avant-garde linked to tradition; that heritage of those who came before us,” he said.
He highlighted the figure of Miguel Navarro, whom he considered “an export product; a professional who began his life on this island and later trained in the best gastronomic schools in Spain, although his ties remained linked to this land of his, to which has given away a book that is a map of gastronomy for the generations of today and tomorrow”.
During his speech, the president reiterated the Cabildo’s commitment to this type of project, which serves to “strengthen the island’s gastronomic values and accentuate the commitment to the diversification of the tourist product, through training”, as has been done by the Ministry of Tourism and School Hotels of the Canary Islands.
For her part, Yaiza Castilla stressed that this first book “is the result of the commitment to educational excellence on the part of both institutions, as has already been demonstrated on the island through the implementation of first-class public education at the Casa de The Herreras”; a place, she said, “through which more than one hundred students have already passed in the 34 courses that were scheduled for last year, to which are added those that have already begun to be taught this academic year” .
Yaiza Castilla insisted on the wisdom of having a learning space “capable of generating quality employment and boosting the local economy, through the training of new generations of hotel and restaurant professionals with a clear purpose: the increase excellence not only of the destination of the island of La Gomera, but of the archipelago as a whole”, said
Precisely, he highlighted the work of Miguel Navarro from La Gomera, his commitment to innovation “so as not to be left behind with respect to our competitors” and showed his conviction that the eight islands “have much to offer and great professionals who can do it”.
Chef Miguel Navarro wanted to thank the Cabildo and the Ministry and his public company Hecansa for the trust placed in him and stressed the need to continue training in excellence: “Tradition is something that is learned as a child and based on it, the look towards the future that invites us to continue growing and advancing along the way, and that is what I try to pass on to my students every day, and what I want to capture in this book”.
Jacob Piñero highlighted that the opening of the Casa de Los Herrera Rural School Hotel has not only been a great benefit for current and future students, but also represents a great opportunity for the sector in order to have a pool of professionals.
The recipes collected in ‘Tradition and Vanguard’ are the dishes that the chef has designed for the Casa de Los Herrera Rural School Hotel, a center set up by Hecansa with the aim of promoting the development of the island through specialized training , the recovery of the identity, the local product and the generation of synergies with a differentiated offer and high added value.
La Casa de los Herrera, located in the municipality of Hermigua, brings together a rural school hotel made up of seven rooms, and a restaurant run by Miguel Navarro, and is part of the Hecansa centers in the Canary Islands.
The Hecansa collection aims to collect all the knowledge in a series of works that will form part of a library that will treasure the legacy of knowledge in hospitality and tourism that is available in the Islands. In addition, through this collection, it is about valuing recognized professionals such as Miguel Navarro.
