SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 28 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The eighth edition of the ‘GastroCanarias’ fair will be held from May 23 to 25 at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Fairgrounds with a record number of stands and cooking and beverage championships, to which will be added the training proposal of the Aula Makro and the Aula GastroCanarias-Hecansa, spaces that will bring together influential national and local chefs.
The hall will occupy some 14,000 square meters and will have 215 stands and two large stages to develop the contests.
“Tenerife has been present in San Sebastián Gastronómika and in Madrid Fusión with the most important destination stand that one could find at that fair”, indicated the president of the Cabildo, Pedro Martín, in the presentation of the event, who has assured that this This strategy is part of the objective of “giving value to the gastronomy, difference and originality of the products at these fairs and contests”.
Thus he highlighted that he took “the chefs by the hand, but that it was not only them, but also the artisans of the island of Tenerife, because when you go out and present a dish, that dish, that cutlery is made by the artisans and young students who are being trained in Vocational Training”.
Martín stressed that ‘GastroCanarias’ “opens up with new proposals and with new spaces, this sector generates employment, generates opportunities and generates an image and in that path they will continue working”.
For his part, the mayor of Santa Cruz, José Manuel Bermúdez, considered that “for this city, which is the gastronomic capital of the island, an event of the magnitude of ‘GastroCanarias’ is a stable commitment to promote this sector, which represents nothing less than 10% of the productive fabric” and added that “for this reason, it is essential to congratulate its promoters for maintaining year after year this initiative that is increasing in quality”.
The mayor qualified that this sector employs more than 6,000 people “only in Santa Cruz, so it is fully justified to have its own exhibitor”, and advanced that “for this reason, during the celebration of the fair they are going to leave developing around 30 activities that will add value to the entire chain, from the producer, which exists in Santa Cruz, and very good ones, especially in the Anaga area, such as restaurateurs”.
EXHIBITORS FROM ALL THE ISLANDS
This year, the invited island will be Fuerteventura, which will allow the audience to learn more about the typical products, the emblematic recipes and the island’s professionals, and for the third time in a row, each of the seven islands will participate with own stands promoted by their respective island councils.
In this regard, the president of the Cabildo de Fuerteventura, Sergio Lloret, indicated that “for Fuerteventura it is an honor and a pride to be the island invited to this eighth edition” and he is sure that the Majorera delegation “will be up to the task” thanks to its “good team of cooks and products”.
Lloret congratulated the Cabildo de Tenerife for consolidating with its support this type of initiative and implementing it in the Canary Islands, since there is “a perfect pairing, which combines tourism, gastronomy and fresh products, as a guarantee of success to diversify the economy”.
In his opinion, “gastronomic tourism complements and strengthens traditional sun and beach tourism, in addition to helping to save the primary sector, seeking new opportunities to market its products, which guarantee generational relief and maintain this way of life.”
The director of the Canarian Institute for Agri-food Quality, José Basilio Pérez, and the co-director of the Canary Islands Gastronomic Fair, José Carlos Marrero, also spoke at the press conference.
In addition, 12 major championships will be held, seven in the cooking modality and five in drinks, in which representatives from all the islands will participate and, as a novelty, the first ‘Campeonato de Canarias Absoluto de Tapas-Gran Premio Makro’ will be held.
As for drinks, the novelty will be the first Canary Islands Championship of Classic Non-alcoholic Cocktails.
This type of cocktail bar maintains the classic essence in its preparations and presentations, offering a healthier version of the classic cocktail bar without alcoholic beverages.
