Gastrocanarias 2023 opens registration for the 17th Absolute Regional Cooking Championship Big prize council of Tenerife. Professional chefs residing in the Islands must register and submit a goat meat recipe for pre-selection. A technical jury will select the ten finalists, who will compete on May 23 at the Santa Cruz Fairgrounds with the eighth gastronomic fair, the most important fair in the sector in the Archipelago, as an ideal setting for three days.
Gastrocanarias has Fuerteventura as a guest island this year to close the cycle, since all have already gone through a consolidated event. In addition, as a novelty, it incorporates for the first time two island municipalities, Icod de los Vinos and Guía de Isora, which will show the best of their kitchens.
The final test for those aspiring to be proclaimed the best chef in the Canary Islands will consist of preparing two dishes in 135 minutes. One of them, with a common main ingredient for all and another, free with an added surprise box.
The contest is aimed exclusively at professional chefs residing in the Archipelago and of legal age. To participate, those interested must register, along with an assistant, on the event website (https://salongastronomicodecanarias.com/) before the end of the month.
Experience and recipe
Each participant must send their CV detailing their experience and a recipe, which must necessarily include goat meat as the main ingredient. The finalists will be those who will compete on the opening day of the Gastronomic Hall.
Participants will have to overcome different challenges to win the competition and become the best chef or cook this year. The first of them will be the day before the test, when they go to the El Corte Inglés supermarket to find out the secret product with which they will have to prepare the common dish.
At El Corte Inglés, the finalists will have to quickly think about their recipe and buy everything they need to execute it right there, with a maximum budget of 30 euros on a gift card. In addition, they will have a community pantry with more than 50 basic ingredients for cooking.
The recipe must be delivered in writing to the organization the next day, before turning on the stoves of the Cabildo Stage.
This year, Aquanaria sea bass becomes the official supplier of Gastrocanarias and will form part of that pantry of the championship. The finalists will be able to use this premium product from the Canary Islands in the two dishes of the competition, although it can only be the main ingredient in the free dish. This must also be made using the surprise box that will be given to each one on the day of the championship. They will contain a series of equal products for all to define their second proposal.
At the end of the test, the finalists will have written two culinary designs. For the first they will have 12 hours, while for the second they will only have half. They will work in their kitchen modules for 135 minutes to prepare four portions of each dish.
The championship will take place on Tuesday, May 23 from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., at which time the winners’ podium will be announced. He or she will receive a trophy, diploma and a cash prize of 1,500 euros, while the best assistant will be awarded 300. The finalists who obtain second and third place on the podium will receive cash prizes of 1,000 and 500 euros, respectively.
This year, for the first time, cookery students from Hoteles Escuela de Canarias (Hecansa) will collaborate as technical assistants for the championship. The competition can be enjoyed live from the stands, but also followed in streaming through the social networks of Gastrocanarias and the Tenerife Fairgrounds.
