The quality and originality of the cuisine of Tenerife managed to captivate thousands of professionals in the sector for three days within the framework of the XXV San Sebastián Gasronomika Congress. The third and final day of the prestigious forum confirmed the “resounding success” in a showcase visited from Monday to Wednesday by more than 12,000 people, figure that exceeds that of last year. Many of them passed through the Island’s 200-square-meter restaurant stand. The island’s gastronomy passed its particular test with a very high score.
The phrase “resounding success” as a summary of this experience from Monday to Wednesday at the San Sebastian Kursaal is pronounced by the CEO of Tourism of Tenerife, Dimple Melwani. She was present on the closing day of the congress, along with the Councilor for the Primary Sector, Valentín. Gonzalez. The event allowed the Island to show the quality of its cuisine products and its wines to more than 2,500 professionals, including journalists, influencers, critics, chefs, etc. They attended both the Island stand and the Wine Tunnel, where they were able to taste more than 40 references from as many wineries from the different Designations of Origin (DO) of Tenerife.
luxury closure
On the third day, Tenerife was once again the busiest space of the congress and the presence of the central island at the fair. The preview was on Tuesday night when the six DOs held a private tasting for a group of twenty large international buyers – from America and Japan – invited by the ICEX (Spain Exports and Investments). Then, after the final day, the surplus products from the Island stand were donated as usual to the Guipúzcoa Food Bank.
Juan Carlos Clemente, accompanied by the narrative of ecotourism from Teno and El Cardón, proposed in the morning a menu of onion bread from the reed beds with Hermanas Contreras jams; gofio, pineapple and cheese pella “tribute to our shepherds”; laminated goat, beletén and tomato vinaigrette; peas & peas with saffron mojo and reed onion; and tribute to goat’s milk. The subsequent round table traveled along the route of El Cardón (Buenavista del Norte), with its flavors recreated by Pawel Antoni Lisowsky (Buenavista Melià Collection hotel restaurant) and Rubén Saborido (La Quinta restaurant), who shared figs and cheese with the attendees, grilled cheese with almond and safranillo mojo and, as always, wines from Tenerife. Isidro Álvarez, from San Diego, was master of ceremonies of an already legendary workshop at the congress, the mojos workshop. This time he taught how to make safranillo, almond and even the famous almogrote.
The summary
Dimple Melwani recalled that in the central space of the Island During these three days, breakfasts, round tables, workshops, lunches and snacks were held with Tenerife products and wines as protagonists. He explained: «We have connected products and recipes offered by our best chefs, to each of the three great natural spaces of the Island: the National Park of Teide and the rural areas of Anaga and Teno. It was “an immersive experience to taste the quality and originality of our cuisine,” she said. This is “sustainable, local, and generating a circular economy in the territory.” The CEO of Tourism of Tenerife concluded: “We close with the satisfaction of seeing how gastronomy continues to consolidate itself as a differentiating tourist attraction in the offer for travelers seeking experiences on the Island.”
Objective acomplished
Valentín González, for his part, showed “satisfaction” with the great reception of the Tenerife proposal in San Sebastián Gastronomika. He considered that the objective of “making visible and highlighting the product and the Island’s producers, ranchers, farmers or fishermen” was “more than achieved.” He values the island councilor that “all of them add an extra quality that, through the common thread of the territory, highlighted our wealth these days.”
The team
The Tenerife team at San Sebastián Gastronomika 2023 was made up of more than 60 people, including cooks, pastry chefs, front of house workers, sommeliers, students and teachers from the IES La Candelaria and Punta Larga, and winemakers. Also technicians from Agriculture and Rural Development of the Cabildo, from the governing councils of the six wine DOs and Tourism of Tenerife, as well as companies adhering to the Charters for the Sustainability of Tenerife.
The illustrious
Benjamín Lana, general director of Gastronomika; the chefs Martín Berasategui, Pedro Subijana, Quique Dacosta, Elena Arzak and Joan Roca; professionals specialized in gastronomy such as Carlos Maribona, from ABC; Ignacio Medina, from 7 Caníbales or David de Jorge, known as Robin Food, are just some of the illustrious people in the sector who have been able to learn first-hand about the cuisine and wines of the Island at the congress. Revalidation passed.
A unique lunch in the epilogue
The one offered yesterday by Tenerife to close Gastronomika 2023 was a unique lunch. Designed from the cliffs and the ocean by Ronnie Reina and Rocío Coral (La Quinta restaurant) and Pawel Antoni Lisowsky, who proposed as a peculiar menu old brandade with colored potato glass, sea and mountains; millet cream with local fish; flavors of the Baja Island; old blue fish clothes; magic of Teno Alto; and aloe vera granita with papaya, mango and passion fruit. The indispensable harmony of wines was provided by Trevejos Volcanic Wine, white albillo and verdello (Bodega Altos de Trevejos, DO Abona); Organic white Frontos (Bodegas Frontos, DO Abona); Fruity White Tágara (Bodegas Insulares de Tenerife, DO Ycoden-Daute-Isora) and Canales del Palmar Dry White (Bodega Canales del Palmar-José Agustín Palenzuela (DO Ycoden-Daute -Isora). | JDM