SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE Jan. 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Tenerife makes a return to ‘Madrid Fusión’ as the principal sponsor, featuring unprecedented participation from seven municipalities (Los Realejos, Candelaria, Santa Cruz, Granadilla de Abona, San Miguel de Abona, Puerto de la Cruz, and Santiago del Teide). The stand will span an impressive 340 square meters and will be divided into three expansive zones: ‘Tenerife in the past’; ‘Tenerife today’ and ‘Tenerife tomorrow’ – accommodating 70 guests at a time and showcasing three unique themes.
Therefore, on Monday, the focus will be on the Atlantic Ocean and its sustainable utilisation in cuisine; Tuesday will highlight the Sun and its strategic significance in agriculture and science, while Wednesday is dedicated to the ‘Soul of Tenerife’, encompassing its midlands and peaks.
Each day, in three parallel programmes, the Tenerife stand will host breakfasts for journalists, chefs, businesspeople, and national and international influencers featuring the renowned ‘barraquito’ – an initiative that has successfully brought together all stakeholders of the congress for the past two years. This will be complemented by various educational, recreational, and culinary offerings, including lunches prepared by esteemed island chefs, tastings, vermouth experiences, wine tastings, interactive workshops, and a new addition this year: ‘late’.
During a press briefing, Lope Afonso, the Vice President and Tourism Councillor of the Cabildo de Tenerife, detailed the island’s participation in ‘Madrid Fusión’, which occurs from January 27 to 29 at IFEMA, highlighting that this is one of the “most ambitious” editions regarding Tenerife’s visibility.
He emphasised that “gastronomy is increasingly becoming a strategic asset in promoting the island, and direct involvement and collaboration with Tenerife’s municipalities are becoming essential.”
He believes, “we are experiencing an outstanding moment in gastronomic recognition, which contributes to enhancing our tourist destination, and we are on the verge of presenting the best edition of Madrid Fusión for Tenerife in just a few days in the Spanish capital.”
MELWANI: “AN EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITY”
Dimple Melwani, the CEO of Tenerife Tourism, has described ‘Madrid Fusión’ as “an exceptional opportunity that enables us, year after year, to promote the island’s agri-food sector, gastronomic tourism, and the remarkable efforts of professionals across the culinary value chain that is emerging nationally and internationally.”
He further stated that for three days, “Tenerife’s cuisine will be in the spotlight, supported by around a hundred professionals, including producers, chefs, pastry chefs, service staff, sommeliers, restaurateurs, winemakers, and technicians from the six designations of origin, who will collaborate with the Tenerife Tourism team and the Primary Sector division of the Cabildo to promote local produce and wines, fostering synergies that contribute to generating wealth and employment.”
Melwani expressed gratitude towards the seven participating municipalities this year, “to the educational sector, the hospitality industry, fisherman’s associations, the bartender guild, the ICIA, and all professionals involved. The combined effort is crucial in ensuring that Tenerife secures an increasingly stronger position in the culinary landscape, which is vital for adding value to a leading tourist destination prioritising sustainability.”
Valentín González, the Minister of the Primary Sector and Animal Welfare, has acknowledged the significance of Tenerife’s participation at ‘Madrid Fusión 2025’, describing it as “a highly important event for the Tenerife primary sector, which highlights local products during three intensive days.”
He noted, “we need to showcase the quality of our local offerings and recognise the efforts of our producers. We have a distinctive gastronomy and I would also like to highlight our dedicated commitment to our wines, cheeses, honeys, and other products, as well as our firm dedication to fishery products supported by sector professionals.”
Throughout the event, there will be a continuous array of activities, including workshops, tastings focusing on mature fish, local seafood, seasonal fruits, artisanal ice creams, exclusive grape varieties, cocoa from Tenerife (the first ‘bean to bar’ in the Canary Islands), old potatoes, exquisite wines, honeys, gofio, Tenerife goat’s cheese, cheesecake Tenerife, bread, ancestral legumes, ‘Tenerife Vermouths’, and various cheeses.
TENERIFE AT THE WINE EDITION 2025
Tenerife will also feature prominently in the space and activities during the ‘Wine Edition’, following the extraordinary success of previous editions. A 75-square-metre Tenerife Wine Tunnel will be digitally showcased and, as every year, will kick off the Wine Edition programming with an exquisite tasting of Tenerife Wines, highlighting excellent wines from the island’s six DOs.
In addition, there will be a masterclass presented by chef Diego Schattenhofer (1973 Taste, Villa Cortés hotel, Playa de las Américas), featuring an innovative presentation, ‘The refinement of the marine enzymatic process’. This will provide an in-depth and exclusive examination of the high maturation of fish, wherein the chef will devise a ‘roadmap’ for chefs globally on which fish to mature, the required duration based on species, and the best cooking techniques to elevate this new gastronomic experience centred around the sea.
This initiative stems from rigorous scientific research in collaboration with various biologists.
Furthermore, chef Jesús Camacho (Donaire, GF Victoria hotel, Adeje), a recent Michelin Star recipient, will explore the intersections of savoury and sweet—territories without clear boundaries that he has been exploring for years.
Annually, there is the Competition of Mojos and Dishes made with mojo harmonised with Tenerife Wines, now in its fifth edition, featuring well-known national chefs, some of whom are Michelin-starred.
In this edition, Tenerife will have a robust presence in all fronts, competing in the finals for ‘Best Hotel Breakfast’ (Hotel Villa Cortés, Arona) and ‘Chef Revelation’ (Icíar Pérez and Juan Carlos Pérez, Moral restaurant, Santa Cruz).
In the ‘Saborea España’ area, Tenerife will once again feature its stand, ‘Saborea Tenerife’.
