SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, March 30. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The II National Contest of Mojos harmonized with Tenerife Wines of the Madrid Fusión 2022 congress has awarded Diana Marcelino, from the restaurant El Secreto de Chimiche (Tenerife), with her Mojo de coriander and toasted avocado, as the best mojo, and Nacho Garbayo, of the restaurant Sueños de Cocina (Madrid), for the preparation of the best dish with mojo, crispy mullet, pea mojo, minced olives and cockles, which he paired with a Los Tableros white wine, from the DO Abona.
Diana Marcelino expressed her joy at the recognition received, in a room full of people and in the context of such a prestigious international conference as Madrid Fusión. “I feel proud and happy to be able to represent the Canarian mojos and, above all, the name of Tenerife,” she said.
“Tenerife is innovation, authenticity and tradition, and that is what Diana Marcelino has shown in this mojo contest that has paired her Atlantic fish with a traditional Brumas de Ayosa”, highlighted the Councilor for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Cabildo de Tenerife Javier Parrilla, who applauded the first-class public that visited the island’s stand, and assured that “we are very proud that a young and innovative Tenerife woman has won this national contest, with a dish that reflects our identity”.
The island’s Director of Tourism, Laura Castro, highlighted “the work carried out these three days by the professionals who have traveled to this great international gastronomy event, in which Tenerife and its restaurant stand have played a very prominent role, displaying the enormous talent that exists on the island, thanks to which the gastronomy of Tenerife is already a reference and an important tourist attraction”.
The contest, which was attended by nearly thirty chefs from all over Spain, six of whom were finalists, is a reflection of the great interest in restaurants for the most international Tenerife sauce in kitchens around the world, both in its canonical versions as in the most advanced ones.
With a jury made up of Xanti Elías (Finca Alfoliz, Huelva) and José Álvarez (La Costa, Almería), Pablo Pastor (Acyre) and the journalists Carlos Maribona, Igor Cubillo and Laura Grani, the six contestants showed the entire congress the great versatility and power of fascination that the mojos of Tenerife represent in the context of contemporary cuisine. Just before the contest began, a traditional mojo from Tenerife was prepared live on stage to show the entire audience its traditional origins.
The rest of the finalists were Luis Ángel Pérez, Yakitoro (Madrid) with Asiatic-inspired spicy and sour Mojo and sole; Manu Liria, from Mojo 3.0 (Jerez de la Frontera) with Morena canari-thai and mojo-mango; Carlos García, Dexcaro (Denia) with Artichokes with green mojo, and Andrés Rengel, Mediterráneo Culinary Center (Valencia) with Eel, Canarian-Mediterranean mojo and Valencian tomato textures.
The last day of the congress has been a tribute to the authenticity of the culinary culture of Tenerife and its contemporary projection. A stellar breakfast based on El Teide opened the day, led by Josué Mendoza and Pedro Sánchez, accompanied by wines from the DO of Abona and Valle de La Orotava.
Lunch was cooked by Diana Marcelino, Isidro Álvarez and Víctor Darwin, and was accompanied by wines from the DO Ycoden Daute Isora and Güímar. To close the presence of Tenerife in Madrid Fusión, an intense program of workshops was prepared in which the typical products of the land played a special role: olive oils, in charge of the students of the training cycle of technician in olive oils and came from the IES of Arico; almogrote, escaldón and tuna, taught by chef Diogo Ferro; and cheese tasting by chef Pablo Pastor.
On this last day of the congress, the Tenerife stand has received more than a hundred people during the breakfast and lunch services in the restaurant area, as well as in the various scheduled workshops and tastings. In addition, the Tenerife wine tunnel in the Wine Edition with some 40 references, today brought together around 525 professionals from the sector.
