SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, May 23. (EUROPE PRESS) –
GastroCanarias, the most important fair in the gastronomy, hotel and restaurant sector in the Canary Islands, has opened its doors today Tuesday at the Tenerife Fairgrounds with 250 exhibitors and around twenty activities scheduled until May 25.
In total, 92 companies in the sector exhibit their products and services in the 8th edition of this fair, in which all the islands are also represented, through the councils, as well as the Government of the Canary Islands and various municipalities of Tenerife.
The opening was attended by the president of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Pedro Martín; the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Government of the Canary Islands, Alicia Vanoostende; the mayor of Santa Cruz, José Manuel Bermúdez, as well as the co-directors of GastroCanarias, José Carlos Marrero and Jonay Rodríguez.
For Pedro Martín, this gastronomic show “is an opportunity to publicize the dynamism and richness of the gastronomic sector in Tenerife and throughout the Canary Islands” and stressed that this year “30 more stands had to be set up to respond to the demand of companies, the best scale to know that the fair is working well”.
The island president also valued the training opportunity that this show represents “for the new generations who are starting out in the world of gastronomy, so that they can meet other chefs and cooks, exchange experiences and begin to make their way “, said.
The regional councilor Alicia Vanoostende made reference, for her part, to the studies carried out by the Canarian Institute for Agricultural Research (ICIA) “so that the Canarian hen is recognized as an autochthonous breed and value this meat as a quality product” and highlighted the presence at the fair of GMR Canarias, a company attached to the Agriculture area, with more than 40 producers and the development of different workshops for the appreciation and knowledge of the local product.
José Manuel Bermúdez explained that the gastronomy and catering sector represents 10% of all economic activity in the capital, with more than 1,000 restaurants and cafeterias in the municipality that generate 14% of employment. “Therefore, we are talking about a sector that is key to the socioeconomic development of Santa Cruz and for this reason we are going to have our own stand where we are going to relaunch the Degusta Santa Cruz brand,” he added.
14,000 SQUARE METERS AND TWO LARGE STAGES
With a total area of about 14,000 m2, this year’s edition, in which Fuerteventura is the guest island, has two large stages, one sponsored by the Cabildo de Tenerife, where the cooking contests will take place, and another by Heineken, in which drink competitions will be held and an intense program of activities will be offered consisting of cooking workshops, master classes (master-classes), cook demonstrations (show-cooking), product presentations and tastings, and commented tastings
In this edition, the Cabildo de Tenerife attends with a 112-square-meter stand, with a prominent place for Honey from Tenerife and a wine tunnel, in which the six denominations of origin that operate on the island through 40 references. Throughout the three days of the fair, there will be tastings, culinary demonstrations, wine tastings, workshops and educational talks.
Likewise, the GastroCanarias-HECANSA Training Classroom will reopen its doors where, during the three days of the event, a series of master classes, specific cooking workshops, training courses for students and fans, and a wide and varied program of activities. In parallel, the Makro Classroom will bring together bar and restaurant professionals to provide them with ideas, suggestions and inspiration that will encourage them to innovate in their menus or improve their menus.
During the course of the 8th Canary Islands Gastronomic Show, 12 major championships will be held, seven in the cooking modality and five in drinks, in which representatives from all the Islands will participate.
Among them stands out the 17th Absolute Cooking Championship of the Canary Islands. Cabildo de Tenerife Grand Prize in which 10 chefs from Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote will participate, together with their assistants, who will have the challenge of cooking two dishes with surprise ingredients in search of becoming the Best Chef or the Best Chef of Canary Islands.
In addition, this year two championships will be held for the first time, the 1st Absolute Canary Islands Tapas Championship – Gran Premio Makro and the 1st Canary Islands Classic Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Championship.
