SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 13 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Tenerife Tourism, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Tenerife Island Council, has travelled to Donostia-San Sebastián to showcase the island’s culinary offerings in collaboration with the Basque Culinary Center.
This esteemed institution dedicated to the training, research, and promotion of gastronomy, through the event ‘Tenerife in 360º’, will highlight renowned chefs from the island, who will provide instruction to the students of the centre.
This initiative aligns with the agreement signed earlier this year by Tenerife Tourism, which encompasses not only the training that has occurred over the last few months on the island, but also efforts to innovate Tenerife’s gastronomy, both in the northern Peninsula city and at the destination itself.
Lope Afonso, Vice President and Councillor for Tourism of the Cabildo de Tenerife, notes that “Tenerife is a pioneering and cutting-edge destination regarding gastronomy, where our cultural identity, sustainability, product quality, and the exceptional talent of our professionals are of paramount significance.”
He believes that “training, along with innovation and the gastronomic promotion of Tenerife, represent the three pillars outlined in this collaboration with the Basque Culinary Center, which will persist in the coming years to facilitate the continual professional development of our chefs and enhance our competitiveness as a tourist destination.”
Afonso adds that Tenerife is being recognised “for integrating gastronomy with the tourism and primary sectors, highlighting the efforts of livestock farmers, agronomists, fishers, and beekeepers through their high-quality outputs.”
The Minister for Primary Sector and Animal Welfare, Valentín González, states that “this is a vital platform for showcasing our zero-kilometre products, which are essential for presenting a distinct and high-quality culinary offering”, further noting that “the collaboration between Tourism and the Primary Sector enables us to promote our products, benefiting both producers and the sector as a whole.”
Dimple Melwani, CEO of Tenerife Tourism, emphasises that “through initiatives like ‘Tenerife in 360º’, we aim to demonstrate to the world the quality and variety of our products, as well as the expertise within the sector.”
He highlights that this event “provides a chance to further advance the tourist development of Tenerife and to illuminate the culinary identity of our island.”
In this context, he mentions that “training, innovation, and the gastronomic promotion of Tenerife form the three foundational aspects of this agreement, which will proceed in the coming years to sustain the ongoing professional development and enhance competitiveness as a tourist destination.”
THE ISLAND, A “TRUE TREASURE”
Joxe Mari Aizega, general manager of the Basque Culinary Center, asserts that “celebrating the culinary richness of each region is crucial, and Tenerife’s gastronomy is a genuine treasure that warrants exploration and sharing, not merely for its flavours, but for its rich history and culture.”
In this vein, he asserts that “organising an event of this calibre, alongside prominent ambassadors of Tenerife, allows us to engage the local audience and students with the authenticity of its cuisine and the diversity of its products, thus fostering a more comprehensive and enriching education.”
On Thursday evening, the island unveiled ‘Tenerife in 360º’, a dinner where sixty professionals from the gastronomy and communication fields in the Basque Country had the opportunity to discover the richness and variety of the island’s products, along with their preparation and recipes, courtesy of distinguished chefs and experts in the field.
Altogether, it comprises a menu segmented into ten courses that blend tradition and innovation to provide a distinctive gastronomic adventure through various culinary creations.
This initiative falls within the training aspect of the agreement, which has been manifested in Tenerife via specialized and excellence courses conducted by the Basque Culinary Center, involving more than 130 professionals and cooking instructors from Tenerife.
These courses have encompassed diverse topics, spanning advanced culinary techniques to innovation in cooking, enabling participants to enhance their skills and knowledge within the realm of gastronomy.
