San Sebastian Gastronomika – Euskadi Basque Country will return to the Kursaal Conference Centre of Donosti-San Sebastian from 2 to 5 October. This XVIII edition is the last major event of the European Capital of Culture that the Basque city is hosting this year.
A brand-new feature at this year’s conference is that the guest destination will be chefs and restaurants from six countries to represent the five continents of the world to produce a large contemporary culinary atlas.
After the record number of visitors, members of the media and conference delegates last year, the XVIII San Sebastian Gastronomika-Euskadi Basque Country will mark its coming of age from 2 to 5 October and will yet again turn the capital of Gipuzkoa into the world capital of haute cuisine. And it will be on an even bigger scale this year as it is the last major event of Donosti-San Sebastian’s being European Capital of Culture and as there will be, for the very first time, six guest countries, with each of them turning the spotlight on the different culinary cultures of the world. Brazil, South Africa, Australia Japan and Turkey, along with Hungary representing Europe, will be the countries at Gastronomika and will create a true culinary map of the world.
Some of the best chefs of those seven countries will appear on the Kursaal stage to explain their culinary culture, roots and future. The programme will be organised according to their origin and cuisine. This showcasing of the different culinary cultures of the world will be rounded off, before and afterwards, by the leading names of the host’s culinary heritage, and always following the formula that makes the conference unique: live tasting and by the audience in the auditorium of the dishes that are featured on the stage. Ángel León, Mario Sandoval, Joan Roca, Paco Morales, Ramón Freixa, Carme Ruscalleda, Diego Guerrero, Eduard Xatruch and Oriol Castro, Marcos Morán, Sergio and Javier Torres, along with Paco Pérez have confirmed they will be attending..
The conference’s Technical Committee, made up of the chefs Hilario Arbelaitz, Karlos Arguiñano, Juan Mari Arzak, Martin Berasategui, Andoni Luis Aduriz, Pedro Subijana, Eneko Atxa, Josean Alija and the director of the event, Roser Torras (grup gsr), has produced a multi-faceted programme of speakers representing highly established and emerging cuisines. The emphasis has been on searching for the most innovative artists and the largest ever poster for the conference has been unveiled.
In San Sebastian Gastronomika – Euskadi Basque Country, there will not only be cooking; other areas of the hospitality industry will also have their place in the congress. Off Gastronomika will bring together the best professionals of the room, wine and hospitality services through papers, tasting sessions, workshops and activities as engaging as the National Grilled Food Competition and Gastronomika Adolescentes (Teenagers).
The best brands and companies in the sector will be at the congress Market, a unique space for promoting commercial exchanges and learning about new products specially intended for sector professionals.
In short, from 2 to 5 October 2016, San Sebastián will again become the capital of world cuisine.
