Today I visited the most important culinary event in Spain, San Sebastian Gastronomika – Basque Country Savour It, held for the 14th time. After the huge success of 2011, this international event once again brings together the best of Spanish and international cuisines.
Following the structure used in previous years (Alta Off, Popular and Market) and with “La Grande France” as the guest country, the intention is to once again offer the same combination of strict professionalism and innovative presentations that has proved so popular in previous years.
San Sebastian Gastronomika – Basque Country Savour It wants to dedicate this 2012 conference to both paying well deserved homage to the France, the country that brought us Careme, Escoffier and Nouvelle Cuisine, and also to taking a broad but accurate look at its most modern national and international creators. Tradition, evolution, revolution, creativity, fantasy….will once again this year fill San Sebastian’s Kursaal Palace on this unique opportunity to discover the latest in world cooking through speakers, live tastings from your seat in the auditorium and exclusive formats such as workshops and talks.
Diario Vasco and Grup Gsr are the organisers of an event which has a Technical Committee including the great names in Basque cooking: Hilario Arbelaitz, Karlos Arguiñano, Juan Mari Arzak, Martin Berasategui, Andoni Luis Aduriz, Pedro Subijana, and the Conference Director, Roser Torras.
It is not only cookery that is represented at Sebastian Gastronomika – Basque Country Savour It, since the event also involves the other disciplines from the food and wine sector. Off Gastronomika will bring together the best professionals from dining rooms, wine and catering, through presentations, tastings and interesting activities such as the Best Spanish Sommelier 2012 Competition, the 3rd National Grilling Competition, the 3rd International Gin & Tonic Competition “Jordi Estadella” by Fever Tree and Gastronomika adolescente.
The sector’s biggest brands and companies will be present in the conference’s Market, a unique space for commercial networking and discovering new products, particularly those targeted at the professionals in the sector.
In short, from 7 to 10 October 2012 San Sebastian once again becomes the capital of world cooking.