Organised by Turismo de Santiago and Pep Palau, von Arend & Associats, the 11th Forum will be held in Compostela, making it the leading cooking congress in Europe. It will feature, as usual, the presence of outstanding chefs such as Eneko Atxa (Basque Country), the siblings Joan and Josep Roca (Catalonia), Pedro and Marcos Moran (Asturias), Pepe Solla (Galicia), Pierre Gagnaire (France), Ersnt Knam (Milan), Jacob Mielcke (Denmark), Bernard Lahousse (Belgium), Chakall (Portugal) and Ferran Adriŕ.
After last year’s success with more than 15,000 visitors and more than 150 exhibitors, the Forum will be held in a new location, the Amio Exhibition Site, with 6,000 m2 of exhibition space featuring the presence of the best companies in the food and wine sector.
Presentation
The Parador Hostal de los Reyes Católicos’ Royal Chapel was the venue chosen for the presentation, this Wednesday, of the Gastronomic Forum Santiago 2010 in a gala with more than 200 in attendance. The journalists Tomás Alonso and Inés Dopazo were the ones in charge of presenting the different activities and initiatives included in the upcoming Santiago Forum.
The first participant was the councillor for Economic Promotion and Tourism, Xosé Manuel Iglesias, who welcomed those attending the presentation and spoke about the importance for the city of holding the Gastronomic Forum for the second year in Santiago. He was followed by Pep Palau and Jaume von Arend, co-organisers of the Forum, who explained the main features and programme of the upcoming congress.
After the screening of a video promoting the event, the presentation continued with Xosé Cannas and Erundina Vázquez, outstanding representatives of Galician cuisine, who will feature prominently in the Forum, by means of both their chefs and their products.
The next ones to speak were the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Jesús Asorey Carril, the director general for Agricultural and Forest Industries and Innovation of the Xunta de Galicia, Alejandro Álvarez de Mon, and the regional minister for the Sea, Rosa Quintana Carballo. The event ended with the city mayor, Xosé A. Sánchez Bugallo.
A programme for all tastes
During a week, the Forum will house different gastronomy initiatives, beginning with a weekend devoted to cooking enthusiasts, who will be able to enjoy a programme designed especially for them.
As a new feature this year, on Saturday the Forum will move to the city, whose streets and squares will host numerous activities such as tastings, the 2nd Octopus Cooking Competition, guided tours, the exhibition “Memories of Galician Cuisine” or the workshops “I buy and cook with...” in the Mercado de Abastos (food market), which will enable those in attendance to shop and cook with prestigious chefs.
On Sunday, gastronomy lovers will be able to tour the Santiago Exhibition Site and continue enjoying the activities, including the popular Children’s Forum.
The professional congress will be held from Monday to Wednesday, with more prominence being given to workshops, in which outstanding professionals will cook live and host a tasting at the end of the session for those in attendance. Up to eight will be held daily, thereby promoting this participative and interactive formula created by the Gastronomic Forum. Moreover, the Forum’s Auditorium will host shorter sessions in connection with the workshops, so that everyone can enjoy the most outstanding professionals.
Other repeat features will be Dialogues on current topics of interest to the sector, the WineForum, with tastings and combinations, the SweetForum, centred on preparing desserts; and the eForum, with the 3rd European Gathering of Gastronomy Bloggers.
The Santiago Forum already has its own website at www.forumsantiago.com, where you can consult the programme and register for the congress. It is also present on the Twitter and Facebook social networks with more than 700 fans.
The Gastronomic Forum Santiago 2010 is an event promoted by Santiago City Compostela, the Compostela Catering Association and Chamber of Commerce, and organised by Turismo de Santiago and Pep Palau, von Arend & Associats. Its institutional sponsors are the Xunta de Galicia’s Countryside Department and Sea Department, A Coruńa Provincial Council and Consorcio de Santiago, with the following private sponsors: Estrella Galicia, Cabreiroá, El Corte Inglés, Paradores, Rosareiro and Angelo Po.
