The four-day Gastronomika congress recently held in San Sebastian once again bought together some of the biggest names in global gastronomy to the picturesque food Mecca on the Basque coast of Spain.
The numbers were impressive: 1,500 participants from 45 countries, featuring a constellation of more than 70 Michelin stars, all meeting for four days of serious culinary discussion in the 2016 European Capital of Culture.
San Sebastian being one of the global destinations with the highest number of Michelin stars per square metre – beaten only by Kyoto – it was no surprise to see legendary local names including Juan-Mari and Elena Arzak, Martin Berasategui and Andoni Aduriz draw substantial audiences in the waterside auditorium.
In addition to presenting stunning dishes, the father and daughter team behind Arzak (pictured) talked about how they have recently completely ‘re-thought’ their restaurant which has held three stars every year since 1989. “We realized everything is changing, cooking, how we relate to our industry. So we’ve analysed everything we have done so far," Elena Arzak told the audience.
"We want to highlight flavor and naturalness, build a community around ‘Cocina para convivir’ – or ‘cooking for living together’. We live together in the kitchen and around the table, the most important global symbol of union and peaceful coexistence.”
Naturally, other great Spanish names including Joan Roca and Ramón Freixa drew crowds as they gave powerful presentations which served to remind of the extraordinary strength in depth of Spanish cuisine. Ferran Centelles, the ex-sommelier at elBulli recounted the achievements of the elBulli Lab ahead of its return to the legendary restaurant’s location in the form of ‘El Bulli 1846’.
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The Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio won a special award “for the work he has done for the good of South American and global products and cuisine”, while Turkish and Hungarian dishes in particular graced the congress as two of the key countries in focus, not least in the popular street food stands open to the public that served up classic dishes like goulash or brilliant lamb kofte.
Other notable events included Quim Coll and Toni Romero from the Barcelona restaurant ‘4 Amb 5 Mujades’ presentation on "rogue veganism" - a philosophy that advocates completely renouncing animal protein in the kitchen to let the vegetable shine as the true star. Brazilian chef Philip Schaedler talked about the virtues of produce from the Amazon and its “invisible gastronomy".
Workshops brought in inquisitive crowds of professionals and amateurs alike to learn from some of the best. Inaki Muñoz explained the creative process behind 3D cooking – something he called ‘the immediate future of gastronomy’. Paco Perez, behind the two-starred restaurants Miramar and Enoteca – focused on pork with his tin of marinated Iberian pig’s ear, while his unique technique with shrimp had to be seen to be believed.
Tastier yet were the dinners around Gastronomika, including one at the Basque Culinary Center and a special week by Hélène Darroze at the elegant Hotel Maria Cristina. As part of her two-month pop-up in the city, the showcase allowed creative mastermind behind three stars at The Connaught and Restaurant Hélène Darroze in Paris to demonstrate how San Sebastian had influenced her thinking.
Away from the presentations, demonstrations and discussions, there was also a significant trade element featuring producers and suppliers to the industry from across Spain and further afield. ‘Gastronomika Market’ featured more than 150 exhibitors in food and restaurants, with dozens of demonstrations and activities – not to mention considerable tasting opportunities, especially once it reached the hour for an aperitif...
