The show will offer spaces for analysing the restoration of the present and the future.
From the tri-stars Niko Romito and Jordi Cruz to the promising young chefs from Italy, France and Denmark, around 30 great chefs from all over Europe will discover the new trends in haute cuisine, will highlight the role of women at the head of prestigious restaurants and will claim sustainability in a Barcelona Gastronomic Forum that will also give special prominence to wine and will propose rethinking the current gastronomic moment.
Fórum Gastronómico Barcelona, organised by Fira de Barcelona through its society Alimentaria Exhibitions together with Fòrum Gastronòmic, will be held from 18 to 20 November 2019 at the Montjuïc exhibition centre of Fira de Barcelona under the slogan ‘(Re)think about gastronomy’, with which the show will invite introspection on the current culinary moment. To this end, it will count on the participation of the protagonists of the gastronomic proposals of some of the restaurants with more personality currently in Spain, Italy, France, Denmark and Canada.
Thus, Jordi Cruz (Àbac ***), Niko Romito (Reale-Cassadona ***, from Italy), Carme Ruscalleda, Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch i Mateu Casañas (Enjoying **), Paco Pérez (Miramar **), Oliver Peña (Enigma *), Jordi Butron i Xano Saguer (Essence by Espai Sucre) and Rasmus Munk (The Alchemist, from Denmark) will give lectures in which they will give their vision of current gastronomy. For their part, the Canadians Dominique Dutour (Gray Jay, Otawa) and Stépahanie Audet (LOV, Montréal), representing the association Fémmes Chefs de Montréal, will share their experience as promoters of greater visibility and empowerment of women in haute cuisine.
In another session, five chefs will demonstrate the effervescence of gastronomy in Europe with four projects led by talents under 35: David Andrés, from the Via Veneto restaurant * in Barcelona and Somiatruites d’Igualada, Nadia Sammut (Auberge La Feniere *, from Aix en Provence, France), William Jorgensen (Gastronomè *, from Aarhus, Denmark) and Francesca Barreca and Marco Boccarelli, (Mazzo, from Rome, Italy).
The event will also showcase the latest trends and proposals in the gastronomic panorama of the city of Barcelona by Artur Martínez (Aürt), Jon Giraldo and Jaime Lieberman (Ovnew), Eugeni de Diego (A Pluma) and Sergi Palacín and Ignacio Ussía (The Alchemix).
Finally, there will also be thematic workshops on casquería led by Javier Estévez (La Tasquería *, from Madrid) and Diego Rossi (Trippa, from Milà, Itàlia); restaurants with orchards with Oriol Rovira (Els Casals *, from Sagàs, Barcelona); fish and sustainability with Diego Gallegos (Sollo, de Fuengirola, Màlaga) and Chistopher Coutanceau (Christopher Coutanceau **, de La Rochelle, França; or wine with Carles Tejedor and François Chartier (Be So, de Barcelona), among many others.
An event in expansion
The show will occupy pavilion 8 of Fira de Barcelona’s Montjuïc exhibition centre, with a total of 6,000 m2 of net exhibition space and 4,000 m2 of space dedicated to activities.
Five months before the event, Fórum Gastronómico Barcelona has already sold nearly 80% of its planned exhibition space. In total, more than 200 exhibitor companies are expected to participate, including Estrella Damm, Tupinamba, Sosa, Balfegó, Guzmán, Disteco, Friolisa, Barry Callebaut, Complet Hotel, Girbau, Vilajuïga, Cuinats Jodri, Pordamsa, Assolim, Fructusweb and Soublin, among others.
The show will also have the presence of small producers, and in this sense it is worth mentioning the Espai Catalunya, which will bring together more than 70 craft companies that offer local produce, thanks to the collaboration of Prodeca, Diputació de Barcelona and Diputació de Girona.
Fórum Gastronómico Barcelona will also have a Halal Area, dedicated to companies that present food and beverages permitted by Islamic law, aimed at a growing segment of consumers.
According to J.Antonio Valls, General Manager of Alimentaria Exhibitions, "Fórum Gastronómico Barcelona is presented as an essential meeting point for gastronomy professionals. The rate of contracting is really satisfactory, with a very positive response both from traditional exhibitors of the Forum (47% of companies had participated previously) and from companies that had not been present in previous editions (and accounting for 53%)".
Innovation, sustainability and awards
One of the main areas of interest for visitors to the Fórum Gastronómico Barcelona will be FòrumLab, which will host presentations and round tables with renowned specialists around three key axes in the restoration of the present and future: restaurant management, digitalization and new marketing tools, and sustainability and social awareness.
In addition, the show will focus on the growing role of the sommelier in the restaurant, which will include the specialized proposal Fòrum Vi, which will develop the presentations of the best oenologists, winemakers, sommeliers and prescribers. Within this framework, the Best Sommelier of Catalonia 2019 Competition will take place, organised by the Associació Catalana de Sommeliers, in which 20 candidates will compete for this recognition.
Other important awards that will be given in the competition will be the Josep Mercader Awards, which will recognise the professional careers of chefs, oenologists, room managers, producers and disseminators of Catalan culinary culture, and the InnoFòrum, which will award innovation in gastronomy in different categories: the most creative packaging, the most innovative product and the most original flavour.
The offer of live contests will be completed with the Asian Culinary Awards Udon – in which the best preparation of an Asian recipe will be awarded – the IV Spanish Championship of Panettone – by the hand of the Gremi de Pastisseria de Barcelona-, the final of The Best Dessert – organized by Espai Sucre with the collaboration of Valrhona and Sosa Ingredients to promote the confectionery of the restaurant – and the great final of the Plat Favorit dels Catalans – organized by the Cuina magazine and Grup Sapiens.