With the sky tinted gray and the rain that watered everything, the Compartir restaurant in Barcelona yesterday became a kind of refuge for chefs and journalists attending the presentation of the Gastronomic Forum Barcelona, ??which will celebrate the edition largest in its history on November 6, 7 and 8 in Palau 8 of the Montjuïc site of the Fira de Barcelona. “Water, finally”, some sighed when they left their umbrellas at the entrance. At a time of extreme concern for the environment and sustainability, chefs are clear that their profession must be committed to the environment and the preservation of biodiversity. The program of this edition of the Forum is structured around this thematic axis, where more than 350 exhibiting companies and 200 chefs, pastry chefs, sommeliers and many other professionals from the sector will pass by.
Joan and Josep Roca, Oriol Castro and Eduard Xatruch, Albert Adrià, Paco Roncero, Lucía Freitas, Javier Olleros, Begoña Rodrigo, Jesús Sánchez and Paolo Casagrande are just some of the faces that make up the extensive poster, to which others are added renowned figures from the international scene, such as Poul Andrias (Koks, Greenland), Eric Verbauwhede (Pic Group, France) or Zineb Hattab (KLE, Switzerland). In addition, the Danish Kamilla Seidler and the Belgian Joke Michiel will explain how they encourage work-life balance and integration in their restaurants, another of the outstanding challenges in the sector that the Forum wants to delve into.
Through the presentations, the chefs will present the initiatives linked to the use of indigenous products, the recovery of traditional preparation methods and the fight against food waste, among other current issues linked to sustainability, one of the topics constant in each edition. But this year with “a particularly interesting and extensive exhibition offer”, in the words of the event’s co-directors, Pep Palau and Josep Alcaraz, with more than 120 activities, dialogues, presentations, debates and workshops.
The salon will also focus on the rescue of ancestral techniques, such as the use of the grill, which is a trend in professional cooking, and which will invite reflection through sessions such as that of Aitor Arregi. Dani Ochoa, Luigi Pomata and Jesús Segura will present their experiences on the new pantry, which recovers some traditional preserves and promotes unprecedented preservation techniques in our culinary culture.
Sweet cuisine will play an important role with the celebration, once again, of The Best Dessert competition, organized by Espai Sucre. In this context, the Basque chef Martín Berasategui will receive the Pierre Gagnaire 2023 prize for his contribution to the development of pastry.
The Best Panettone or the Favorite Dish of the Catalans will be other competitions that will host the meeting. As a novelty, in addition to the Mercader and InnoForum awards, this edition will feature a tribute to the women of the rural world and the debut of The Baker and Best Maître d’Hotel awards. On the last day of the congress, the Chef 2023 award will be announced, chosen based on the votes of the readers of La Vanguardia, which highlights the best emerging chef and the best in terms of sustainability.
All this without forgetting the small producers, protagonists of some demonstrations alongside great chefs in the Aula Mercat Metropolità, Aula Catalunya and Aula Makro. Neither do businesses and companies, which will have sessions dedicated to innovation and establishment management at the Forum Lab.
In the course of the show, the designation of Catalonia as a World Gastronomy Region for the year 2025 will be presented, an international distinction that recognizes the culture, essence and gastronomic innovation of the territory.
