Around 20 nationally renowned chefs will be offering a full programme of lectures and live cooking centred on the common denominator of rice, in which they will be talking about its history, identity, tradition and innovation.
Valencia, October 2019 – Gastrónoma unveils a new space for the 2019 fair: the «Valencia D.O. Rice Room», a new setting that aims to promote and showcase a key ingredient in the Mediterranean diet.
Sponsored by Carmencita and Dacsa and organised by Santos Ruiz, the Manager of the Arroz de Valencia Designation of Origin, Gastrónoma has scheduled a comprehensive programme from 10th to 12th November, with top chefs leading the line-up, including Bernd Knöller, Cristina Figueira, Vicente Patiño, Mª José Martínez, Nanin Pérez, Miguel Ángel Mayor and Ferdinando Bernardi, to name but a few.
Day one: tradition and innovation
On Sunday 10th November, the «Valencia D.O. Rice Room» will be opened with a talk by Juan Carlos Galbis, followed by a cooking show given by Carlos Julián, the former athlete turned chef who is responsible for the culinary transformation of the Ampar restaurant at the Hospes Palau de la Mar in Valencia. Julián will be talking about rice dishes in the three different parts of a menu, a subject on which he is an expert.
Luis Arrufat, lecturer at the Basque Culinary Center and food advisor to several restaurants will also be taking part in this space in Gastrónoma, the Mediterranean food fair. Arrufat will be giving a technical presentation in which he will be reflecting on the world of enzymes and bacteria applied to rice. The morning will be brought to a close by Nacho Romero, chef and owner of Kaymus (Valencia), a Bib Gourmand restaurant which also has two Repsol suns. Romero will be talking about the behaviour of wild meat when cooking rice dishes.
In the afternoon, visitors will be able to enjoy a cooking show by Kiko Lázaro, who was named «Rice chef of the future 2019», a competition launched by the Arroz de Valencia D.O. to find the most promising young chef in the world of rice.
The Fierro restaurant will also be taking centre stage, turning rice around and talking about it in avant-garde, sweet cuisine. Finally, Alberto Alonso from Burgos, known in the world of cuisine as ‘Patxi’ and chef at the Valencian restaurant Dos Estaciones, will be presenting a live cooking session in which he will be talking about rice dishes that «come from colder regions».
Day 2: creative, traditional and sweet rice dishes
On Monday 11th November, the “Valencia D.O. Rice Room” will once again be debating between avant-garde cuisine, sweet recipes, traditional recipes and international dishes. Bernd Knöller, who has one Michelin star and two Repsol suns in his RiFF restaurant (Valencia), will be taking a very creative approach to exploring new horizons. The young chefs in charge of the Tula restaurant (Javea), Clara Puig and Borja Susilla, will also have their space on the new Gastrónoma stage, where they will be discussing real rice pudding.
In turn, the Italian Ferdinando Bernardi, from the Orobianco restaurant, which has one Michelin star, will be giving a talk on Italian risottos using a Mediterranean pantry as his starting point.
The afternoon will be kicked off by Victoria Sevilla, a young 26-year-old chef known for her talent and good taste, who will be discussing rice dishes to welcome the autumn. The chef Joan Clement will be giving an interesting presentation on Visigoth cuisine and the place of rice in this culture. The Room will be closed for the day by Vicente Patiño, in charge of the restaurants Saiti (with a Repsol sun) and Sucar, who will be championing the use of blue fish in rice dishes.
Day 3: history and identity
On the last day of Gastrónoma, the “Valencia D.O. Rice Room” will be focusing on the cornerstones of rice: varieties, history and context. This will be done with the help of renowned chefs such as Adolfo Cuquerella, owner of the restaurant La Granja, a reference in preparing the best known traditional rice dishes in Valencian cuisine, who will be explaining where the challenge lies in choosing the right variety. The restaurant El Xato (La Nucia), a family home with over a century of history and a recently awarded Michelin star, will also be participating in Gastrónoma in a presentation on rice as a symbol of identity.
The chef Nanin Pérez, the sensation of 2018 and a rising star in the world of good food, will also be taking part with a proposal on creative rice dishes in the regional cuisine of Alicante. Another top chef who just had to be at Gastrónoma is Miguel Ángel Mayor, head chef at the Michelin-starred Sucede restaurant. Mayor will be travelling back in time with some of history’s most iconic rice dishes.
In turn, Pablo Margos, the chef who supervises the flavours of the Pelayo Gastro Trinquet and Las Bairetas, will be talking about offal and rice, while Sergio Sierra, co-owner and head chef at El Portal (Alicante), which boasts a Repsol sun, will be focusing on techniques for achieving creamy rice dishes. Events at the “Rice Room” will be brought to a close by chef María José Martínez, owner of the Repsol sun Lienzo restaurant, and one of the most promising culinary talents on the current scene. Her presentation will be taking a look at Mediterranean rice dishes beyond the Gulf of Valencia.
Thanks to this programme, which has a total of 20 speakers, Gastrónoma broadens the range of options on offer and gives rice greater exposure.
Gastrónoma is backed by the Valencian Regional Government and the Provincial Councils of Alicante, Castellon and Valencia, and has the support of the main industry associations.
