Gastronomika starts the “culinary anti-Brexit”

Simon Rogan heads the delegation of British chefs who are coming to share what is happening in the United Kingdom "which is very exciting". Gastronomika has always had the same idea: to promote knowledge and share it among professionals in the sector. For this reason, and in the face of the Brexit as a symbol of rupture, we claim the culinary anti-Brexit. From 2 to 5 October.

This year's edition has the United Kingdom as its guest country and "United Kulinary" as its slogan, "a symbol of the unity that has always been and continues to be exemplary in the gastronomic sector".
On behalf of the UK representatives, one of its current stars, Simon Rogan (L'Enclume***, Cumbria, UK), took to the stage and explained his cuisine of English terroir and said he was "delighted to be here. Together with my colleagues, we look forward to sharing what's happening in the UK, which is very exciting".

Thomas Keller, tribute award
This first day included the presentation of the Tribute Award, which went to the only American chef to hold three Michelin stars in two different businesses (The French Laundry, California, and Per Se, New York), Thomas Keller. As he was leaving the Covid, he was unable to travel to Spain, but he recorded a video to thank him: "Gastronomika is an extraordinary congress, which helps to share knowledge, and in which I was lucky enough to participate in 2010, a moment I remember as one of the best of my career. Thank you very much for believing me worthy of this award, from the bottom of my heart".
The memory and applause for Keller was extended to José Polo, who received the Golden Gueridón of the congress, and to Carles Abellán, who won the III National Chickpea Championship with his Casa Natalia de Formentera. On this first day, the Ruinart Sommelier Challenge Competition Prize was also awarded and Makro celebrated its 50th anniversary on the stage.

7th Edition of the Ruinart Sommelier Challenge in Spain. Louise Bryden Winemaker at Maison Ruinart
United Kulinary, the slogan of the 24th edition of San Sebastian Gastronomika Euskadi Basque Country, is a nod to the capacity of gastronomy to unite cultures over and above politics. The doyen of gastronomic congresses shows the culinary panorama of the United Kingdom, a country that, beyond what happens in its capital, is largely unknown. Isaac McHale, The Clove Club** (London); Simon Rogan, L'Enclume*** (Cartmel); Roberta Hall-McCarron, The Little Chatroom (Edinburgh) and Daniel Clifford, MidSummer House** (Cambridge), four of the UK's great chefs, share the stage at the Kursaal with some of the best chefs in the world, such as the Peruvian Gastón Acurio or the American Thomas Keller, who has received this year's Tribute Award.

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