Four major debates between professionals and three monographs will make Fòrum Gastronòmic Girona a great showcase of the sector.

Today was presented the program of the event, which becomes annual and will bring together the best professionals in the kitchen and dining room, and will host competitions, workshops and demonstrations.

Today was presented the program of the Gastronomic Forum Girona, to be held from 13 to 15 March at the Palace of Fairs and the Auditorium-Congress Hall of Girona. The show will host four major dialogues between professionals in the kitchen and the dining room, to address issues of concern to the sector such as restaurant schedules and staff shortages, generational change, the implementation of creativity in the restaurant business and the importance of coordination between kitchen and dining room staff, who serve customers directly. Precisely to vindicate this figure today has also been presented the new Association of Professionals of Room, the first in Catalonia and that brings together this group so necessary for the proper functioning of the restaurants. With these debates the Forum wants to be the reference point for the concerns of professionals, companies and food producers, who will find different spaces where they can share their knowledge.

The presentation was made at Mas Marroch, in Vilablareix, and the director of the Fòrum Gastronòmic Girona, Albert Labastida, announced that the show will become annual and highlighted some of the main activities of the extensive program, which features monographs, awards and competitions, workshops and demonstrations and a dynamic and participatory fair area.

Precisely the monographs are one of the highlights of the new Forum, which is committed to a format that puts in value some products that are historically part of the menus of restaurants, but continue to evolve over the years. There will be thematic sessions of steak tartar (which will include the first contest in the Spanish state of the best steak tartare), the cheese cake (with debates and professional cheese specialists) and the Bean Tone Bar, which with a wide range of professionals will unravel this unique way of making chocolate.

Fòrum Gastronòmic all year round

One of the other announcements made today is the creation of the Fòrum Territori, a formula to make the professional show go on tour throughout the year, offering activities ranging from unique gastronomic experiences to recovering new debates that may arise during the event and that have not been dealt with in depth.

This year's edition of the Forum will be three intense days in which the protagonists will be the professionals of the kitchen, chefs, sommeliers, pastry chefs, bakers, cheesemakers, charcutiers... Chef Carme Ruscalleda, Jordi Cruz, Ada Parellada, Nandu Jubany, Fina Puigdevall, the Padrón brothers and Marc Ribas have joined the list of stars that already includes Paco Pérez, Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro and Eduard Xatruch, Meritxell Falgueras, Raül Balam, Toni Gerez, Niki Pavanelli and Riccardo Della Bella, Jeroni Castell, the Roca brothers, Mauro Colagreco and Massimo Bottura, among others.

The latter will star in one of the most mediatic sessions of the Forum, in a keynote speech where the three Best of the Best will talk about cooking as a tool for social awareness and environmental transformation. During today's event Joan Roca announced the celebration of a charity dinner, which will serve to raise funds to promote a neurocritical unit at the Dr. Josep Trueta Hospital in Girona.

Prominence of new emerging businesses

Another of the new Fòrum Gastronòmic's bets is the area of innovation, new products and start-ups, with a program that includes several presentations of new innovative businesses in the restaurant sector. There will also be competitions for sommeliers and to choose the best creator of xuixos.

The exhibition area will host more than 120 exhibitors, and the show will occupy an area of more than 7,000 m² between outdoor tents, the Palau Ferial and the Auditorium. The organizers expect up to 15,000 people to visit the Gastronomic Forum over the three days. Visitors will be able to follow everything that happens through the new Forum Gastronòmic App that will offer all the practical information about the show, in real time, with the program of activities, locations, schedules, speakers... with an outstanding interaction and networking functionality and with the streaming broadcast of some of the most important sessions.

The presentation of the program of activities has also counted with the participation of the president of the Diputació de Girona, Miquel Noguer and the mayoress of Girona, Marta Madrenas.

You will find all the information and the program of activities at www.forumgirona.com  

Girona, March 2, 2022