Valencia Culinary Festival 

The Valencia Culinary Festival returns for yet another edition loaded with gastronomy, four-hand menus, workshops, tastings, talks and unique experiences that will bring to life the tastiest program to date.. The Valencian gastronomy movement returns from May 11th to May 21th with once in a lifetime experiences, tastings in unique locations, chefs coming together to create something extraordinary, unique products on exceptional tours with impeccable service. The city with the world’s best life and food will host the event that delights every sense every year.

The sixth edition will offer an eclectic content, the mythical four-handed menus will flood restaurants kitchens. In the first edition, 11 Michelin Stars from all over the world gathered here, on the second edition, nine chefs from local restaurants invited chefs from nine international restaurants; famous chefs like Johannes King, Nordic-German from the Söl’ring Hof (2 Michelin stars), Mikael Svensson (Kontrast Oslo Restaurant, 1 Michelin star), Atsushi Tanaka (Paris A.T. 1 star), Fran Martínez (from Maralba Restaurant, 2 stars) and Vasco Coelho (from Euskalduna Studio, Porto. 1 star).

The Valencia Culinary Festival offers us gastronomic experiences designed for the most hedonistic palates and also for the curious who wish to delve into haute cuisine as initiates. In this fifth edition, other players in the sector such as dining room professionals, producers, wineries and activities outside the restaurant have joined the program.

Some of them are experiences in natural enclaves such as a visit to the Tancat de la D.O. Arroz de Valencia to learn about the growth cycles of rice, a boat trip to learn about the birds that inhabit “La Albufera de Valencia” and a subsequent meal at Llisa Negra. Last time, there was a visit to Valencia’s Central Market with Bernd Knöller; he took his audience sailing on a yacht to enjoy the spectacular Valencia sunset, with a champagne toast from the Corporate Yachting sailboat paired with a lavish picnic prepared by Fran Espí, chef at La Sucursal Restaurant. He organized a meeting at the oyster farm “Les Perles de València” and rediscovered this product in situ through the eyes of Colombian chef Junior Franco, halfway between Latin and Mediterranean culture.

Besides all these there’s  an orchard visit with Ricard Camarena and Toni Misiano; the 4 hands of Luis Valls, from El Poblet and Atsushi Tanaka, two chefs with very different cooking styles, but united by their love for the ingredients; or Enrique Medina’s menu, from Apicius, who invited Yoko Hasei and her kaiseki cooking philosophy, an ancestral Japanese culinary expression born in the 16th century; seasonal and fresh ingredients, closely linked to the tea ceremony, in a sector with still very few women. All these are examples of experiences that can hardly be replicated, wonderfully indulgent due to their singularity, once in a lifetime affairs that can only happen at the Valencia Culinary Festival.

In this edition, an inventive program is expected to highlight all the richness and diversity of local products and the excellence of restaurant professionals, together with natural spots which make up Valencian gastronomic culture.

Valencia as a gastronomic destination. Valencia Premium has decided this year events will take place in May, as a prelude to the long-awaited gala of The World’s 50 Bests Restaurants that will be held at Les Arts on June 20, promoted by Visit Valencia and Turisme Comunitat Valenciana. Valencia, chosen for being the city with the best life and food in the world, will be a space for celebration. Expanding this place activities, where chefs, waiters and producers converge will help promote the Valencian Community as a tempting gastronomic destination.

When? From 11 to 21 May 2023

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