Gastronomika 2018, the 20th edition, from Sunday 7th October with the traditional gala dinner, and then the congress itself in San Sebastian from Monday to Wednesday 8-10th, when the curtain fell over the protagonists of years and years of restaurant greatness in the Basque (Spanish and international) town. On the stage of the auditorium there were, among others, Juan Mari Arzak, Martin Berasategui and Pedro Subijana, each one representing a restaurant-legend and three stars, all in San Sebastian. With them, many colleagues and all those who make the organization led by Roser Torras work. Reporter Xavier Agulló, one of the historic voices on the Basque stage, thus found it easy to repeat what he always says at the end of the congress: «Ladies and gentlemen, this was a memorable edition».
Twenty years is an important number for anyone. They celebrated and lived it with intensity, so much so that all that was not strictly connected to the Basque country and to Spain in general was deemed less important. For once there was no guest nation and only two foreign chefs: Japanese
Yoshihiro Narisawa and
Paul Pairet, a French who moved to Shanghai. For all the other international participants Spanish was the mother tongue, including Uruguayan
Matias Perdomo who, lucky for us, decided to live and brighten up Milan, splendidly absorbing Italy. This choice perfectly represents the Spanish power when they have to work as a team and assess themselves around the planet, like at the
50 Best above all.
Rafael Garcia Santos, behind him José Carlos Capel
As Italians, we should follow this and endless other examples. Even though this focus on themselves has sometimes led to some exaggerated self-centred episodes, an excessive focus on their restaurant and cuisine without opening to the outside world, without giving a factual example. However, one must say that not everyone is
Joan Roca, who recalled the innovations conducted by
Celler during the twenty years of life of the congress, and left everyone stunned because the creative list is incredible. The same applies to
Quique Dacosta and his eternal love for red prawns from Denia or
Jordi Butron and the sweet world seen from Barcelona.
Ten years with
Rafael Garcia Santos, from 1998 to 2008, and ten more with
Gastronomika, were celebrated on Tuesday afternoon by summoning its protagonists. Firstly
Rafa himself, as well as
José Carlos Capel, the father of
Madrid Fusion,
Joan Roca and
Quique Dacosta.
Santos was determined and trenchant,
Capel was bright and calm. The two chefs were a little on the defensive because criticism, of any kind, is something you understand in time, not when it hits you, and it does hit you as they recalled. And
Rafa especially never had a doubt when he spoke. He was always sure or himself.
Matias Perdomo, of Contraste in Milan, on the stage of Gastronomika 2018. In the background, to the right, Simon Press, chef and partner
Listening to them was a real pleasure, going through twenty years of creativity. If anything, because
Santos, long before the debut of lo
Mejor de la Gastronomia in 1998, had already created a very new event in 1984, in Vitoria Gasteiz, in the Basque Country, at
Gonzalo Anton’s restaurant
Zaldiaran. Everyone made his appearance, «and when it was the turn of
Ferran Adrià in 1990, then 28, none of his colleagues understood him», he recalled. Then
Rafa added: «
Paco Torreblanca once told me he was impressed by
Ferran, before he became the one everyone praised, because in years and years he had been the only cook to enrol in his pastry-making courses. He asked him why, and the Catalan said he wanted to learn the strict rules of pastry-making so that he could then use them in the kitchen».
The end of Gastronomika 2018: everyone’s on stage
Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso
