Benidorm Gastronómico 2018 takes a step towards quality with 'gourmet' days

After consolidating its calendar of activities, which starts at the end of this month, Benidorm Gastronómico 2018 will take a step towards quality by including some 'gourmet' days that, in addition, will be complemented by a Fair that will put in contact to suppliers and restaurateurs with the aim of generating new synergies and making better the cuisine of the city and better known.

These days 'gourmet' are the main novelty of this new edition of Benidorm Gastronómico, the eighth that is celebrated and presented today by the mayor, Toni Pérez, and the president of Abreca-Cobreca (Association of Bars, Restaurants and Cafes), Javier del Castillo. A presentation that has also served for the Gastronomic Sponsor of 2017, Pedro Cintas and Juan Brotons, give the witness to Antonio Barco, who throughout the year will be the ambassador of Benidorm cousine.

The mayor has explained that the election of Barco as a Gastronomic Sponsor of 2018 is the "recognition of the city to training" in restoration, since for more than two decades he has worked as a chef of the Tourism Center (CdT) Domingo Devesa.

Pérez has delved into that "in addition to spreading the gastronomic brand" of the city, this edition seek to "give relevance to training": "to formal training, in which Benidorm has a lot of experience and much to say" -and that is imparted in centers such as the CdT, the Invattur or the IES Mediterránea-, and also "the one that comes from the non-regulated sphere" and that corresponds "to what is lived day to day in a kitchen or in a service in an establishment" . It has also influenced the need to "help young people position themselves better" within the sector and recalled that at the national level, gastronomy represents around 25% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The president of Abreca, for his part, explained that many of Benidorm's restaurateurs "have passed through the hands of the CdT", where Antonio Barco "has taught us, trained us and told us how the cusine has to be and with the love that has to be treated. "

The Gastronomic sponsor has been grateful with his appointment and has put his experience and knowledge "at the disposal" of Benidorm Gastronómico. The Sponsors of 2017 in turn have underlined "the pride" that has meant for both "represent what has been our trade for years," while highlighting "the culinary level that is reaching Benidorm.

The first appointment of Benidorm Gastronómico will be this month, from February 24 to March 4, when the VII Days of the Spoon will be held. Later, in mid-May, it will be the turn of the Gastronomic Fair and the 'Gourmet' Days, in which the best restaurants in the city are expected to "break" with some of the most traditional dishes of the area, such as the rice, tapas or spoon.

After this, the VII Contest of Tapas and Pinchos will take place from June 16 to June 24, and the VII Days of the Rice of the Earth, from October 20 to 28; two events that "every time" attract Benidorm to "more citizens" from other regions, and even Alicante, Albacete and Murcia.

Both the mayor and the president of Abreca have reminded that when making the calendar of gastronomic events have searched for alternative dates to the high season, to give continuity to establishments and better service to customers.