Gastronomic Benidorm 2022 begins on Friday with the X Days of the spoon

Next Friday, March 4, a new edition of Gastronomic Benidorm begins, and it will do so as every year with the Days of the Spoon, which reaches its tenth edition. The calendar of events has been presented this morning at El Torrejó building, with the presence of Mayor Toni Pérez, members of the municipal corporation and representatives of  Abreca and Cobreca associations, organizers of gastronomic events together with the Department of Tourism.

The godfather of this edition of Gastronomic Benidorm will be Manuel Ruiz Girona, owner of Ongi Etorri restaurant and took up the baton from his family 54 years ago setting up his business in La Marina Española avenue.

The calendar begins this Friday with the Days of the Spoon, which will last until Sunday, March 13. The next appointment will be the II Days of Tuna, from May 6 to 15. These will be followed by the XII Tapas and Pinchos Contest, from June 10 to 19. The Cocktail Contest opens this year from September 23 to October 2 and will close Benidorm Gastronomic 2022 with the XI Days of the Rice, from October 14 to 23.

The presentation began with the delivery of a commemorative plaque to José Miguel Martínez Baldó, the godfather of Benidorm Gastronomic 2020 and 2021, who thanked the appointment and congratulated the new godfather.

The mayor Toni Pérez has underlined in his speech the "very ambitious program" of this year's gastronomic Benidorm and has highlighted that in the city "we have a very powerful offer in which there is no compliment that contributes to the whole, but rather it is part of it". In this sense, the first mayor has valued the role of the local hotel industry "that deals with things that were unthinkable two years ago".

In his opinion, "with the ingredients we already have, what we have to do now is bet on real and total recovery and put the best food on the table."

Pérez has had a few words for the previous godfather, José Miguel Martínez Baldó, whom he has thanked for his two years in this post and the fact of having been “one of the few establishments that were open at the worst of the pandemic to serve to the emergency services."

Regarding the new godfather, Manuel Ruiz Girona, he recalled that 54 years ago he began working "on Marina Española Avenue, a place where there was only one road", which led him to be "a pioneer in an area where there was nothing."

Before concluding, the mayor has stressed that the gastronomic offer is "very relevant" in Benidorm "and we show it in all its excellence" while he has opted to "continue creating products that attract customers". In addition, he has stressed "the large amount of employment that is maintained and the contributions to regional and national GDP thanks to destinations such as Benidorm" that remain open in the worst conditions.

For his part, the president of Abreca, Javier del Castillo, has trusted that the return to normality supposes "a knock on local gastronomy, which gives us confidence in improving every year and every day". The president of the hoteliers has advanced that with the Jornadas de la Cuchara "this year we want to give more prominence to the gastronomy of the province".

Del Castillo has also highlighted the incorporation of the Cocktail Contest with the aim that "nightlife also works" and anticipated that "in the future, we are already thinking of including the confectionery and ice cream sector".

The X Days of the Spoon will have the participation of eleven restaurants: Arrocería La Marina, Bolikki, Condal, Esturión, Jardín Mediterráneo, La bodeguita de Salva, La Brasería Aurrerá, La Cava Aragonesa, La Tapería Aurrerá, Marisquería el Puerto and La Taberna Andalusian.

All of them will offer a menu that will consist of, at least, a starter, a main course with a spoon, dessert and a drink for 20 euros.