The Last day of Madrid Fusion
After last year 's record edition, Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España faced a real challenge this year 2024 to maintain the excellent results. By the end of the third day of this 22nd edition, it has more than achieved it.
In total, there have been 184 presentations in which knowledge has been shared and the future of the sector has been debated, content that has been collected by the more than 1,357 journalists who have attended and covered the congress.
The five areas of Madrid Fusión - Main Auditorium, Madrid Fusion The Wine Edition Wines from Spain, Madrid Fusión Pastry and the new Dreams #spainfoodtechnation and Madrid Fusión Drinks stages - were all very well attended.
An even more remarkable milestone if we take into account that all these contents are developed simultaneously during the three days of the congress. A multi-proposal format that demonstrates the vitality of a sector that is facing the future with new ideas and strength.
The pantry marks the kitchen
The last day of Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España revolved mainly around one concept: adapting to one's own pantry and making the most of it. Chefs from places as disparate as the Norwegian Arctic, the mountains of Madrid and cosmopolitan Copenhagen all agreed to honour local cuisine that is both sustainable and imaginative.
Perhaps the most peculiar example has been offered by Alberto Lozano from Albacete, who runs the kitchens of Huset, an extraordinary restaurant located in the heart of the Arctic where he fights day by day to squeeze out 100% of what the scarce larder of his environment can offer.
Dani Ochoa (Montia, San Lorenzo del Escorial, Madrid) also applies zero waste in the mountains of Madrid with his new passion: mushrooms. The chef realised that there were a lot of mushrooms in the mountains that had been discarded because they were too big and too ripe.
And Gonzalo Aramburu also has experience of overcoming difficulties. A survivor of the endless crises his country has suffered, Argentina has shown how haute cuisine can be made with the products at hand at any given moment.
Also linked to the territory is the cuisine of Carlos Casillas, the youngest chef to be awarded a Michelin star for his work at the helm of Barro (Ávila), who says that "he wants to cook the past from the present with his sights set on the future".
The Revelation Awards
Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España closed its 22nd edition with the presentation of a series of awards aimed at highlighting young talent in all aspects of Spanish gastronomy. The already established Cocinero Revelación Gran Premio Balfegó and Pastelero Revelación awards, sponsored by Sibari Food Service, were joined in this edition by Sala Revelación by Gusto del Sur and Bartender Revelación.
The oldest of these, the Revelation Chef Award, has been awarded this year 2024 to the young chefs Sara Peral and Jorge Muñoz, at the helm of the Madrid-based OSA.
With the sponsorship of Sibari Food Service, today the Madrid Fusión Pastry stage also hosted the Revelation Pastry Chef competition, which was won by the pastry chef María Claudia Covarrubias, pastry chef at Madrid's Ramses, with it's preparation of "From Modena to Madagascar", an aromatic dish based on balsamic and vanilla with a biscuit biscuit base flavoured with honey and Modena. The dessert, inspired by one of Luciano Pavarotti's favourites, has been defined by Covarrubias as "simple, elegant and clear". "Everything I am not", She joked.
A few months ago, She also won the award for best pastry chef in Madrid 2023.
The Sala Revelación award was presented for the first time to Leticia Palomo, head of service at the Madrid restaurant Ugo Chan. And the new Bartender Revelation Award also goes in its first edition to Zaragoza, to the interdisciplinary project of Moonlight Experimental Bar.
