The Gran Canaria Me Gusta Fair, the meeting par excellence of the flavours and products of the island, opened the doors of its tenth edition this Friday with an extensive programme full of gastronomic exhibitions, tastings, competitions, workshops and around sixty direct sales exhibitors.
Promoted and financed by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria and organised by Infecar, the fair brings together, for yet another year, the food produced on the island and renowned chefs from the national and regional scene to highlight the value of Gran Canarian raw materials and the primary sector which, with so much effort, generates, maintains and increases its excellence.
The president of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales, inaugurated the Fair this morning accompanied by the councillor for the Primary Sector and Food Sovereignty, Miguel Hidalgo; the technical coordinator for Economic Development, Energy Sovereignty, Climate and Knowledge, Raúl García; and the general manager of Infecar, Natalia Santana; as well as a large representation of mayors of the island, sponsors and collaborators of this tenth edition.
“The Gran Canaria Me Gusta Fair is a sample, a showcase, of what the primary sector means today on the island of Gran Canaria, a sector that is living one of its best moments for decades,” said Morales. The president also celebrated the fact that this event “attracts more and more people every year”, that the island’s agricultural land has increased in recent years and that Gran Canarian citizens are increasingly consuming zero-kilometre products. “This speaks of the strategic importance of the primary sector for a territory like ours, as well as the awareness and awareness of the local product that has been produced in recent years in Gran Canaria,” he said during his tour of the fair.
At midday this Friday, more than 1,500 people had already visited Infecar on its first day, visiting the different areas of the Gran Canaria Me Gusta Fair: the sixty or so exhibitors selling local produce, the Primary Sector and Food Sovereignty and Island Slaughterhouses activities, the children’s workshops and the gastronomic exhibitions.
Canary Islands Regional Cooking Competition and Regional Sommelier Competition
The final of the New Talents Gran Canaria Me Gusta Regional Cooking Competition took place on the morning of the first day of the Fair; the winner was David Hernández Trillo, from the Hotel Escuela Santa Brígida, who delighted the jury with his dish Conejo-Almendra-Miel (Rabbit-Almond-Honey). Gastronomic exhibitions by Jéssica Déniz and Juan Manuel Calvo (Fagor Professional) completed the morning programme of this first day. Also this morning, the final phase of the 2nd Canary Islands Regional Sommelier Competition was held, the winner of which was Iván Monreal, who retained the title he won in the 2022 edition.
The collaborating chef of SPAR Gran Canaria, Lolo Román, and the chef of the Flamboyan Gastrobar D`Creus Restaurant, Creusa Ramos Díaz, representing the Town Hall of La Aldea, will be the protagonists of the exhibitions that will take place this Friday afternoon. The finale of this first day of the Fair will be the awards ceremony of the XVII Official Honey Competition of Gran Canaria 2022, presented by Victorio Pérez.
To find out the winner of the Professional category of the Gran Canaria Me Gusta Regional Cooking Competition, we will have to wait until Sunday at 11 am, when the finalists will take over the kitchens and receive the judges’ verdict.
National and local chefs
Chef Carmelo Florido, chef and owner of the Restaurant El Equilibrista 33, BIB Gourmand of the MICHELIN Guide and two Soles Repsol, is the host of this edition of the Fair. As such, tomorrow Saturday from 11 a.m., he will receive in the kitchens of the Gran Canaria Me Gusta Fair the renowned national chefs Carito Lourenço (Restaurante Fierro, one MICHELIN Star and one Sol Repsol), Juanjo López (La Tasquita de Enfrente, recommended by the MICHELIN Guide and two Soles Repsol), Marta Verona (winner of the sixth edition of Masterchef Spain), and Tomeu Arbona and María José Orero, founders of Fornet de la Soca; All of them will be enjoying a tour of the island this Friday to taste local products and learn first-hand about the production processes of some of them.
The turn of the local chefs will be tomorrow at 4 p.m., when Miguel and Alberto Herrera (Restaurante Camino al Jamonal), Adrián García and Kilian Nordelo (La Catedral Bistró) and Dana Joher (Ave Pastelería Artesana) will show the public their culinary skills and the importance of Gran Canarian produce in their dishes.
Children’s workshops
After the first fruit art workshops organised by SPAR Gran Canaria this Friday, it will be the winner of the eighth edition of Masterchef Junior, Aurora Ruiz, who will accompany and guide the great promises of Gran Canarian cuisine this Saturday and Sunday in the children’s cooking workshops. The youngsters will prepare a cold cooking recipe using products from the island and will also take part in a blind tasting session in which they will have to identify the flavours.
Primary Sector Activities
Pavilion 7 is the space dedicated in this tenth edition of the Gran Canaria Me Gusta Fair to the activities of the Primary Sector. On Friday morning, the first visitors to arrive at Infecar were able to learn about the ins and outs of cocktail making, coffee and tomatoes in the Knowledge Classroom, and about gofio, honey and cheese in the Product Classroom, where they had the opportunity to discover aspects linked to the product, its production and preparation, highlighting its identity and emphasising its importance for the island.
La programación del Aula El Sereto para este inicio de la Feria ha versado sobre el pintado con tintes de cochinilla, la apicultura y las abejas negras o la historia del campo a través de un teatro performance.
Para aprender los secretos de una carne excepcional, los visitantes tienen a su disposición el espacio Mataderos Insulares, Carnes de Gran Canaria, donde ya hoy han descubierto el despiece de la carne de cabra y de baifo; la puesta en valor de la carne de cordero y el potencial de la carne de cabrito y de cabra.
Para completar la programación de la mañana de este viernes, el Aula Mucho más que pesca ha ejemplificado la manipulación de productos pesqueros y despiece de pescado, así como degustaciones de elaboraciones de estudiantes CEAR.
Jornada Profesional Orígenes
Los profesionales del sector gastronómico serán los protagonistas el lunes, 24 de abril, en la que será la sexta edición del Congreso Gastronómico Orígenes, organizado por la Consejería de Industria y Comercio. La influencia de otras culturas en la identidad gastronómica de Gran Canaria, en concreto de la asiática, será el eje conductor de las diez ponencias que componen el programa de la jornada.
Venta de entradas
Las entradas para asistir a la décima edición de la Feria Gran Canaria Me Gusta pueden adquirirse, por 1,50 euros, a través de la web www.feriagrancanariamegusta.es y en la taquilla del recinto durante los días de Feria. El horario de apertura será viernes y sábado de 9.30 a 19.30 horas y el domingo de 9.30 a 16.00 horas.
La Feria Gran Canaria Me Gusta está promovida y financiada por el Cabildo de Gran Canaria y organizada por Infecar. Asimismo, la Feria cuenta con SPAR Gran Canaria, Alcampo y El Corte Inglés como patrocinadores, Cajasiete como colaborador oficial; y Gran Canaria Me Gusta, la Cámara de Comercio de Gran Canaria, Fegastrocan y Fagor Profesional como colaboradores.
