• The eleventh edition of this event, which rewards the best chefs and restaurateurs of the Canary Islands in 2022, will be held on Monday 27 March.
• The “¡Qué Bueno! Gran Canaria Me Gusta for excellence in local produce, which will once again be awarded to twelve establishments on the island.

The tenth edition of the Gran Canaria Me Gusta Fair, which will take place from 21st to 23rd April at Infecar, is already warming up. The benchmark event for local produce and gastronomy in Gran Canaria will be preceded by the eleventh gala of the Qué Bueno Canarias Regional Restaurant Awards and the second edition of the ¡Qué Bueno! Gran Canaria Me Gusta Award for excellence with local produce next Monday, 27 March, at 19.00 hours in Infecar.

The Councillor for Industry, Trade and Crafts of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Minerva Alonso; the general director of Infecar, Natalia Santana; the president of the Regional Restaurant Awards Qué Bueno Canarias, Jorge Fonseca, and the director of the awards, Christian Pérez, were in charge of presenting all the novelties of this edition at a press conference today.

The XI Regional Restaurant Awards Qué Bueno Canarias will take place next Monday 27 March, in an evening in which the professional year 2022 will be awarded and which will count with the participation of the best chefs and restaurateurs of the islands.

A sector, the restaurant industry, which has been growing in recent years “despite the difficulties”, as the Minister of Industry, Trade and Crafts, Minerva Alonso, emphasised, adding that “thanks to effort and hard work, Gran Canaria has managed to position itself at the forefront of gastronomy in the whole archipelago, endorsed by the first Green Star for the whole of the Canary Islands, a new Michelin Star and the three awards with which the island returned from the last edition of Madrid Fusión”.

In addition, Alonso highlighted the “important work for the economy and for the promotion and prestige of Gran Canaria abroad” that the whole sector carries out, beyond the awards. “In addition to their technical qualities, they make use of local produce, becoming essential tools for our progress and appreciation of our own cultural richness” and, in this sense, he added that “we will continue to support the sector that is committed to local produce, which is what we are pursuing through the Gran Canaria Me Gusta promotion and marketing programme, where the kitchens become very important marketing spaces”.

With all this, next Monday will be the epicentre of the restaurant and gastronomy sector in the Canary Islands with the presentation of these annual awards, which reward the best professionals in 2022 in ten different categories: best chef in the Canary Islands; best restaurant in the Canary Islands; best Canary Islands food of reflection; best Spanish cuisine; best foreign cuisine; best hotel restaurant; best tasca/gastrobar; best grill in the Canary Islands; best room service and a special recognition for the revelation chef.

“The advances have come so far that the restaurant industry in the Islands is now seen as an important part of Canarian culture, enlivening society and boosting business. Catering has become a thriving sector of the economy that creates employment, which is a dynamic incentive for the consumption of primary products and a major attraction for tourism,” said Jorge Fonseca, president of the Regional Restaurant Awards Qué Bueno Canarias.

With regard to the mechanics of the competition, Christian Pérez, director of the Awards, explained that “to choose the winners, a jury of people knowledgeable about Canarian gastronomy, including businessmen and journalists, had to choose the ten winners from an initial list of 100 nominees”.

¡Qué Bueno! Gran Canaria Me Gusta

The “Gran Canaria Me Gusta” Fair is starting this year stronger than ever. In this tenth edition, the traditional fair of the primary and gastronomic sector of our island celebrates this Monday the Regional Restaurant Awards ‘Qué Bueno Canarias’ and the ‘Reconocimiento ¡Qué Bueno! Gran Canaria Me Gusta as activities framed within the fair, which will be held from 21 to 23 April at Infecar”, said Natalia Santana.

So, for the second year running, the Gran Canaria Me Gusta Fair will highlight those restaurants that, beyond their style of cuisine, have the product of the island of Gran Canaria as the main base of their proposal.

The aim is to promote island gastronomy, understood as a set of proposals based on the authenticity of local produce and its traditional and modern preparations; as well as to encourage the consumption of local produce, reduce CO2 emissions by reducing food transport, promote the consumption of meat and fish from sustainable livestock and fishing, as well as applying environmental measures in establishments.

In addition to this, the social objectives also include encouraging direct purchases from small producers, giving a fair value to local produce, mentioning the origin and/or producer on menus and contributing to a sustainable local economy.

“The aim of this award is to promote establishments that add value to the island’s gastronomy by including local produce on their menus, boosting consumption and contributing to the revitalisation of the economy of the island of Gran Canaria,” Santana said.

A specialised jury has already chosen twelve restaurants on the island that meet these parameters, which are the following: Amigo Camilo; Camino al Jamonal; Majuga y Sorondongo (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria); El Centro Guayadeque (Agüimes); El Sitio Ibérico (Santa Lucía de Tirajana); Grill La Pasadilla (Ingenio); La Catedral Bistró (Arucas); LíagoraCanaria (San Bartolomé de Tirajana); Los Guayres (Mogán); Perico Junior (Telde) and El Escondite (Valsequillo).

In addition, the twelve restaurants that received their distinction in the 2022 edition will renew their recognition at this event, for continuing to work in a conscientious manner with the product of our land. These are: La Trastienda de Chago (Gáldar), La Tunera (Telde), Casa Romántica (Agaete), Nelson (Agüimes), Casa Enrique (Mogán), Biocrepería Risco Caído (Artenara) and El Padrino, Muxgo, El Equilibrista33, Cuernocabra, Tabaiba and El Bento Japonés, (in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria).

All of them will be present to receive their well-deserved recognition and among all of them the jury will announce the verdict of the restaurant that will have the honour of receiving the award for excellence in commitment to local produce 2023.