And not to mention the hundreds of Donosti citizens who participated in the popular activities on Sunday 22^nd November, where the conference opened its doors to the entire public.

The event had immense national and international media coverage.  For the first time the conference received just under 400 registered journalists of which 25% were foreign, renowned figures of worldwide gastronomic journalism.       

The conference reached an unequalable balance within this new stage of the ultimate Spanish professional gastronomic conference, today a worldwide reference. The event has taken a step further to promote the future format of enogastronomic conferences.

All the professionals from the gastronomic sector were united at the same space and created an unprecedented atmosphere, according the participants themselves.

On 23rd, 24th and 25th November, the Palacio Kursaal congress centre turned into the epicentre of worldwide gastronomy. The following figures were registered:

-           68 Michelin stars assembled at a single conference, 12 of these correspond to Japanese chefs.

-           35 Japanese cooks, among which the seven great chefs and their kitchen assistants, together for the first time in Spain.

-           Just under 10,000 registered professionals including 1,100 conference members, just under 300 speakers, over 400 journalists and over 600 cooking school members, among others.

-           The conference registered 100% occupation at the exclusive round tables with the great chefs and the Japanese cooking workshops, two of the innovations at this year’s remodelled edition of San Sebastian Gastronomika.

-           The fair, with 5,000 square metres and just under 130 exhibitors, received over 10,000 visitors in only three days.

-           Over 300 bottles of sake were served in honour of Japan - the guest country at this new edition of San Sebastián Gastronomika

The six best Basque chefs, Hilario Arbelaitz, Karlos Arguiñano, Juan Mari Arzak, Martín Berasategui, Andoni Luis Aduriz and Pedro Subijana made up the Technical Committee for the first time and cooked as a team for the first time at an innovative and historic reception dinner.

The figures registered are extremely positive and succeed all expectations. The renewed San Sebastian Gastronomika conference guarantees a promising future for an ever evolving format thanks to the collaboration of all the professionals who take part in gastronomy.

Thank you everyone!

There is still an entire day ahead of us and the numbers will undoubtedly exceed all expectations at this new stage of the ultimate Spanish professional gastronomic conference, one of the worldwide gastronomic references.

All the professionals of the gastronomic world have gathered under a single roof within an unequalled atmosphere according to the participants.

On 23^rd and 24^th November, the Palacio Kursaal congress centre, turned into the epicentre of worldwide gastronomy, registered the following figures:

-            68 Michelin stars assembled at a single conference, 12 of these correspond to Japanese chefs.

-            35 Japanese cooks, among which the seven great chefs and their kitchen assistants, together for the first time in Spain.

-             A day before its closure the conference has issued over 8000 accreditations including 1,100 conference members, over 300 speakers, over 400 journalists and over 600 cooking school members.

-            The trade fair boasting 5,000 square metres and over 130 exhibition stands, has received over 5000 visitors in just two days.

-            Over 300 bottles of sake were served in honour of Japan - the guest country at this new edition of San Sebastián Gastronomika.

-            The six best Basque chefs, Hilario Arbelaitz, Karlos Arguiñano, Juan Mari Arzak, Martín Berasategui, Andoni Luis Aduriz and Pedro Subijana are members of the Technical Committee for the first time and cooked together at an innovative and historic reception dinner.

The Japanese paradise of the senses, the “Mibu” restaurant owned by Hiroyoshi Ishida, set up its team today on the San Sebastián Gastronomika stages to prepare a dinner for a select group of lucky ones, among which Basque cooks Juan Mari Arzak and Pedro Subijana.

Today the Donosti capital felt the presence of Japan more than ever before. An entire agenda of master presentations unravelled their infinite types of cuisine, one of which featured two of the most astounding chefs from both countries: Yoshihiro Narisawa from “Les Créations de Narisawa” in Tokyo, and Andoni Luis Aduriz from “Mugaritz” in San Sebastián.

The objective: to demonstrate that Japan is more than sushi and to teach the audience made up of professionals in the world of gastronomy, everything possible on their infinite ways of cooking.

After a day filled with Japanese flavours handed by masters such as sushi expert Yoshikazu Ono, or dashi (broth) and umami (the fifth flavour sense after sweet, savoury, acid and bitter) experts, explained by the director of the most important cooking and nutrition school in Japan, Yukio Hattori, the large cube venue of the Kursaal congress centre was turned into Japanese territory for the day.

The exhibition included dishes with names as provocative as “The End of Life and…” with ayu (sweetfish) as the main ingredient (a fish species only found in Japan). “Winter Rose” (prepared with ginko almonds) or “The Seashore”, a broth made with agar tangusa, sugar and yuzu juice (a Japanese citrus juice of complex aromas, among which a sweet aroma).

The lucky ones served with the exclusive menu were Basque chefs Juan Mari Arzak and Pedro Subijana who shared a table on the Japanese themed stage including a folding screen, while accompanied by the journalists Lisa Abend (Time), Pau Arenòs (El Periódico de Catalunya) and José Carlos Capel (El Pais).

“It is the maximum expression of indulgence” Pedro Subijana stated today referring to this unique dinner which was personally served by Ishida’s wife, Tomiko, the evening’s host.

Ishida conquered San Sebastián with his dishes. To prove such an achievement he was appointed as member of the International Federation of Gastronomic Brotherhoods (FECOGA), after his presentation, the Japanese chef truly moved by such a distinction.

The dinner was the final touch to an entire day dedicated to Japan and its innumerable gastronomic creations, the first of its kind organised within a Spanish gastronomic conference and the first to reunite the seven best Japanese cooks outside the Country of the Rising Sun, who together accumulate a total of twelve Michelin stars.

Today’s events also symbolised the Japanese chefs’ most sincere gratitude to the Spanish chefs Juan Mari Arzak, Ferran Adrià and Andoni Luis Aduriz, who travelled to Japan in February to take part in the first edition of the gastronomic conference Tokyo Taste.

The three chefs, all true Japan lovers, have a close relationship with its cuisine. In the afternoon, Aduriz proved this during his presentation with Narisawa, affirming that the influences between Spain and Japan clearly exist and go way beyond the title of the joint presentation.

Today chefs Ferran Adrià and Carme Ruscalleda inaugurated the San Sebastian Gastronomika Haute Cuisine International Conference with a tribute to the culinary dialogue between Spain and Japan. They proved to 1,200 spectators that there is still much to discover in the world of gastronomy.

Alter the speeches by the Secretary of Tourism Enrique Ruiz de Lera, the MP for Sports and Foreign Affairs of Guipuzcoa, Iñaki Galdos and the President of the Spanish Gastronomy Academy, Rafael Ansón, the large cube filled with over a thousand of the 4,500 professionals that visited San Sebastian Gastronomika today.

They all arrived eager to learn from the man considered the best cook in the world and the woman with most Michelin stars on the planet.

This duet of Catalans, both with an intimate and close-up culinary relationship with Japan - Ferran assures his life changed after he was introduced to the Japanese culinary culture while Carme owns a restaurant In Tokyo - joined efforts today to inaugurate the 11th edition of San Sebastian Gastronomika.

The two chefs explained the influence the most oriental of cuisines has on their work to an expectant audience and presented some of the results of this trans-cultural impact among the cooking rings.

Adrià began by taking a trip back in time with a video of his first trip to Japan in 2003 and the day the chef from Mibu, Hiroyoshi Ishida, visited the Bulli. After this tribute he rolled his sleeves up: Shark fin with angel hair, artichoke looking edible roses, crunchy ultra-thin Osaka biscuits and revolutionary ravioli which due to its dough based medical wafer, dissolves as soon as it touches the mouth allowing to fully enjoy the flavours of the pasta filling.

In turn Ruscalleda presented a menu with several references to Japan, where she owns a two- star restaurant, including an octopus in pipirrana or an original ham tapa, a dish with asparagus, cod brandade and olive which the Catalan chef baptised as “Miró Bird”.

The cook reserved the highlight of the presentation for one of her rice menus, the main ingredient in Japanese cuisine, and which according to Carme, “joins east and west together”, a message representing one of the main pillars of this new San Sebastián Gastronomika edition where Japan is the guest country.

The two chefs fired the starting gun for this new era of San Sebastián Gastronomika, which with a star-ridden repertoire aims at imposing this conference format, under which all the actors of the gastronomic world converge under a single roof, as the format of the future.

Monday 23rd November turned out to be a special day indeed. The XI edition of the San Sebastian International Haute Cuisine Conference was inaugurated in true style, all activities successfully summoned a large amount of people…but if there is something that caused a sensation it was the master presentation of the day “Dining room contributions to contemporary cuisine”.

The Top Level and OFF Gastronomika conferences merged in the Kursaal Auditorium to reunite some of the greatest references in the industry to discuss an issue insufficiently covered until now. In the meantime Josep Monje from Via Veneto was awarded the 1^st Golden Guéridon Prize and joined by his restaurant team, he performed a live demonstration of the mythical guéridon service.

San Sebastián Gastronomika has grown considerably until becoming the TOTAL conference it is today, encompassing all disciplines of enogastronomy. To achieve this, two main sections have been designed: Top Level and OFF Gastronomika: two parallel conferences focused, on one hand, on contemporary haute cuisine, and on the other, on “The world of the restaurant industry: hotels, restaurants and wines”.

The master presentation “Dining room contributions to contemporary gastronomy” exemplified the bond between dining rooms and kitchens. Those in charge of participating in this necessary debate were some of the great visionaries of the dining room; people extremely committed to the trade who have spent years defending the work of waiters, maîtres and sommeliers…. once too often eclipsed by the cooks.

• Juli Soler: founder and co-owner with Ferran Adrià of the best restaurant in the world, elBulli. Juli can be considered as the creator of the contemporary dining room.
• Josep Roca: the second of the Roca brothers has become an institution within the world of wine. At his restaurant, El Celler de Can Roca, there is one of the most envied wine temples including thousands of references.
• Ferran Centelles and David Seijas: as representatives of the new golden generation of Spanish sommeliers, they deploy their incredible dining room experience under the supervision of Juli Soler at elBulli.
• César Cánovas: head sommelier at the innovative Monvínic - a centre dedicated to wine culture with a fabulous trajectory within the industry.

The 1st Golden Guéridon prize was for Joseph Monje

One of the many innovations at San Sebastián Gastronomika is the creation of the Golden Guéridon Prize, an award aimed at consolidating as one of the maximum acknowledgments for dining room professionals.

The first winner of this highly necessary prize was Josep Monje from Barcelona’s Via Veneto restaurant. A legend in the world of dining rooms, a service expert who has made elegance his trademark.

Josep Monje is something else. With his team he performed a live guéridon service, a long lost practice which is currently coming back at the best restaurants in the world. A selection of the best professionals from Via Veneto, experts in this type of serving, performed a demonstration of the preparation and presentation in the dining room of the tartar, canard à la presse or á l’orange.

23rd November, 2009

This morning the XI edition of the San Sebastian International Haute Cuisine Conference was inaugurated with astounding innovation. At 10am the conference opened with “A Breakfast with…”, a new activity within cuisine competitions allowing 30 lucky ones the chance of a face to face conversation with three of today’s great chefs.

The chefs inaugurating these breakfasts were Ferran Adrià, Martín Berasategui and Joan Roca, a trio of aces to confirm the evolution of San Sebastián Gastronomika towards the format of the future.

Among freshly baked croissants, orange juice and coffee, the conference kicked-off with an obvious new look compared with previous years. The atmosphere was friendly and, apart from the odd and unavoidable pile-up of people of first days, there was, above all, lots of cooking and enogastronomic learning.

These exclusive round tables have become one of the conferences greatest sensations. 30 people do not get to meet with the best chefs in the world every day.

Exclusive workshops with the Japanese chefs

At the same time workshops with the Japanese chefs were taking place under the heading “The infinite cuisines of Japan”. Those inaugurating this activity, as there are breakfasts and workshops organised for each day of the conference, were Yoshikazu Ono, from the best sushi restaurant in Japan, and Yoshihiro Murata, from the Kikunoy restaurant in Kyoto who presented a demonstration of the art of frying.

This was undoubtedly a unique opportunity to meet the best Japanese masters face to face, an Asian luxury only available to 15 people.