On the morning of its second day, San Sebastian Gastronomika – Euskadi Basque Country celebrates authenticity and respect for produce with presentations covering the Cantabrian Sea, fifty years of Akelarre, Canarian tradition, and the essence of Rio.

The event will feature everything from the marine purity of Álvaro Garrido to the living memory of Pedro Subijana, via the emotion of Braulio and Pepe Simancas and the sensitive fire of Brazilian chef Felipe Bronze. On Tuesday morning, on the second day of San Sebastian Gastronomika – Euskadi Basque Country, a common idea emerged: that, rather than being about storytelling or spectacle, cuisine is about respect, instinct and time. Each speaker, from their own geographical and historical perspective, argued that true luxury is flavour.

Álvaro Garrido, chef at the Mina* restaurant in Bilbao, presented a way of cooking focused on the purity of flavour and the honesty of the product in his presentation, 'The Cantabrian Sea as an exercise in our cuisine'. Known as 'a strange chef who only cares about flavour', he presented some of the seventeen courses on his tasting menu, including smoked trout with rosemary and skin, aubergine broth, and mojarra and Cantabrian bonito, the last of the season. “Mina's cuisine is based on fish. We go to the market every day, and our essence is simply to be dynamic. People come to a restaurant to eat, not to be told a story," he emphasised, defending a cuisine that is lively and adaptable.

He also presented fish pastrami and tripe in a smoked sauce with mushrooms and eel, where the smoke and texture serve to enhance the flavour. “Dishes should never be flat,” added the chef, who announced that Mina is moving to a new location with a larger kitchen, where he will continue to respect time, seasonality and flavour.

Pedro Subijana, one of the fathers of the new Basque cuisine movement, celebrated the 50th anniversary of his restaurant, Akelarre***, in Donostia, Gipuzkoa, on the Gastronomika stage. He reflected on his career, emphasising the importance of memory, loyalty and continuous learning. During an emotional and reflective presentation, the chef reviewed half a century of gastronomic evolution 'in growing harmony', emphasising the importance of staying true to one's own style: “I don't consider myself an artist or an innovator, but I have always experimented while staying true to my style. I don't think I've ever lost it, and that's the hardest thing. The easiest thing is usually to make mistakes." Subijana recalled that the creative impulse always stems from curiosity, not the search for 'why': 'Why not' is the most frequent phrase in creation and experimentation," he said, smiling in a way that sums up his non-conformist spirit.

The San Sebastián chef presented four emblematic dishes that mark different stages of Akelarre. Some of these dishes have already been removed from the menu, but are now being revived in miniature form as starters. These included smoked Idiazabal anchovy cheese, microfoie on special bread, txangurro covered with instant curd, and artichokes in bloom served in vases with cream instead of water. However, beyond technique, Subijana focused his speech on the human and educational value of cooking. 'I am very concerned about training. Luckily, the Basque Culinary Centre came along. I now work in two areas: one is vocational training for those who do not go to university; the other is educating children in gastronomy and health. If this education existed from an early age, the health system would be much less burdened.’ With the serenity of someone who has witnessed the evolution of modern gastronomy, he concluded his speech with a message of relevance and passion: ‘In 50 years, we have achieved a great deal, but the most important thing is people.’As long as you have the desire and enthusiasm, you should keep doing what you love. That's how I intend to carry on.'

Flavours with heritage

Braulio Simancas, the chef at El Silbo Gomero in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, gave one of the most emotional presentations of the day alongside his father, Pepe Simancas. Entitled 'Father and son's seafood cuisine', it was a moving tribute to the family's culinary heritage. The two shared the stage and their memories in a talk that paid tribute to seafood chefs while exploring the dialogue between tradition and modernity, memory and technique. “My father is a great role model,” said Braulio, visibly moved as he recalled the man who spent 17 years cooking for sailors and oil workers and who made traditional cuisine his everyday language. For the first time, father and son cooked together, reinterpreting classic recipes with the mutual respect and curiosity that unites them. The menu featured a casserole with some of the season's tastiest fish, broth and potatoes; boiled mojo sauce, which they emphasised was the essence of Canarian cuisine; Canarian ranch; and a traditional stewed octopus dish. Thus ended a presentation full of flavour, emotion and roots. It was a slow-burning conversation between generations where the essence of the sea remained intact under the personal touch of both chefs.

Felipe Bronze, chef at the Oro** restaurant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, gave a speech as luminous as his cuisine. ‘San Sebastián taught me to understand cuisine, creativity and community. It is the most inspiring city in world gastronomy,’ he confessed at the beginning of his speech celebrating his restaurant's 15^(th) anniversary. Bronze recalled how Oro was born with an avant-garde vocation, applying sophisticated techniques and nods to Spanish cuisine. However, he also explained that over time he realised that 'something was missing from my essence; it wasn't entirely me'.

This marked the turning point and birth of his current proposal: avant-garde cuisine on the grill, where fire, ingredients and emotion converge. “Oro is essentially Rio de Janeiro. Everything I do in the kitchen is about people,” he emphasised. In line with his philosophy that 'the first-time experience never happens again', he presented an oyster cooked using various textures and techniques and served with cashews. This dish encapsulates the essence of Rio in its purest form, offering a vibrant, sensitive and deeply human experience in a single bite.