In the Year of Yucatecan Gastronomy and as part of the actions implemented by the Government led by Mauricio Vila Dosal through the Secretariat for Tourism Development (Sefotur) to position the state as a top-tier destination for its culinary richness, the first Yucatecan Pinchos, and Tapas State Contest, in the Magic Town of Valladolid, the last weekend of this month.
The state agency received a visit from the Delegation of the City Council of Valladolid, Spain, with which a Tourism Collaboration Agreement was signed during the International Tourism Fair (Fitur) to establish a twinning between the two homonymous cities.
Michelle Fridman Hirsch, head of Sefotur, highlighted that, within the plan to decentralize the sector and spread its benefits across the six regions into which the state has been divided; the beautiful Magical Town of Valladolid, known as the Pearl of the Orient will host this meeting that, once again, will place the Yucatan before the eyes of the world.
A large participation is expected for this contest, since whoever wins will represent the Yucatan for the first time, in the World Tapas Contest in Valladolid, Spain, with the possibility of worldwide promotion for the region.
This competition has several objectives, such as innovating with the implementation of a new Iberian gastronomic specialty in Yucatan and creating an event that joins the Year of Yucatecan Gastronomy, as well as honoring this twinning.
As part of the Agreement and prior to the holding of a Gastronomic Meeting in the state, the Spanish chef Alejandro San José, winner of the 2021 National Tapas and Pinchos Contest of Spain, and Gabriel Ureta Alonso, coordinator of the Mixed Society for the Promotion of Tourism of Valladolid in that country, gave two master conferences to members of the gastronomic sector of the state.
They gave a detailed explanation of the preparation of these dishes and the importance of the World Championship; one of them was presented at the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya in Mérida (GMMMM) and the second, at a hotel in Valladolid, Yucatán.
For the Contest, there will be the participation of a multidisciplinary jury, critics, specialized media, academics and restaurant chambers, as well as the winner of the V World Tapas Championship, held in 2021, David Quevedo, from Guanajuato; Jeremiah Tower, one of the most recognized and influential chefs of contemporary cuisine in the United States.
Also, Pati Jinich, cookbook author, award-winning chef and host of the TV show Pati’s Mexican Table; Liliana López, a journalist with more than 15 years of experience, who was Editorial Director of the magazine Food & Wine México, and Gaby Rentería, a gastronomy and travel writer, who has edited national and international publications.
The team is completed with one of the most relevant personalities in the industry in the Republic, Max GastronautaDF; the coordinator of the Bachelor of Gastronomy at the Universidad de Oriente (UNO) Valladolid, Diego Armando Herrera, and the president of the National Chamber of the Restaurant and Seasoned Food Industry (Canirac) Yucatán, Claudia González Góngora.
Those who are interested in participating must meet basic requirements, such as owning bars or restaurants in the state, since the winning pincho or tapa will have to remain on their menu for at least one year.
There will be only 20 selected and each one will present a proposal with at least one or two Yucatecan ingredients, whose cost does not exceed 34 Mexican pesos per tapa and/or pincho.
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