Lourdes Plana: “The avant-garde of cooking today is over. Madrid Fusion is expecting the next one”
The global event of the kitchen without boundaries is facing the new paths of creativity, as in all editions, and again ready to surprise all professionals and food lovers. Madrid Fusion hosts an unapproachable program. The Spanish and Latin American presence is felt in technical demonstrations, training workshops, contests, auctions and awards. “Rescuing the origins” is the culmination of work by three Latin American cooks to the rescue of endangered raw materials. The director of Madrid Fusion, Lourdes Plana, explains us about this one and other culinary attractions of the congress with an international vocation.
eComercio Agrario. Each edition of Madrid Fusion is itself a novelty, but which new gastronomic proposals could we found there from 25 to 27 January?
Lourdes Plana. What’s new? Everything and nothing, space and schema are the same, but the contents are new. The theme this year is new: “The language of the post vanguard. New paths of creativity”. There are very creative chefs who are very restless and always have something new to tell us in culinary trends. But we also have a second conference in Madrid Fusion, which is to Saborea Spain, which poses challenges of contemporary hospitality.
The program this year is huge, overwhelming, as is customary Madrid Fusion. Suffice it to say that we have about 100 chefs from 14 countries, 70 shows, 18 workshops, eight contests, auctions, prizes and as a guest country is Thailand.
I would not fail to mention in this short quote from the great wine Enofusión brings together a wide variety of prestigious tastings, technical conferences, tasting spaces and all the news of the great wineries and wine brands in Spain. Sommeliers, chefs, restaurateurs, journalists and wine lovers, all of them are on the same stage.
ECA. What does the following slogan mean: “The language of the post vanguard. New paths of creativity”?
LP. The vanguard of the kitchen today is over. Madrid Fusion is expecting the next one. We are always one step ahead, teach the art of tomorrow, we advance the trends that will be next year.
ECA. How important is the cuisine of Latin America in Madrid Fusion 2016?
LP. We will be able to see an outstanding dozen Latin American cooks. For example, starting with a very intimate show called “Rescuing the origins”, with the help of the Peruvian chef Virgilio Martinez, owner of “Center”, whose restaurant is currently regarded as the best in South America, with Jorge Vallejo (Mexico) Mauro Colagreco (France). This year, three of them have been working in the rescue of raw materials in fields and mountains of their respective countries. The result of this relentless and soulful search will show tell in Madrid Fusion.
Colombia will have its space cook Jaime Dario Rodriguez, the restaurant “The Governor by Rausch” and the Spanish chef in the USA , Jose Andrés, will be headed by a demonstration of American art, among other events of South American cooks in the program.
ECA. The international vocation of Madrid Fusion is more than evident from year one. Can you give more details?
LP. Ten years ago we did an event in Tokyo, took another eight years in New York six three editions ago we did in Mexico and we are preparing the second in the Philippines (Manila). The internationalization of Madrid Fusion is our goal from the zero point.
Today everything goes so fast and you have to learn about what is happening in the world. There are many conferences that are more local cuisine, but ours has always been international. Since the first congress chefs from around the world came with us, which facilitated a huge exchange of knowledge cooks, kitchens and product. So Madrid Fusion is so great. We’d love to hold back another edition of our Congress in South America.
