The gastronomic event SABORFUSION Dominican Republic 2022 will be held from February 23 to 25 next year and Spain will be the guest country, according to information sent to TTC by the organizers of the event.
The project was born from the concern, not only to make known the gastronomic heritage of the Dominican Republic, by the hand of its best professionals, but also to promote the fusion of Dominican and Spanish gastronomy.
It aims to be a global meeting point for hospitality and tourism professionals from both countries, in order to bring them closer to the diversity, creativity and culinary richness of the Dominican Republic, characteristics that have made it a benchmark in the hospitality sector in the Caribbean.
It also aims to be a space for the integration and commercial exposure of the Dominican hospitality sector in Spain.
In the Dominican Republic there are 260,000 people registered with Spanish passports and a good number of businessmen of Spanish descent, who dominate fields such as food, catering and distribution. The official Spanish Chamber of Commerce has approximately 400 affiliated companies and, in turn, the number of Dominicans in Spain is estimated at 250,000.
The exchange of goods is substantial in terms of imports and exports, as well as the remittances of local products sent from Spain. This makes for very consolidated bilateral relations, which go beyond the strictly economic.
Spain, guest country
In this first edition, Spain will be the guest country, which is a great opportunity to highlight the quality of Spanish gastronomy.
Most of Spain’s territory is integrated (together with Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar) in the Iberian Peninsula, as well as including the archipelagos of the Canary and Balearic Islands.
With a strategic location between Europe and Africa, and following the cultural and artistic influence of different civilizations over the millennia, Spain is one of the world’s major powers and its cultural heritage attracts millions of tourists. Not for nothing is it the second most visited country in the world.
It is also the country with the third highest number of World Heritage designations by UNESCO, with a total of 48 properties and sites considered unique and diverse.
Because of its quality, Spanish gastronomy is one of the most valued and internationally known.
The sea and the land nourish it with excellent ingredients, which makes possible a varied gastronomy and attached to the Mediterranean Diet.
And Spain also brings to world gastronomy a concept, a lifestyle as unique as tapas and tapas.
In fact, several chefs (such as Ferran Adrià, Martín Berasategui, Juan Mari and Elena Arzak, Carme Ruscalleda, Dabiz Muñoz, Pedro Subijana, or the Roca brothers) have been occupying year after year the top positions among the best on the planet.
SABORFUSION Dominican Republic 2022 will organize cooking workshops to demonstrate the versatility of the techniques and their application to the raw materials of Spain and the Dominican Republic.
The congress
Due to this great exchange between countries, and the considerable number of Dominicans living in Spain and vice versa, it has been thought that it is an almost obligatory initiative to make known and merge both gastronomic cultures and seek the strengthening and positioning of the Dominican gastronomic culture in Spain through the joint participation of the public sectors.
The main function of the project is to give visibility, disseminate and promote the most emblematic Dominican products, offering diverse cultural proposals of great quality at the hands of our chefs through presentations, audiovisual resources, in-person masterclasses, tastings or unique gastronomic experiences.
With this we seek to contribute to the valuation, rescue and dissemination of the Hispanic-Dominican culinary legacy at national and international level and, in this way, strengthen the identity of traditional Dominican cuisine as a differentiating element of its tourist offer.
Breathless Punta Cana Resort & Spa: Event Venue
Located in Uvero Alto, the Breathless Punta Cana Resort & Spa is situated on a stunning beach dotted with palm trees. All new, luxurious suites offer the ultimate in 24-hour room service and outdoor Jacuzzi. All first floor rooms offer direct access to the pool from the terrace. With unlimited a la carte dining and unlimited beverages at the nine restaurants and ten bars, plus approximately 20 additional options, Breathless Punta Cana is just next door where you can find everything you’re looking for. With endless land and water activities, parties, live entertainment for all ages, five swimming pools, supervised clubs for kids and teens, a casino, a nightclub and a world-class spa, the fun times at Dreams Onyx Punta Cana will be unforgettable.
Breathless Punta Cana Resort & Spa offers wonderful views of the Caribbean Sea, perfect for travelers of all generations, families with teenagers and toddlers, as well as couples and friends. Enjoy this modern experience in a family atmosphere where fun and games will give way to peace and tranquility. Spacious rooms and suites perfectly located and luxuriously equipped with amenities. Active and lively settings will provide entertainment for all ages and is the perfect place for family reunions, weddings or a gateway for your social group.
The Speakers
Inés Páez Nin, Chef Tita, is a renowned Dominican chef who has been named “Ambassador of the New Dominican Cuisine to the world” for being the first chef to focus her line of cuisine on rescuing the country’s gastronomic heritage and ancestral recipes.
Ana Lebrón is a Dominican chef who won the gold medal in the Culinary Art category, the only judge certified for gastronomy competitions by the WACS and ACF in the country and Gastronomy Medalist in international events.
María Marte, Ibero-American Ambassador of Culture, was head chef at El Club Allard, after the departure of Diego Guerrero and National Gastronomy Award for Best Head Chef in 2015. In2018 she announced her return to her country to develop a social integration project.
Fernando Pérez Arellano, who executes a cuisine awarded with 2 Michelin star, enjoyed himself in Madrid until he moved his Restaurant, Zaranda, to the island of Mallorca (Balearic archipelago). His dishes reflect his “creativity and experience” and are based on local seasonal produce.
Andreu Genestra is chef of the restaurant that bears his name at the Predi Hotel in Son Jaumell (Capdepera), which was recognized in 2015 with a Michelin star.He defines his as a “cuina de la terra”, in which respect for the ingredients prevails.
Koldo Royo is founder and president of the Association of Chefs Based in the Balearic Islands (ASCAIB), delegate of Eurotoques and gastronomic consultant. He is also the owner of the prestigious blog A Fuego Lento and the platform Gastroempleo and has more than 4 decades in the hospitality industry.
Roberto Capone is an Italian chef with more than three decades running restaurants. He has been distinguished with the Five Stars of Italian Cuisine in the Italian Cuisine Master Chef category, for his commitment to quality and authenticity, and world champion 2019 for the best risotto.
Antonio Bachour has developed hyper-creative desserts that have appeared in pastry publications, written four books and in February 2019 opened his flagship storein Coral Gables. World’s Best Pastry Chef The Best Chef Award in Milan (2018) and Pastry Chef of 2019 by Esquire magazine.
Alberto Martín Cárdenas trained at the Escuela Superior de Hostelería y Turismo in Madrid (Spain), and with a long career in the Dominican Republic, is director of Food & Beverage at Club Hemingway. For 4 consecutive years, he has been awarded the Best Chef of the Dominican Republic.
Abel Valverde, Grand Prix de l’Art de la Salle 2018 and National Gastronomy Award the Best Room Manager, is one of the best Spanish maîtres. Trained in Girona, Great Britain and at Can Fabes (from where he made the leap in 2001 to Santceloni) he is known worldwide for his perfect mastery of service.
Óscar Lafuente has been working at the bar for 18 years. On the island of Tenerife, where he lives, he teaches cocktail classes at the hotel-school chain of the Canary Islands, Hecansa. He also helps to train bartenders in bars, hotels and restaurants and to create their menus.
David Robledo was sommelier at Santceloni restaurant (Madrid), until its closure, and is a wine specialist. In 2016 he received the award for Best Sommelier from Club Gourmets magazine, he is a professor at the prestigious Sommelier Training Course of the Madrid Chamber of Commerce and one of the great names in sommelier training in Spain.
On-site Masterclasses
SABORFUSION Dominican Republic 2022 is a project whose DNA is to support, give visibility, disseminate and promote the most emblematic Dominican products, offering various high quality cultural proposals.
With the help of our chefs, sommeliers, and room managers, and through their numerous presentations, we will showcase the value of the Dominican gastronomic heritage and the fusion of Dominican and Spanish gastronomy.
The face-to-face masterclasses will allow a face-to-face meeting with professionals who will share their know-how with the registered people, generating unique spaces for integration, exposure and transmission of knowledge.
For those who cannot attend in person, there is a streaming alternative, with the highest technology and image quality.
