Terrae reunirá a chefs rurales de las 17 comunidades autónomas de Gran Canaria

Terrae, organized by Vocento Gastronomía and with the Gran Canaria Island Council as its institutional sponsor, is a space to share concerns, projects, and personal experiences, and to raise awareness in defense of rural areas as generators of life and wealth. Three days full of surprises will take place in the towns of Agüimes, Santa Lucía, and Ingenio. More than 50 chefs whose roots and life's work are in the rural world will come together to spend time with local producers and experts, sharing concerns and pending challenges. Covering the entire country, with rural chefs from all 17 Spanish autonomous communities represented, Terrae will offer a snapshot of the current situation in rural areas and the role that gastronomy plays as a driver of social and economic development. Simultaneously, the event will incorporate the experiences of neighboring countries with the participation of chefs from rural Portugal and Italy. In total, Terrae will bring together 37 Michelin-starred and nearly 20 green-starred chefs in Gran Canaria. In addition, in its third edition, Terrae will pay tribute to the Colombian chef Leonor Espinosa (LEO, Bogotá), the most recognized chef in Latin America and an example of connection with producers and territories.

The international delegation, in addition to the award-winning Leonor Espinosa, will be led by five Portuguese chefs: Octávio Freitas (Desarma*, Funchal); Lídia Brás (Stramuntana, Vila Nova de Gaia); Filipe Ramalho (Páteo Real, Alter do Chão); António Queiroz (Taberna Lura, Baião); and Rodrigo Castelo (Ó Balcão*, Santarém). Also present in Gran Canaria will be two representatives of Italian rural cuisine, Giuseppe Iannotti (Krèsios**, Telese Terme, Campania) and the Colombian Juan Camilo Quintero (Il Poggio Rosso*, San Felice, Tuscany); as well as Jordi Grau (Ibaya*, Soldeu) from Andorra, who will contribute his perspective on the rural movement in Europe's largest microstate.

From across Spain, Terrae will feature chefs from every autonomous community. Galicia will be represented by Pepe Solla (Casa Solla*, Poio, Pontevedra); Asturias by Xune Andrade (Monte*, San Feliz), Isaac Loya (Real Balneario*, Salinas), and Pepe Ron (Bar Blanco, Cangas del Narcea); Cantabria by Nacho Solana (Solana*, Ampuero) and David Pérez (Ronquillo, Ramales de la Victoria); and the Basque Country by Julen Baz (Garena*, Lamindao, Vizcaya). Following the Pyrenees, Navarre will be represented by José Ignacio Jauregui (Maskarada, Lekunberri); La Rioja will be represented by Ignacio Echapresto (Venta Moncalvillo**, Daroca de Rioja), and Aragon by Iris Jordán (Ansils*, Anciles, Huesca), Eduardo Salanova (Canfranc Express*, Canfranc, Huesca), and Josetxo Souto & Ramón Aso (Callizo*, L'Aínsa, Huesca). The Catalan delegation will include Rafel Muria (Quatre Molins*, Cornudella de Montsant, Tarragona), Vicent Guimerà (L'Antic Molí*, Ulldecona, Tarragona), Joan Capilla (L'Algadir del Delta, Poblenou del Delta, Tarragona), Joel Castanyé (La Boscana*, Bellvís, Lleida), and Andrés Torres (Casa Nova*, Sant Martí Sarroca, Barcelona); and the Balearic Islands will be represented by Maria Solivellas (Ca Na Toneta, Caimari, Mallorca). Also from the Mediterranean area will be the Valencian Community with Miguel Barrera (Cal Paradís, Vall d'Alba, Castellón) and the Region of Murcia with Salvador Fernández Sánchez (Borrego, Bullas). From the central Iberian Peninsula, Miguel Carretero (Santerra*, Madrid) and from neighboring Castilla-La Mancha, Enrique Pérez (El Doncel*, Sigüenza, Guadalajara), Samuel Moreno (El Molino de Alcuneza*, Sigüenza, Guadalajara), and Miguel Ángel Expósito (Retama*, Ciudad Real). From the other Castile, León, we will have Luis Alberto Lera (Lera*, Castroverde de Campos, Zamora), Elena Lucas (La Lobita*, Navaleno, Soria); Miguel Ángel de la Cruz (La Botica*, Matapozuelos, Valladolid), José Gordón (El Capricho, Jiménez de Jamuz); Sara Ferreres (Taller Arzuaga*, Quintanilla de Onésimo, Valladolid), and Jesús Colorado (Grupo Gonzalo, Salamanca). From Extremadura will come chefs Alejandro Hernández (Versátil*, Zarza de Granadilla, Cáceres) and Carlos García-Adámez (Hábitat Cigüeña Negra, Valverde del Fresno, Cáceres); and from Andalusia, Pedro Aguilera (Mesón Sabor Andaluz*, Alcalá del Valle, Cádiz), Juan Carlos García (Vandelvira*, Baeza, Jaén), and José Álvarez (La Costa*, El Ejido, Almería). Naturally, the Canary Islands will be represented by Aridani Alonso & Víctor Lugo (Casa Romántica, Agaete, Gran Canaria) and Borja Marrero (Muxgo*, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) from Gran Canaria, and by Diego Schattenhofer (Taste 1973*, Arona) from Tenerife.

A good example of all this was demonstrated today at the official presentation of the congress, which took place in the Plaza del Rosario in Agüimes, one of the locations that will be featured in this new edition of Terrae, dedicated to the southeast of Gran Canaria. As the president of the island's Cabildo, Antonio Morales, pointed out, the area's "unique ecosystem, full of richness that makes it the breadbasket of the islands, supplying the European market with tomatoes and cucumbers." The president also emphasized the work carried out by 'Gran Canaria Me gusta' (I Like Gran Canaria), which uses gastronomy as a driving force for the region and the local economy, a task in line with Terrae's identity: "a gathering that, from Gran Canaria, aims to unite flavor and tradition with our geography and topography."

The words of the president of the Gran Canaria Island Council were reinforced by the congress director, Benjamín Lana, who recalled that Spanish gastronomy “is an example in rural cuisine. More and more countries are looking at what is done here, because if there is one concept that is gaining strength, it is that of authenticity, and rural cuisine has it.”

Gran Canaria, the star of gastronomic experiences

Terrae will once again focus on rural cuisine with an intensive program throughout the three days of the congress. During the public event on Sunday, March 23, the ambassadors of Canarian cuisine will be Manolo González, head chef of La Tunera restaurant (Telde), Nisamar González (Magec Café and Burger Bar, Agüimes), and Kilian Nordelo, from Catedral Bistró in Arucas. They will be offering their tapas and small plates at affordable prices in the Plaza del Rosario in Agüimes starting at 11:45 a.m. A popular gastronomic event will be held alongside several rural chefs from the Iberian Peninsula: Jesús Colorado (Mesón de Gonzalo, Salamanca), Vicent Guimerà (L'Antic Molí*, Ulldecona, Tarragona), Joan Capilla (L'Algadir del Delta, Poblenou del Delta, Tarragona), Nacho Solana (Solana, Ampuero, Cantabria), David Pérez (Ronquillo, Ramales, Cantabria), and the Portuguese chefs António Queiroz and Lídia Brás. There will also be a space dedicated to cheeses and wines from Gran Canaria.

In the afternoon, participants in this third edition of Terrae will travel to the Arinaga Lighthouse, one of the two that mark the east coast of Gran Canaria, for the first meeting of the congress. Afterwards, they will attend the welcome dinner prepared by Gran Canaria chefs Alexander Herrera (Sábor, Santa Lucía), Ruyman González (Los Guayres*, Puerto de Mogán), and Poemas by Hermanos Padrón* (Las Palmas), led by their head chef, Adrián García. The evening will conclude with a sweet treat from the Canary Islands, featuring desserts by pastry chef Yeray Reyes.

Previously, the 'mayor of rural cooks', Luis Alberto Lera, from the Lera restaurant in Castroverde de Campos (Zamora), who was elected last year in Gáldar, will report on the meeting he recently held with the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Luis Planas to convey some of the demands of the rural cooks group.

Monday's events will kick off at the Agüimes Municipal Theatre, the former site of the old wrestling arena, with hosts from the island itself: Aridani Alonso & Víctor Lugo (Casa Romántica, Agaete), who will discuss rural cuisine in the mountains of Gran Canaria. Also speaking at the event will be José Ignacio Jauregui (Maskarada, Lekunberri, Navarra); José Gordón (Bodega El Capricho, Jiménez de Jamuz, León); Vicent Guimerà (L'Antic Molí*, Ulldecona, Catalonia); and Jerónimo Marrero (Bochinche-Bodega La Montaña, Vega de San Mateo, Gran Canaria), who will discuss rural restaurants that have developed business models extending beyond the kitchen. Ignacio Echapresto, a leading figure in the rural culinary scene of mainland Spain, will also be present at this Monday session of presentations at Terrae. His restaurant, (Venta de Moncalvillo**, Daroca de Rioja, La Rioja), is located in a municipality with only 24 inhabitants, the smallest in the world with a Michelin-starred restaurant. Chefs Rodrigo Castelo (Taberna O Balcao*, Santarem), Octávio Freitas (Desarma*, Funchal), and Filipe Ramalho (Páteo Real, Alter do Chão) will discuss and give a cooking demonstration on the development of rural gastronomy in Portugal, where a revolution is also underway.

The third edition of Terrae will award Leonor Espinosa (Colombia) its congress prize, recognizing the work of the world's best chef in 2022 on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list as a champion of cooking as a tool to lift indigenous communities out of poverty. Leo Espinosa understands cooking as an artistic process with a strong social component. To this end, she created Funleo, the social foundation through which she works with various indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities to raise awareness of these territories, promote their development, and showcase their ancestral cultures and foods.

The cheese value chain

The session will close with a round table discussion addressing the cheese value chain, its present and future, with the participation of Michele Buster (founder of Forever Cheese and largest importer of Spanish cheese in the USA); the Galician chef Pepe Solla (Pepe Solla Restaurant*, Poio, Pontevedra); the Gran Canaria producer Lucía Torres (Era del Cardón Cheese Factory, Agüimes) and the Asturian journalist Carlos Maribona (food critic at ABC).

Later, Terrae will take the hundred guests in this third edition to eat at three restaurants in the historic center of Agüimes: Bar Terraza San Antón, El Guachinche and El Patio de Carmencita.

After lunch, the group will travel to the Tenefé Saltworks ethnographic complex in Santa Lucía to learn, from Manuel Navarro, the saltworks manager, the secrets of the virgin salt produced there, the best-preserved example of saltworks on clay in Gran Canaria, built in the late 18th century to sell salt to fishing boats. Today, these saltworks are a renowned gastronomic destination. There, the participants will take advantage of different areas of the saltworks to conduct a working session during the afternoon.

Among the more than 50 rural chefs participating in this year's congress, the significant presence of young chefs stands out. These chefs have chosen to develop their businesses in small rural communities, such as Julen Baz, Iris Jordán, Juan Carlos García, Xune Andrade, Alejandro Hernández, and Pedro Aguilera, named Revelation Chef of Madrid Fusion in 2023. In recent years, many young chefs have decided to return to their roots. After exploring the world and expanding their culinary knowledge and horizons, they have opted to open their own restaurants, or continue the family tradition, in the villages where they were born. Terrae will link one of this year's gastronomic events to this movement. On the evening of Monday, March 24, the Gorbea restaurant at the Gloria Palace San Agustín Thalasso & Hotel will host an eight-hands dinner featuring four young rural chefs who have ignited this spark of renewal in the kitchens of small towns. Four restaurants that shine with a Michelin star: Iris Jordán (Ansils*, Anciles, Huesca, Aragón); Juan Carlos García (Vandelvira*, Baeza, Jaén, Andalucía); Xune Andrade (Monte*, San Feliz, Pola de Lena, Asturias); and Alejandro Hernández (Versátil*, Zarza de Granadilla, Cáceres, Extremadura).

Tuesday morning will begin with the guests being taken to a very special breakfast in a completely rural setting: the La Gloria Cheese Factory. There, they keep one of the largest herds on the island, consisting of almost 2,100 native Canarian goats. They will learn about the work of José Miguel Ortega and his wife, Paqui Pérez, who took over from their parents the tradition of making goat cheese at this farmhouse, nestled in the stony, now arid lands of Amurga.

Atlantic sea bass farming

From there, Terrae will take its expedition to the docks of Puerto Rico, where the group will embark to visit the Aquanaria facilities in the Atlantic Ocean, two miles from the port of Castillo del Romeral. There, they will be able to observe the cages where the large Atlantic sea bass is raised in the open sea. At midday, the Princesa Ico catamaran will be transformed into a floating restaurant to host the culinary creations of Nelson Pérez, from the seafood restaurant Nelson (Playa de Arinaga), and the up-and-coming chefs Marina Tudanca and Alejandro Sosa, from Maraca (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria). On board, guests will sample various sea bass dishes, as well as those featuring other local products, such as tomatoes from southeastern Canary Islands.

From the sea and fish, we move to meat with the final gastronomic experience. Terrae's closing event will take place that evening at the grills of La Pasadilla restaurant in Ingenio, with a unique and unprecedented dinner. For one night only, the best steakhouse in Spain and second best in the world according to the World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants list (Bodega El Capricho, Jiménez de Jamuz, León) will be located there. Its owner and chef, José Gordón, will offer guests a menu featuring products from his own livestock, alongside the young chef from Gran Canaria, Carmelo González, who will act as host at his rural restaurant located in the midlands of the municipality of Ingenio, in a village of barely 150 inhabitants.

A cattle breeder and master griller, Gordón is the fourth generation of a family whose ancestors cultivated the resources of the area where his restaurant is located, in Tierra de Jamuz (León). In the 1980s, the decline of oxen as a working animal caught Gordón's attention, and he was captivated by the elegance and nobility of these animals, around which he has built a significant business group. Visiting Bodega El Capricho is more than just going to a place to taste what critics from prestigious publications like The Guardian and Times magazine consider the best meat in the world.