Four of Valencia’s Michelin starred chefs joined a delegation from Valencia Tourism at a special event for the UK travel trade to promote the city as a gastronomic tourism destination.
Over 100 British tour operators, MICE agents and specialist media attended the event at the Hispania restaurant in London, where the chefs prepared a selection of their signature dishes.
Bernd Knöller from Riff restaurant, Jorge de Andres from La Sucursal, Manuel Alonso from Restaurante Casa Manolo and Ricard Camarena from the eponymous restaurant in Valencia were also joined by representatives from several Valencian tourism businesses as well as the tourism authorities of the city, province and region of Valencia and the Spanish Tourist Office in London.
Valencia is the birthplace of paella and home to numerous bars and restaurants serving everything from local tapas and traditional rice dishes to modern Spanish and fusion cuisine, including five establishments awarded one Michelin star this year. With a privileged location by the Mediterranean city, the city benefits from an abundance of fresh fish and seafood, as well as plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables from the surrounding huerta (market garden).
South of the city, the marshlands of the Albufera Natural Park are home to the paddy fields where the rice for the many varieties of paella is grown. Further inland, orange groves give way to vineyards, which produce award winning wines by the designations of origin D.O Valencia and D.O Utiel-Requena.
Besides enjoying a sample of Valencia’s top cuisine, those attending the event could also learn about the latest developments in the city, such as the new Silk Museum, the Fallas festival candidacy to join UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural World Heritage, or the improved connections with the UK with new direct flights to Glasgow starting in the spring.
