Puerto Vallarta, Tepic, and Riviera Nayarit are ready for the annual Festival Gourmet International event. In 1995, this amazing event was started by Heinz Reize and Thierry Blouet, who are local chefs. These two local chefs came together to create the Festival Gourmet International event, and their main goal was to promote local restaurants and hotels with the assistance of recognized and well-known chefs that were invited to participate in the festival. The Festival Gourmet International has become a major success over the years, which assisted in elevating Puerto Vallarta to international standards due in part to the new culinary techniques that the invited chefs brought with them. Are you ready to learn more information about world class chefs and the Festival Gourmet International? If you are, then continue to read below.
The Festival Gourmet International History
In 1995 was the year that the Festival Gourmet International was created. The Festival Gourmet International had six hotels and restaurants participating during its inaugural event. Twenty-four years later, the original format is the same, which means a local restaurant or hotel will invite a well-known chef to attend and host their event. The 2018 event will be featuring twenty eight restaurants and hotels. Over the years, more than a half a million visitors have attended the festivals and there have been almost six hundred celebrity and famous chefs that have participated as well. Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit restaurants and hotels have earned a world class culinary reputation because of the Festival Gourmet International success. Currently, even Michelin star chefs are also coming to the festival which is impressive and exciting for the local food scene.
Festival Gourmet International Program Features
This year on Friday, November 23, 2018 is when the Festival Gourmet International will be held. The event goes on each night until Sunday, December 2, 2018. Each of the restaurants and hotels that are participating will have special events that will be hosted by international chefs that will present their culinary dishes that they have created for all the people that attend the event. Each person that attends the festival will have the honor of trying out a tasting menu or a gourmet dinner, but this will depend on the event that they decide to go to. The Hilton Hotel’s Jalisco Hall is where the first event of the festival will occur and all of the invited chefs and their hosts will be attending. If you attend the first event, you will have an incredible opportunity to meet all the guest chefs in person along with tasting their amazing dishes. Also, people that attend the festival will get to taste premium wines, beers, tequilas, and a variety of delicious foods. Sounds like the place to be!
Top Local Restaurants
In this year’s festival, only the top restaurants will be participating, which include the La Casona, Café des Artistes, Bocados STK, and many more. The La Casona is located in the Villa La Estancia that is located in Riviera Nayarit, and a Mediterranean menu will be featured and overseen by Chef Leonardo Castro. International techniques are used by Chef Castro and include Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean, Thai, French, and Italian recipes. Chef Penny David and Chef Luciano Mier Santoro are the chefs that were invited by La Casona. The chefs are thrilled to be there to share their culinary expertise and experience in such an elegant Hacienda setting. La Casona Restaurant at the Villa La Estancia is known for providing special choices of Kobe and New York cut meats.
Best Chefs and Events
Local Chef Alvaro Cortez with the Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa will be the main chef at the Bocados STK Mixology and Grill Restaurant. Chef Cortez was once the head chef at Villa del Palmar Cancun, and he will be joined with Chef Andres Garcia Gonzalez, which is the current head chef at the Villa del Palmar Cancun resort. In 2010, Chef Gonzalez went abroad and represented Mexico when he was a participant in the “Passion in Paris” contest that was held in France. Set in a beautiful and lush setting south of Puerto Vallarta, Garza Blanca and Bocados STK is definitely a culinary event not to be missed.
Night of Mole and Mariachi
The Festival Gourmet International will also feature a Night of Mole and Mariachi that will be held on November 28, 2018 at 8:00pm at the Café des Artistes. One of Mexico’s traditional dishes is mole, and Mariachi music is adored and enjoyed in Mexico and across the world. The Night of Mole and Mariachi is destined to be a magical evening for everyone lucky enough to attend. Café des Artistes is a world-famous fine dining establishment, and they have been providing unique and amazing dishes for nearly three decades. Thierry Blouet is the current chef and founder of Café des Artistes, and the Puerto Vallarta food scene was elevated tremendously due to the level of cuisine that was being served at his restaurant.
You don’t want to miss the Festival Gourmet International in 2018 in Puerto Vallarta, Tepic, and Riviera Nayarit. This is an exciting event where world class chefs attend Festival Gourmet International and everyone that attends will fully enjoy it.
