Haute Cuisine for food and wine lovers

from Saturday 12 through the 15th november 2011

For many expatriates, last weekend’s Lifestyle Expo at the IFA Fairgrounds in Alicante was an introduction to a couple of the many fairs and exhibitions that take place at the IFA throughout the year. And while a couple of thousand people went through the doors to visit last weekend’s event, nothing can quite prepare you for what you’ll discover next weekend at the Best of Gastronomy Congress 2011. Over four days, from Saturday 12 through the 15th, it’s a food and wine lovers delight featuring Haute Cuisine, cooking demonstrations, kitchenware and most importantly, the opportunity to sample everything from chocolate, pastries, ice cream, savouries, hams, sweets, dozens of styles of coffees and hundreds of wines from all over Spain.

It opens on Saturday at noon with the official inauguration by the President of the Provincial Council of Alicante Doña Luisa Pastor and features demonstrations from such far flung places and well know European chefs as Jose Antonio Sanchez, "Els Vents" in Alicante,  Ricard Camarena "Clothes" in Valencia. Xosé Torres "Pepe Vieira "in Raxó (Pontevedra). Benallal Akram "L'Atelier d'Akram" in Paris, Dani Frías "The Ereta" in Alicante, Shiqin Chen "The Rei" in Serralunga d'Alba (Italy) plus chefs from Alicante, Elche, Madrid, Tokyo, Venice, Turkey, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and all over Spain.

The show is open from noon to 2030-hrs everyday and an expected 50,000 visitors will make their way to the IFA to enjoy one of the busiest shows in the calendar. More information can be obtained by visiting http://www.lomejordelagastronomia.com/ or/and http://feria-alicante.com. At the same time, there is an Outlet fair taking place where you can browse and buy designer clothes and high quality products at knockdown prices. The fair features a variety of goods in various sectors such as clothes, shoes, handbags, leather goods, jewellery, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics, optics, as well as home decor and electrical products.

The following week is ExpoCar, one of the best car sales shows in the region followed by a wedding fair and children’s show at Christmas. The best value for money for entrance to the fairs can be obtained by purchasing the IFA Card for just €20.00, noting that some events cost €5 to €12 for entry, so it soon pays for itself. The card works on a season pass system and cardholders can access the majority of exhibitions for free and as often as you like. The card lasts for one year from the date of purchase. The IFA is located beside the Airport between the N332 and Motorway.

Keith Nicol