“The 25,000 attendees during the three days of activity attest to the success of the II Gastronomic Festival Castelló Ruta de Sabor”. This was stated by the president of the Provincial Council of Castellón, Marta Barrachina, at the close of the third and final day of the culinary event that since last Friday has gathered in Vinaròs the best products and flavors of the province until Sunday. It has been three days in which the capital of the Baix Maestrat has become the epicenter of the provincial gastronomy with the event organized by the Diputación de Castellón in order to promote the quality of agri-food in the province with a full program in which the products of Castellón, its farmers, ranchers, producers, consumers, chefs and artisans, among others, take great prominence. For Marta Barrachina, “have been three days in which, through the Gastronomic Festival Castelló Ruta de Sabor, Vinaròs has been the nerve center of gastronomy and tourism; three days in which we have put in value to companies, producers and brands that are the real architects of our Ruta de Sabor”. As explained the first president of the Provincial Council, the number of attendees at this gastronomic initiative “has grown exponentially” compared to the first edition that took place in Benicarló in 2022; as has also grown the number of activities planned for this second edition, “adding appeal to these days in which activities of all kinds have been combined to perfection whose nexus has been the gastronomy of the province”. This gastronomic experience, which has allowed to awaken the senses of the attendees, has had the participation of chefs from restaurants with Michelin Star and Repsol Suns who have shown their skill in the kitchen through the ‘showcooking’ and that are: Álvaro Mina (Mina restaurant in Bilbao), Sergio Bastard (La Casona del Judío in Santander), Óscar García (Baluarte restaurant in Soria), Ignacio Solana (Solana, from Ampuero, Cantabria), Jeroni Castell (Les Moles restaurant in Ulldecona, Tarragona), Rafel Muria (Quatre Molins restaurant in Cornudella, Tarragona), Raúl Resino (Raúl Resino in Benicarló), José María Montero (Casa Julen in Oropesa), Alejandra Herrador and Emanuel Carlucci (Atalaya restaurant in Alcossebre), Rubén Miralles (Rubén Miralles restaurant in Vinaròs), Miguel Barrera (Cal Paradís in Vall d’Alba), Luis Valls (El Poblet in Valencia) and Álvaro Salazar (Voro restaurant in Capdepera, Mallorca). The event has had an exhibition area for attending producers, as well as an area of restaurants and food trucks, a stage with a giant screen and kitchen for showcookings and presentations of products and companies, as well as workshops, performances and musical shows. Also, in this second edition, the program has been opened to children with activities and workshops aimed at children, thus reinforcing the offer of a festival for the enjoyment of all. At the local level, has also highlighted an exhibition area where you could buy food products, dishes and tapas by restaurants associated with ‘Vinaròs Gastronòmic’, which have had three spaces in which have been alternating restaurants in the capital of the Baix Maestrat. In the same way, have been present the restaurant Riscla de l’Alcora, the restaurant Julen de Oropesa del Mar.

And the ‘foodtruck’ Porcellet of Traiguera.

Festival with future projection

After the closing of this edition, the highest representative of the provincial institution has stated that “the Gastronomic Festival Castelló Ruta de Sabor is already a link in the strategy of the Diputación de Castellón to bring the province to the gastronomic cradle”. The success achieved this weekend consolidates a festival with projection to be a great showcase for the gastronomy of Castellón. Thus, the initiative will be repeated next year and, as already announced by the president, Alcalà-Alcossebre will host the third Gastronomic Festival Castelló Ruta de Sabor. The Castelló Ruta de Sabor brand is a firm and decisive commitment of this provincial government administration to position the gastronomic heritage as a first class tourist product that complements the varied tourist offer of the province. For this reason, the roadmap set by the Tourist Board for the coming years will include actions whose main objective will be to promote Castellón as the best pantry in the Mediterranean and support the primary sector, agriculture and livestock of this territory, and all sectors of the hospitality industry that value the cuisine of Castellón, making it a differentiating tourism product.