The Festival Gourmet in PV 2018 program is approaching soon and Riviera Nayarit, Puerto Vallarta, and Tepic are ready to party! The Festival Gourmet in PV started in 1995 by Thierry Blouet and Heinz Reize, whom are local chefs. Together, they had a vision to create the Festival Gourmet so local restaurants would be promoted by inviting internationally acclaimed chefs to attend the event. It didn’t take long for the Festival Gourmet to become very successful. The standards and culinary reputation of Puerto Vallarta have been ultimately elevated thanks to this incredible event and the talented chefs that were invited.
The Festival Gourmet in PV Beginnings
The Festival Gourmet in Puerto Vallarta first started in 1995, and at that time only six independently owned restaurants and hotels were involved. Just 24 years later, the original format is basically the same, which means that each local restaurant and hotel must invite a chef to host their particular event. However, the size and amount of participants and attendees has dramatically grown over the years. This year, the Festival Gourmet in Puerto Vallarta event will be featuring 28 locally owned and operated hotels and restaurants. Throughout the years, there have been over a half a million individuals that have attended the Festival Gourmet International event. In addition,there have been 600 celebrity and well-known chefs that have participated in the events over the decades. That’s certainly a lot of good cooks in the house! Due to the huge success of the Festival Gourmet International, Riviera Nayarit and Puerto Vallarta have earned world class culinary notoriety. Now, even Michelin guest star chefs are now joining in on the fun and coming to participate in the Festival Gourmet in PV.
Features of the Festival Gourmet in PV
On Friday, November 23rd is when the Festival Gourmet International will start and it runs through until Sunday, December 2nd. The hotels and restaurants that are participating in the Festival Gourmet will be hosting a variety of special events where the International chefs will be presenting their culinary inventions for all of the attending guests. The attending guests at the Festival Gourmet in PV will have an amazing opportunity as each one will get to partake in tasting the dinner or dishes. The Hilton Hotel is where the first event of the Festival gourmet will be hosted at its new and elegant Jalisco Hall in the heart of the hotel zone. All of the chefs that were invited along with the local hosts will attend the first event of the festival. At this first event of the festival, every participant will be indulging in tasty foods and the finest wines, tequilas, and beers will also be served.
Top Event Locations and World Renowned Chefs
The Café des Artistes, La Casona, and Bocados STK are just a couple of the best restaurants that will be hosting top events in this year’s Festival Gourmet. Local Chef Alvaro Cortez with Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa will be attending the event at Bocados STK Mixology and Grill Restaurant. The former executive chef at Villa del Palmar Cancun was Chef Cortez, and Chef Cortez will be in the company of Chef Andres Garcia Gonzalez (Current Executive Chef) at Villa del Palmar Cancun Resort as the invited guest chef. Chef Gonzalez represented Mexico abroad in 2010 when he was an invited chef guest at the France “Passion in Paris” contest. The pride of Mexico will be evident as these top chefs dazzle and delight attendees with creative and delicious dishes. La Casona at Villa La Estancia will be featuring a Mediterranean menu that Chef Leonardo Castro designed personally. Chef Castro specializes in a fusion of international techniques derived from Italian, French, Mexican, Mediterranean, Thai, and Asian foods. Chef Penny Davidi and Chef Mier Santoro was invited by La Casona, and they will provide their culinary expertise as well. The La Casona Restaurant at Villa La Estancia is well-known for only using the finest cuts of New York and Kobe meats.
November 28th – Night of Mole and Mariachi
A night of Mole and Mariachi will be featured at the Festival Gourmet International on November 28th at Café des Artistes at 8:00 pm. You may not know, but mole just happens to be a traditional dish in Mexico, and live Mariachi music has always inspired passion, which will provide a magical evening to all that are attending. For nearly thirty years, Café des Artistes has been serving up unique Mexican dishes at this fine dining restaurant. The Head Chef at Café des Artistes is Thierry Blouet, and the food scene in Puerto Vallarta was drastically elevated due to Thierry Blouet food talent and experiences.
You will want to make sure you mark the date on your calendar so you don’t miss out on the Festival Gourmet International 2018 in Puerto Vallarta. This will be an exciting time for all attendees.
