A unique era for Spanish cuisine kicked off in 2000 –probably unrepeatable- with a few moments that marked a milestone in the history of Hispanic gastronomy

Events Madrid Fusion unleashed the boom of gastronomic events. Today, many of the world’s major events are held in Spain: Lo Mejor de la Gastronomia in San Sebastian; BarcelonaVanguardia; Salon Millesime Madrid; San Sebastian GastronomiKa; Lo Mejor de la Gastronomia in Alicante; Diálogos de Cocina by Andoni Luis Aduriz in San Sebastian, let alone the gastronomy meetings in Zaldiaran, in Vitoria. Gastronomy Gets Media Hype Conventional mass media are adding programming slots on cuisine and food. Specialized magazines on wines, cooking and recipes have popped up. The topic is also making headlines on the Internet. Academy Proliferation As many as 17 academies opened in Autonomous Communities, as well as the Spanish Gastronomy Academy. It first was called “Royal” and then it was renamed as Corporation of Public Right by Royal Decree dated August 20, 2010. Moreover, the Royal Gastronomy Academy helped create the Iberian American Academy and other similar institutions in over 20 countries. The latest ones opened in Japan and China. In Harmony with Nutrition A close collaboration between the scientific and nutrition field has been established –especially with the Spanish Nutrition Foundation, founded by Grande Covian and Gregorio Varela, and now headed by the latter’s son, Gregorio Varela Moreiras. I’m his secretary general right now. There are also close ties with Dr. Valentin Fuster and his Science Health and Education in an effort to put knowledge on food and nutrition into the educational system. Guidebooks Come Along The Spanish guidebook of reference –first the Campsa Guidebook and now the Repsol Guidebook- sold half a million copies in a single year and its online version (www.guiarepsol.com) logs 5 million hits every month. Spain Gourmetour, El Viajero by El Pais newspaper, the Peñin Guidebook dedicated to wines and the Michelin Guidebook are all benchmarks in this field. The Finest Food and Beverages Old and new Spanish cellars staged a comeback by making some of the world’s best wines. Gin and liquors have also been on the rise. Spain became the world’s top producer of extra virgin olive oil and sausages, thus holding one of the four aces of world gastronomy: Iberian acorn pork ham. The country is now the world’s second-largest cheese maker and one of the leading nations in seafood and shellfish storage. In the same breath, it provides top-of-the-line raw materials with superb quality-price ratio. Spain Makes the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Ranking One of the launching pads for Spanish cuisine to leap onto the front burner was the initiative wielded by British magazine Restaurant to come up with the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. For five years, Ferran Adrià topped that ranking with his El Bulli restaurant. This year, Spain has stayed on top with a couple of restaurants among the top three on the list, three among the best eight, six among the top 51 and eight on the top-100 list. Elena Arzak is one of the best three cooks on the planet, while her father, Juan Mari Arzak grabbed the Lifetime Achievement Award in the field. In 2010, Ferran Adrià won the top prize as the Best Cook of the Decade. Travel and Gastronomic Destination Turespaña and Joan Mesquida, Secretary General of State for Tourism, have managed to turn gastronomy into one of Spain’s main underpinning as far as travel and tourism are concerned. This is an undisputed success. The Freedom Model Spain has also exported a gastronomic model that will probably last for many years to come: the freedom model. The cook’s freedom makes him move from craftsmanship to artistry and gives him a magnificent chance to bask in the media limelight. The patron’s freedom to eat the way he or she sees fit and is healthier to him or her.