The Puerto Vallarta Gourmet Festival came into being eleven years ago out of an original idea to create a cuisine festival that could lure visitors to Puerto Vallarta –in a month that’s still in the off-peak season- and could spur up local creativeness through chefs from around the world.

The idea was to further extend the event’s international scope every year. Today, a few years later from that first edition, the event is gaining momentum as one of the place’s best-known and most important festivals, having an undisputed impact on local tourism since it helps raise hotel occupancy to over 70 percent.

In this evolution, the number of collateral events that spin off from the festival has accrued, including such standouts as the cheese and wine sessions, the tasting of tequila, the chefs’ tables, the cooking classes and the Expoforum gourmet fair. This time around, some 27 restaurants have signed up for the festival and are ready to bring chefs from around the world.

For further details and information on the event’s program and schedule, click on www.festivalgourmet.com