Grand Residences by Royal Resorts®, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World® luxury hospitality collection is proud to present and sponsor the Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine & Food Festival, March 14 to 17, 2013.
For the second year running, Cancun and the Riviera Maya are hosting this world-class gourmet event, which brings together chefs from all over the Americas and Europe. This year, the festival will have the participation of more than 25 top chefs and features four days of events including cooking demos, wine and food tastings, seminars, gala dinners and VIP events.
The Festival will include tributes to star Italian chef Massimo Bottura, widely regarded as one of the world’s top five chefs, and to leading Mexican chef Enrique Olvera, an inspiration to many for his commitment to recapturing the spirit of traditional Mexican cuisine using new techniques to release the finest flavors.
Both Massimo Bottura and Enrique Olvera will be present at the inaugural lunch on Thursday and will give their expert perspective during a seminar titled “The Future of Cuisine.” Other leading chefs attending the festival hail from Mexico, United States, Spain, Italy France, Venezuela, Japan and Argentina.
A number of local chefs representing well-known restaurants in Cancún and the Riviera Maya are also participating.
The theme of the Festival is “Taste the New World: Europe meets the Americas,” and the gala dinner on Thursday, March 14 showcases star chefs from the New World who will take diners on a gastronomic journey of a lifetime, discovering each country through its ingredients, flavors and tendencies. Mexico, United States, Canada, Peru, Chile, Brazil are some of the countries featured in this unforgettable evening.
Massimo Bottura is the guest of honor at the “A Taste of Europe” gala dinner on March 15. Five award-winning chefs will prepare five sumptuous courses inspired by Chef Bottura’s avant-garde Italian cuisine.
The closing event on March 17 is an evening on the theme of “Italy meets Mexico, Same Colors, Different Flavors.” Top Italian chefs from Mexico, United States and Europe will prepare their signature dishes, but using the rich flavors of Mexican ingredients to give a fresh twist to their recipes. Live music, Mexican and Italian wines and spirits and fireworks add to the fiesta ambiance and provide a spectacular climax to the festival.
The Festival is a celebration of fine food and wine and connoisseurs will find the wine tastings on Thursday and Friday fascinating. Originally from Mexico, the United States and Canada, the festival sommeliers are stars on the world stage. They will be showcasing Italian wines, paying homage to some of the world’s great red wines, demystifying food and wine pairings, exploring Mexican terroir and the country’s very vibrant wine revolution, and sampling mezcal, the agave-based spirit that is inextricably entwined with traditional Mexican culture.
On March 16 and 17, Grand Coral Golf and Beach Community is hosting the American Express Gourmet Tasting Village, which will showcase 20 leading restaurants from Cancun and the Riviera Maya, including Los Murales, the signature seafood restaurant at The Royal Haciendas®. There will be live music, wine tastings and attendees will be able to sample tapas and other mouthwatering dishes at different food stations. As one of the event sponsors, Grand Residences by Royal Resorts will also have a stand at the Tasting Village.
The Cancún-Riviera Maya Wine & Food Festival is a gourmet event that has made the headlines in the food world. It is a memorable occasion, encapsulating the essence of luxury living and the unique wine, gourmet and travel experiences that Grand Residences by Royal Resorts will offer its guests.
In a magnificent beach setting to the south of Puerto Morelos, Grand Residences is the latest property in the Royal Resorts collection. Offering a concept of gracious living and barefoot luxury, it has already reaped international awards for its spacious and beautifully furnished two, three and four-bedroom ocean-view villas, and stellar resort services. The first phase of the resort is slated to open at the end of 2013.
A Royal Resorts Connection
The Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine and Food Festival is the brainchild of David Amar, who is a longtime Royal Resorts member. He has been visiting Mexico for 30 years and has fallen in love with its spectacular landscapes and hospitable people, their rich culture and extraordinary cuisine. He also had a desire to give something back to Cancún and the Festival is not only about cuisine, it is a charity event, raising money for a good cause.
In 2012, Festival organizers donated 16 computers to the Mano Amiga School in the Ciudad de la Alegría community on the outskirts of Cancún, and bestowed grants to 15 students to enable them to go to university. Under the auspices of the Festival, the Ricardo Muñoz Zurita Foundation was set up to preserve rare ingredients native to Mexico, protect the country’s biodiversity and help indigenous communities known for their rich culinary traditions. Finally, it was also the first Festival in the world to donate to the El Bulli Foundation, an initiative of world-famous Chef Ferran Adria to support promising young chefs.
Grand Residences by Royal Resorts invites you to the Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine & Food Festival. Royal Resorts members and guests who would like to attend are entitled to 20% off when purchasing tickets through Thomas More Travel.
