June 2007
Medium:Negocios en Navarra

More than thirty restaurateurs of national and international renown took part in the International ‘Vive las Verduras’ Congress held in Pamplona on 21, 22 and 23 May. Pamplona’s Baluarte Conference Centre and Auditorium also played host to some acclaimed architects in a perfect fusion between the worlds of art and architecture and gastronomy.

The Food Fair enabled 36 companies to showcase their products in a participatory exhibition livened up with workshops and tasting sessions aimed at both trade professionals and the general public. Several awards were also presented, one of the most notable being the "Reyno de Navarra" International Award won by Ferrán Adrià for his work in the creation, research and promotion of cuisine and vegetables.

"Vive las Verduras" provided a meeting point between gastronomy, science and technology, the agrifood sector and society in general as part of a unique and pioneering initiative which aspires to become an international benchmark for promoting vegetables. The initiative originated to complement and support a wide-ranging project in the agrifood sector involving both Sodena and private enterprise, with an investment of 3 million euros. It focuses on creating value through business initiatives related to the vegetable sector.

Research and development of new projects will be done through the innovative cooperation of technological partners, including CNTA and ITG, scientific entities, the Universidad de Navarra and the Universidad Pública de Navarra. Other participants include some of our chefs known internationally for their long and outstanding careers: Martín Berasategui, Enrique Martínez, Quique Dacosta and Ferrán Adrià himself.