The Best Artichoke Dish from Vega Baja Sought at Alicante Gastronómica

The 29th of September at 5 PM. That will be the moment when ten chefs from all over Spain will duel to create the best dish with artichoke from Vega Baja. The second edition of the National Artichoke Contest of Vega Baja del Segura will be held at Alicante Gastronómica, in the Saborea Costa Blanca space.

The finalists are ten active chefs, six of them from the province of Alicante: Tario Quinto from Hangry By Tario (Albatera), Juanlu Parra from Koine Bistró (Alicante), Jorge Amores from Ñam restaurant (Guardamar del Segura), Carlos García from Dexcaro restaurant (Dénia) and Ignacio Caro and Carmen Navarro from Cisoria (Villena). They are joined by Manuel Yarza from Yarza restaurant (Valencia), Alejandro Aguirre from Sisapo (Madrid), Juan de Zaragoza from La Bien Pagá restaurant (Murcia), Jorge Román Ávila from Parador Nacional Benicarló (Benicarló), and Sergio Giraldo from Morena restaurant (Ibiza).

The main requirement will be to make artichoke the main ingredient in Mediterranean-style dishes. A challenge that will be evaluated by an expert jury in gastronomy who will assess creativity, presentation, flavor, balance, and proper use of artichoke in the dish.

The best of them all will win 2,000 euros, while the second and third place winners will receive 1,000 and 500 euros respectively, thanks to the sponsorship of the Almoradí City Council, the Artichoke Association of Spain, and the Vega Baja Artichoke brand. Additionally, the chef who wins this contest, organized by Alicante Gastronómica, will also participate in the next National Artichoke Congress of Almoradí.

The organization has explained that they aim to "highlight the versatility and gastronomic virtues of Vega Baja artichoke, as well as help agricultural sector workers." The president of this vegetable's association, Antonio Ángel Hurtado, recalls the importance of this contest to "highlight the richness of this jewel of the garden."

The president of the national Artichoke association, Antonio Galindo, has highlighted the role of this vegetable in gastronomy and the presence of "great chefs" in a contest that "helps position Vega Baja's garden and its star product," emphasized Almoradí's mayor, María Gómez.