The Catalan city is cementing its status as an international gastronomic capital by hosting chefs, institutions and culinary leaders from over 30 cities around the world.
From 18 to 21 May, Castelldefels will become one of the world’s major gastronomic hubs with the hosting of The Food Capitals Summit 2026, an international summit bringing together some of the most influential chefs, researchers, culinary schools and gastronomic leaders on the international scene.
The event, organised by The Food Capitals, will position Castelldefels as a global benchmark for culinary innovation, gastronomic tourism, sustainability and cultural diplomacy through cuisine, reinforcing the city’s international standing as the gastronomic capital of the Mediterranean.
The summit will feature representatives from more than 30 international cities across Europe, the Americas and Asia, including Lyon, Montreal, Malmö, Macao, Tucson, San Antonio, Cartagena de Indias, Guayaquil, Cali, Portoviejo, Trinidad, Izmir, Lisbon, Helsinki, Venice and Vienna, amongst others.
One of the main themes of the event will be Chefs Beyond Borders, an initiative that will bring together leading international gastronomic ambassadors in Castelldefels to reflect on the future of cuisine as a tool for social transformation, cultural identity and tourism development.
Participants include leading chefs such as Andrés González from Cali; Héctor Mijares and Wendy Maciel, owners of the Swedish restaurants Tizne and La Taqueria; Patricia Kayowa Dianda, renowned chef and culinary creative director in Malmö; Sofia Sada, lecturer at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America; Carla Kirsch López from Lyon; Catherine Couvet Desrosiers from Montreal; and Pablo Valencia, chef representative from Tucson and current chair of the international gastronomic network.
The summit will also serve to raise the profile of new member cities of the international network, such as Cartagena de Indias, Portoviejo, Guayaquil and Trinidad, consolidating a global alliance that uses gastronomy as a driver of economic development, social cohesion and the international promotion of these regions.
Another key feature of the event will be its firm commitment to equality and female representation in international haute cuisine. The organisers have made a concerted effort to ensure a balanced representation of male and female chefs, promoting a more inclusive, contemporary and diverse vision of global culinary leadership.
The choice of Castelldefels as the venue for The Food Capitals Summit 2026 represents significant international recognition of the city’s gastronomic positioning strategy, which in recent years has reinforced its commitment to culinary excellence, Mediterranean produce, experiential tourism and the connection between gastronomy, culture and the local area.
For four days, Castelldefels will be transformed into a major international stage for cultural and culinary exchange, generating significant tourism, economic and media returns for the city and projecting its image to media outlets, institutions and culinary leaders from around the world. The full programme for the summit can be viewed at: The Food Capitals Summit 2026.
Source: TRAVEL MEDIA HUB
