The 2018 Festival Gourmet International is just around the corner and it is going to be the culinary event of the year. The first festival occurred back in 1995 when local chefs Thierry Blouet and Heinz Reize joined forces with the goal of promoting local restaurants and inviting internationally recognized chefs to Puerto Vallarta. Throughout the years, the Festival Gourmet International has done very well and is now an internationally recognized gastronomic event.

• Festival Gourmet International: When the Festival Gourmet International began back in 1995, only six local hotels and six independent restaurants participated. Today, nearly twenty-four years later the basic program is essentially very similar to the original festival in that each local restaurant or hotel invites a chef to host their event. Twenty-eight hotels and restaurants will participate in this year’s festival. Nearly six hundred celebrity chefs have participated over the years with more than half a million people attending in total. The Festival Gourmet International’s success has really elevated Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit to a different level in the culinary world. Today, even Michelin star guest chefs are now attending the festival.
• Program Highlights: This year’s Festival Gourmet International will start on Friday, Nov. 23rd and continues each night through Sunday, Dec. 2nd. Participating restaurants and hotels host special events where the invited International chefs will present their culinary creations for attendees to try. Delicious tasting menus or gourmet a la carte dinners will be served. The first event of the festival will be held at the new Jalisco Hall in Hilton Hotel and all the chefs and hosts of the festival will attend. Make sure you go as you will have the chance to personally meet the amazing and talented guest chefs. On top of great food, festival attendees will enjoy premium wines, tequilas and beers as well.
• Local Restaurants and Hotels: Some of the best restaurants in town are participating in this year’s festival. La Casona at Villa La Estancia, Bocados STK at Garza Blanca, and Cafe des Artistes are just a few of the great restaurants hosting festival events. La Casona is situated in the high end Villa La Estancia that is located in Riviera Nayarit. La Cason will feature a Mediterranean menu designed by head Chef Leonardo Castro who uses international-level techniques that are a fusion of French, Italian,Thai, Asian, Mediterranean and Mexican cuisine. La Casona’s invited Chef’s are Penny Davidi & Luciano Mier Santoro will share their expertise in the elegant Hacienda setting. Villa La Estancia’s La Casona restaurant is known for having specialty and fine choices of meat such as Kobe and New York cuts. Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa will host an event at the Bocados STK Mixology and Grill restaurant. Head Chef Álvaro Cortez was formerly the head chef at Villa del Palmar Cancun, and Chef Cortez will be joined by the current Head of Villa del Palmar Cancun, Chef Andrés García González. García González represented Mexico abroad in October 2010 when he participated in the European “Passion in Paris” Trophy contest in France.
• Mexico Classic: Mole and Mariachi: Who doesn’t love mole and mariachi? If you do, don’t miss a Night of Mole and Mariachi on Nov. 28th at 8pm at Cafe des Artistes. Mole is one of Mexico’s most traditional and delicious dishes, and live Mariachi music will create a magical ambiance. Cafe des Artistes is a fine dining restaurant that has been serving up incredible and unique dishes for over 27 years. Cafe des Artistes Head chef and founder Thierry Blouet is arguably Puerto Vallarta’s most well known chef and has been internationally recognized as well.

We hope to see you at this year’s 2018 Festival Gourmet International in Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit & Tepic. It is guaranteed to be an exciting gastronomic event that will make your mouth water!