Saborea Puerto Rico: A Culinary Extravaganza will be held on the
blue flag beach of Isla Verde in San Juan this year April 4-6.
Sponsored by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), the first
annual culinary festival will celebrate Puerto Rico’s culinary
traditions and give epicureans the chance to sample dishes prepared
by some of the island’s most renowned chefs.
“We are proud to announce San Juan’s first annual culinary
festival, Saborea, being held on the gorgeous Isla Verde Beach. The
festival will bring together prominent chefs, sommeliers and
epicureans and will allow foodies from around the world to sample
the rich flavors of our island, which date back to pre-Hispanic
times,” said Terestella Gonzalez Denton, executive director,
PRTC.
The beachfront, weekend-long celebration will be hosted by the
Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association (PRHTA) and include demo
kitchens, signature events, wine seminars, kids’ kitchens and a
Tasting Pavilion available to ticket holders.
Over 18 chefs and 32 Puerto Rican restaurants have already been
confirmed, with more to be announced. Chefs and celebrities include
the Food Network’s Ingrid Hoffman, Michel Richard (Citronelle,
Washington D.C.), Augusto Schreiner (Augusto’s, Puerto Rico),
Giovanna Huyke (Puerto Rican celebrity chef) and Bon Appetit’s wine
and spirits consultant, Steve Olson.
When tickets are purchased with MasterCard by March 15, visitors
will receive an instant $15 discount. Participating restaurants
throughout the island will have discounts and special offers as
well.
Clarisa Jimenez, PRHTA president and CEO said, “The Puerto Rico
Hotel and Tourism Association is elated to co-sponsor the Saborea
festival, a groundbreaking festival for the island, which
ultimately will drive tourism and showcase some of the great hotel
properties and their restaurants in and around San Juan.”
Over the last several years, Puerto Rican chefs, such as the
famous Wilo Benet, have spearheaded a Puerto Rican-fusion culinary
trend, blending traditional Puerto Rican flavors and dishes with
international cuisines to produce flavors found nowhere else in the
world. These flavors can be sampled in San Juan at restaurants,
such as Panza (Chateau Cervantes Hotel), Pikayo (Puerto Rico Art
Museum), and at the recently opened Budatai in Condado.
“Saborea is a major stepping stone in placing Puerto Rico on the
world’s culinary map. Our food, much like the island, is a unique
fusion of various ingredients and traditions, which embodies the
true spirit of Puerto Rico,” said Barbara Mari, executive producer
of Saborea.
800-866-7827
www.saboreapuertorico.com
