30,000 visitors celebrate the richness of the Mediterranean field at the D*Na Festival 2024
The D*na concludes with a large number of visitors and highlights the importance of vindicating the countryside and those who work it as a fundamental pillar of our cuisine.
Dénia, 30 September 2024. The seventh edition of the D*na Festival has come to an end, consolidating itself as one of the great gastronomic events of the year. Throughout the weekend, nearly 30,000 visitors have walked along the Marineta Cassiana promenade in Dénia (Alicante) in search of the best culinary experiences.
In an edition that has been a real love letter to the land, the orchard and its people, the last day of the festival was the finishing touch to a weekend full of emotions and flavours, with renowned chefs such as Begoña Rodrigo, from the restaurant La Salita (Valencia), Susi Díaz from La Finca (Elche), Luis Valls, from El Poblet (Valencia) and the Madrid chef Ramón Freixa, among many others. In a luxurious setting facing the Mediterranean Sea, the chefs shared reflections and culinary techniques that revolved around the use of fresh and seasonal products, reinforcing the idea that excellence in cuisine begins in the countryside. Rodrigo opened the afternoon by stressing the importance of maintaining authenticity in the kitchen, while Díaz highlighted in an interesting talk how the seasonality of the ingredients determines the quality of the final dish. Luis Valls, from the restaurant El Poblet (Valencia), was another of the day's key figures, providing a vision of haute cuisine's ability to look to the past to rescue traditional flavours without losing sight of innovation. And the final touch was provided by the Madrid chef Ramón Freixa, with a presentation in which he demonstrated how the traditional can be combined with the avant-garde without betraying the origins of the local ingredients.
In addition to the talks, those attending this closing day of D*na were able to participate in practical workshops that opened the doors to techniques and concepts accessible to both experts and amateurs. Ramón Freixa, Susi Díaz and Luis Valls offered some of the most eagerly awaited workshops in the Aqualia Space, where they demonstrated how to create haute cuisine dishes with local and accessible local products. They were joined by Begoña Rodrigo and María José Martínez, head chef of the Lienzo restaurant (Valencia), who shared master classes in which respect for local produce was key.
In the Cooking Space, activities such as a workshop on fruit popsicles with nitrogen offered a more playful and experimental vision, and others dealt with the connection between the Vinalopó grape and rice, showing how these key ingredients of the region can be revalued in today's gastronomy. There was also space for children and families, with workshops on recycling and good practices in the kitchen, focused on encouraging responsible consumption.
The day was rounded off with other interesting activities, such as an aperitif cocktail demonstration that captured the essence of the Mediterranean in every sip, or workshops on pickles and homemade ice cream, which delighted enthusiasts of traditional cuisine.
The market garden of the Marina Alta region has been very present at the festival, forming an essential part of tastings and culinary demonstrations by chefs from the region, in which, among many other things, spices, grapes, oil, pickles, aperitifs, wines, cakes and ice creams were discussed. All from the hand of local producers, hoteliers and restaurateurs in a Marineta Cassiana promenade full of tasting and sales points that delighted the thousands of attendees.
A festival consolidated as a gastronomic reference point
At the close of this seventh edition of D*na, Quique Dacosta, the event's gastronomic commissioner, expressed his satisfaction: ‘It has been a source of pride for all of us who make up D*na to pay tribute to the countryside, the land and the people who work it. Hopefully it has served to raise awareness, give value and contribute to the knowledge of the products of the countryside, which is what all the chefs have tried to promote in the talks, in the workshops, on the exhibition stands and also in the restaurants at D*na Restaurant, making menus with vegetables and giving them the value and prominence they deserve’.
On a personal level, Dacosta was satisfied with the work carried out by the entire team surrounding the festival. With the mission of projecting the image of the Marina Alta as a territory of excellent gastronomy, Dacosta reflected on the evolution of the event: ‘The mission of the D*na is to project the image of the territory, of excellent gastronomy, of the festivity and the excitement that it generates for an entire town. Something as humble as D*na, which was born with the vocation to help and contribute, is now reaching dimensions that transcend not only our borders, but also our capacity to project ourselves, reaching a humanist sense’.
With these words, Quique Dacosta and Dénia bid farewell to their most emblematic gastronomic festival, with the commitment to continue growing without losing its essence, that which has led the city to be recognised as a Creative City of Gastronomy by UNESCO.
D*na Festival
D*na Festival is organised by the Fundació Creativa Dénia de la Gastronomia (made up of the Dénia Town Council, CEDMA, AEHTMA and Baleària), in collaboration through an agreement with the Dénia Town Council and Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, with the Costa Blanca Provincial Tourist Board as institutional collaborator and with the three Michelin star chef Quique Dacosta as gastronomic curator. The seventh edition of this festival consolidates it as one of the great gastronomic events in our country and positions the city of Dénia - which in 2015 was named Creative City of Gastronomy by UNESCO - as the gastronomic capital of the Mediterranean.
