THE FOOD CAPITALS SUMMIT 2026!

18–21 May 2026 in Castelldefels, Spain.

Specific program timing, venues, and speaker details are subject to change. Check back often for updated details.

Monday 18 May

Arrival Day & Executive Committee Meeting

Most members of The Food Capitals network will arrive throughout the day.

13:00 – 17:00 Lunch and Afternoon: Executive Committee Meeting  

^{(ExCom members only) - Venue: Sorlaig Restaurant, Pg. Marítim, 169, 08860 Castelldefels}

A working lunch and strategic meetings will take place during the afternoon. 

20:00: Informal Icebreaker Dinner  

^{(Optional, at own expense) - Venue: Tibu-Ron Beach Club, Carrer Ribera de Sant Pere, 15, 08860 Castelldefels}

As tradition goes, members gather on the first evening for a relaxed and friendly dinner. A perfect opportunity to reconnect and welcome new participants in an informal setting.

Tuesday 19 May

General Assembly and City Spotlight

9:00-11:30 General Assembly  

^{Statutory session of The Food Capitals by Délice Network. Open to members of the network and invited guests only. - Venue: Chiringuito Chalito, pie de playa, Avinguda de Castelldefels, 08860 Castelldefels}   

All member cities are invited to attend the General Assembly. The Executive Committee and Headquarters will present past achievements and future priorities. Members will vote on the 2025 Activity and Financial Reports. This session will also include working group moments for members to discuss specific topics and projects and begin elaborating together the next iteration of the network’s Strategic Plan for 2027-2030.  

11:30-12:30 Vermut / Coffee Break

12:30-14:00 General Assembly continued (Strategic Sessions)  

^{Open to members of the network and invited guests only - Venue: Chiringuito Chalito}

14:00-15:30 Welcome Lunch 

^{Venue: Chiringuito Chalito, pie de playa, Avinguda de Castelldefels, 08860 Castelldefels}

15:30-16:30 Free time/siesta  

16:30-18:00 Opening Session and Presentations 

Castelldefels – The journey to becoming a Gastronomy Capital   

^{(Open to members and all registered participants)  - Venue: Chiringuito Chalito, pie de playa, Avinguda de Castelldefels, 08860 Castelldefels}

In this opening session, the City of Castelldefels will showcase its gastronomy strategy, flagship projects and innovative public-private partnerships.  

Official Welcome

• Manuel Reyes, Mayor, City of Castelldefels
• Guillermo Massana, City Councillor for Tourism, City of Castelldefels

How to activate local gastronomic history to strengthen local identity and generate opportunities for a food destination: the case of Castelldefels

Take a journey through the history of Castelldefels’ gastronomy and its impact on the city’s current strategies and projects. From 200 years of historic recipes to strong collaborations between local businesses and the restaurant and hospitality industry, Castelldefels will showcase how the city prioritizes gastronomy as a driver for tourism, promotion of local culinary identity, and international collaborations.  

• Speaker: Jordi Tresserras Juan, Expert in gastronomy and sustainable tourism; Director of LABPATC; consultant at UNESCO; Co-founder of the UNESCO Chair Food, Culture & Development UOC  

Meet the chefs: Introduction to the Chefs Beyond Borders program

Chefs Beyond Borders is a curated culinary exchange embedded within the Food Capitals Summit. The 2026 pilot edition brings together chefs from Food Capitals member cities, pairing them with local Castelldefels chefs to co-create meals, share knowledge, and inspire the next generation. 

• Andrés González - Cali, Colombia - Chef, Amasijo Cocina
• Laura Castoldi - Callao, Peru - Holistic Chef, Patronato por la Cocina del Callao
• José Leonardo Pinargote García - Cartagena de Indias, Colombia - Chef, Owner & Founder, Cartagena Cooking School
• Wendy Maciel & Héctor Mijares - Gothenburg, Sweden - Chefs & Owners, Tizne & La Taqueria
• Pedro Bastos - Lisbon, Portugal - Chef & Owner, Broto
• Carla Kirsch Lopez - Lyon, France - Head Chef & Owner, Alebrije
• Ringo Tang – Macao, China - Executive Sous Chef, CHA BEI 
• Patricia Dianda - Malmö, Sweden - Founder, Chef & Culinary Creative Director, Flavor-Boss
• Catherine Couvet Desrosiers - Montreal, Canada - Chef & Owner, Restaurant Panacée
• José Leonardo Pinargote García - Portoviejo, Ecuador - Executive Chef, Nardo Cocina Creativa
• Luis Balda - Portoviejo, Ecuador - Chef, Montubio Cocina Manabita
• Sofia Sada - San Antonio, Texas, USA - Chef & Professor, The Culinary Institute of America
• Caroline Øverland Stornes - Stavanger, Norway – Chef & Training Consultant 
• Miguel Alcides Alpire Añez - Trinidad, Bolivia - Chef & Owner, Gosei
• Pablo Valencia - Tucson, Arizona, USA - Owner & Chef, Scratching The Plate
• Wojciech Janowicz - Wroclaw, Poland - Head Chef, Campo Modern Grill

Find out more about all the chefs here: Chefs Beyond Borders

18:00-20:30 Free time/chill by the sea  

20:30 - Dinner

^{Venue: Péndulo, Carrer Ribera de Sant Pere, 1, 08860 Castelldefels}

23:00 – Afterparty (details coming soon…) 

Wednesday 20 May

City Branding, Storytelling & Best Practices

^{Venue: Castillo, Plaça del castell, 1, 08860 Castelldefels}

10:30-11:00 Coffee & Registrations 

11:00-12:00: Opening Keynote – Identity Over Ingredients

• Stewart Colovin: SVP, Global Brand Strategy Leader at MMGY Global

Cities around the world aspire to be known for their food. They highlight their cuisine, chefs, restaurants and festivals in hopes of becoming the next great culinary destination. But they’re missing one key ingredient. 

Great food alone doesn’t define a place. Identity does. In this keynote, Stewart explores why the strongest place brands are not built on ingredients alone, but on a clear sense of who they are. From geography and history to culture and community, food becomes the most powerful expression of place identity. When done right, it becomes their origin story. For cities seeking to elevate their culinary reputation, the challenge isn’t simply creating great cuisine. It’s revealing the story only they can tell.  

12:00-12:30 Vermut/Coffee Break 
 

 Workshop: Shaping your city’s food story: A recipe for success  

Stewart Colovin will lead this workshop dedicated to helping city participants imagine their own food story and how best to position and shape their city’s food and culinary brand for promotion, tourism, and pride of place.

14:00-15:00 Lunch

^{Venue: Castillo, Plaça del castell, 1, 08860 Castelldefels}

Afternoon: City Presentations - Best Practice Sessions: “The Feast, The Flop, The Fix” & Tabletop Discussions 

^{Venue: Castillo, Plaça del castell, 1, 08860 Castelldefels}

Through inspiring and interactive pitches and presentations, members will share and exchange not only about best practices of innovative projects and initiatives, but also about “flops” and lessons learnt! 

Presentations will be followed by themed tabletop discussions in a “World Café” format, where participants have a chance to move from table to table for deeper discussions and exchanges with presenters.  

• Reimagining Cities Through Radical Creativity and Experimental Food Culture by Sonja Immonen, Project Manager & Petra Majander, Creative Director, Helsinki City Premises (Finland) 
• Lausanne’s Gourmet Halls: More Than a Food Hall, a Gastronomic Destination by Elise Rabaey, Strategic Project Director for the city of Lausanne & Anouck Marmy, Deputy CEO of Beaulieu Congress Center (Switzerland)
• San Antonio's Chef Ambassador Program by Arisa Larios, Program Manager: City of Gastronomy, San Antonio (USA) 
• Discover the Archipelago - Oppdag Øyriket by Anne Woie, Head of the Business at the Development Department, City of Stavanger (Norway)  
• Showcasing Local Cuisine during major Non-Food Events: Case Study of Casa Gusto at the Nitto ATP Finals, Turin by Cristina Paolasso, Food & Wine Tourism Development at Turismo Torino e Provincia (Italy) 
• From Idea to Action: Building Wrocław's Gastronomic Brand by Edyta Pawlaczek, Senior Specialist at the Economic Development Office, Municipality of Wrocław (Poland)  

Find all the details about these sessions here

^{More to be announced soon.} 

20:30 The Food Capitals Gala Dinner A Taste of Magic - Food that Connects Us 

^{Venue: Casanova Beach Club, Pg. Marítim, 297, 08860 Castelldefels}

Participants are invited to a special gala dinner in celebration of the inaugural edition of the Summit, featuring tastings of co-created dishes from the international Chefs Beyond Borders program, the official welcoming ceremony of new member cities, and many more special surprises!  

23:30–02:00 Afterparty (details coming soon…) 

Thursday 21 May

Urban Farming, Innovation & Closing

From Farm to Plate: The Food Capitals roll up their sleeves! 

^{Venue: Farm/ Can Comas}

Participants will have the opportunity to visit a local farm in the Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park, a unique landscape reflecting the region’s commitment to seasonality, proximity, and strong links between agriculture and gastronomy.

Upon arrival, they will meet the producers and learn about the project, gaining insights into seasonal production and the local food ecosystem that connects farmers, restaurants, and initiatives in Castelldefels.

The experience will continue with a hands-on activity. In small groups, participants will harvest fresh ingredients and transform them into dishes alongside chefs, a moment of co-creation embodying the spirit of the Summit.

While participants prepare the starters, the chefs cohort from Chefs Beyond Borders will be learning how to prepare the host city’s signature dish: The Arros de Castelldefels.

To explore the story behind this dish, we invite you to listen to our dedicated Cities at the Table podcast episode: here. 

Lunch at Parc Agrari

Rest of the afternoon: Select from the following visits  

• Guided visit of Nicot and San Antoni Markets in the heart of Barcelona, led by the City of Barcelona 
• Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Castelldefels Campus) 

Explore how the region invests in research and innovation to remain competitive while embracing sustainability, with a special focus on seaweed cultivation.    

20:30: Closing Dinner Tapas Night and After Party (details coming soon…)

^{Venue: Cel Blau Restaurant, Av. dels Banys, 2, 08860 Castelldefels}

A final celebratory evening to conclude the Summit.

Friday 22 May

Optional Program

^{Additional activities and details will be shared soon.} 

Is your city interested in finding out more about becoming a Food Capital? 
Contact us to explore how to attend as an "Observer City": contact@thefoodcapitals.com ! 

^{Photo credits: ©The Food Capitals, ©Cheese Naan, ©Castelldefels Capital Gastronómica, ©Oscar Rodbag, ©Consorci de Turisme del Baix Llobregat}

In the meantime, read more about what makes Castelldefels a Food Capital...