Presentation
Cooking is deciding
In this personal reflection, Aitor Zabala considers Somni's cuisine in terms not only of technique and creativity, but also as the sum of constant choices.
He will talk about his journey as a chef and an immigrant, and explain how mistakes, intuition and intention have influenced his approach to cooking and his vision for a restaurant, despite not having a preconceived narrative.
This presentation will demonstrate how significant and minor decisions ultimately shape identity, experience and professional path.
Related talks
Presentation
Welcome to Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España 2026
10:00 - 10:10 HRS
Presentation
Rare flowers
10:15 - 10:45 HRS
Quique Dacosta
Chef at Quique Dacosta Restaurante *** (Dénia, Alicante, Spain)
Presentation
The dining experience is a relationship
10:50 - 11:20 HRS
Mauro Uliassi
Chef at Uliassi*** (Senigallia, Italy)
Presentation
Re-creating the past
11:25 - 11:55 HRS
Albert Adrià
Chef at Enigma** (Barcelona, Spain)
Presentation
DiverXO: Metamorphosis 2026 menu
12:00 - 12:45 HRS
Dabiz Muñoz
Chef at DiverXo*** (Madrid, Spain)
Presentation
Disfrutar: latest news
12:50 - 13:20 HRS
Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch y Mateu Casañas
Chefs at Disfrutar*** (Barcelona, Spain)
Presentation
Immersive customers, personalising a seamless experience
15:00 - 15:30 HRS
Sergio y Javier Torres
Chefs at Cocina Hermanos Torres*** (Barcelona, Spain)
Presentation
The physiology of Carioca taste
16:10 - 16:40 HRS
Claude Troisgrois & Jessica Trindade
Chefs at Madame Olympe (Rio de Janeiro, Brasil)
Presentation
Anachronistic cuisine
16:45 - 17:15 HRS
Cristian Palacio
Chef at Gente Rara* (Zaragoza, Aragon)
Presentation
A step backwards
17:20 - 17:50 HRS
Diego Rossi
Chef at Trippa (Milano, Italy)
Presentation
Circular nixtamal
17:55 - 18:25 HRS
Santiago M. Moctezuma
Chef at Maizajo (Mexico City, Mexico)
Presentation
Neighbourhood haute cuisine
18:30 - 19:00 HRS
Juan Viu
Chef at Mare* (Cádiz, Spain)
Presentation
The lactic power of whey, new flavours and textures from a region
19:05 - 19:35 HRS
Borja Marrero
Chef at Muxgo* (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain)
Presentation
Cooking up memories and time
10:00 - 10:30 HRS
Alejandro Ibáñez
Chef at Barahonda (Yecla, Murcia)
Presentation
Starting afresh: cooking with awareness
10:35 - 11:05 HRS
Bas van Kranen
Chef at Flore** (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Presentation
Seafood offal
11:10 - 11:40 HRS
Pablo Sánchez
Chef at Los Marinos José (Fuengirola, Málaga)
Presentation
Chinese cuisine without borders
12:20 - 12:50 HRS
Vicky Cheng
Chef at VEA Restaurant & Lounge* & WING (Hong Kong, China)
Presentation
Akrame Benallal's presentation
12:55 - 13:25 HRS
Akrame Benallal
Chef at Akrame* (Paris, France)
Presentation
Rio, from January to December
13:30 - 14:00 HRS
Rafa Costa e Silva
Chef at Lasai** (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Presentation
Soba in Japan
15:00 - 15:30 HRS
Tomohiko Kuchiiwa
Chef at Kuchiiwa Soba (Toyama, Japan)
Presentation
The soul of my heritage, served through food
16:10 - 16:40 HRS
Mano Thevar
Chef at Thevar** (Singapore)
Presentation
Green creativity
16:45 - 17:15 HRS
Coco Montes
Chef at Pabú* (Madrid, Spain)
Presentation
The recipe for these 30 years
11:45 - 12:15 HRS
Nandu Jubany
Chef at Can Jubany* (Calldetenes, Barcelona, Spain)
Presentation
Offal from the pampas
17:20 - 17:50 HRS
Dante Liporace
Chef at Mercado de Liniers (Buenos Aires, Argentina) & Dante (Madrid, Spain)
Presentation
Donaire, no boundaries between sweet and savoury
17:55 - 18:25 HRS
Jesús Camacho
Chef at Donaire* (Costa Adeje, Tenerife)
Presentation
Venta Moncalvillo: a farm to feed the vegetable garden
18:30 - 19:00 HRS
Ignacio y Carlos Echapresto
Chef andsommelier at Venta Moncalvillo** (Daroca de Rioja , La Rioja)
Presentation
Creating memories in cosmopolitan Madrid
10:00 - 10:30 HRS
Sergio Tofe
Chef at Èter* (Madrid)
Presentation
Echo in Sannio
10:35 - 11:05 HRS
Giuseppe Iannotti
Chef at Krèsios** (Telese Terme, Campania, Italy)
Presentation
Broad perspective. Diverse resources.
11:10 - 11:40 HRS
Pía León
Chef at Kjolle (Lima, Peru)
Presentation
Cooking with Nature
11:45 - 12:15 HRS
Gil Fernandes
Chef at Fortaleza do Guincho* (Cascais, Portugal)
Presentation
From coconut to lamb in Southeast Asia
12:55 - 13:25 HRS
Chele González
Chef at Gallery by Chele* (Manila, Philippines)
Presentation
The traceability of flavour
10:30 - 11:00 HRS
Jordi Butrón
Ex director of Espai Sucre (Barcelona, Spain)
Presentation
Fruit cocktails, the best pairing
11:05 - 11:35 HRS
Mireia Riba
Zumos Juver Ambassador
Presentation
The breakfast ritual: how to serve coffee worthy of a hotel
18:15 - 18:45 HRS
Ricardo Oteros
Founder and Executive President of SUPRACAFE
Presentation
The sweet and savoury cuisine of El Celler de Can Roca
12:15 - 12:45 HRS
Joan Roca
Chef at El Celler de Can Roca*** (Girona, Spain)
Jordi Roca
Pastry chef at El Celler de Can Roca*** (Girona, Spain)
Presentation
Air nougat
13:25 - 13:55 HRS
Albert Adrià
Chef at Enigma** (Barcelona, Spain)
Presentation
Beyond sweets: structure and concept of a dessert menu
16:00 - 16:30 HRS
Carmen Rueda Hernández
Pastry chef at BRIX Journey & BRIX Café (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
Presentation
A great hotel breakfast
17:40 - 18:10 HRS
Fran Segura
Owner of Fran Segura & Co (Alicante, Spain)
Presentation
Map of Azerbaijani pakhlava
11:40 - 12:10 HRS
Rufat Aliyarov
Food engineer at the Azerbaijan National Culinary Centre
Chingizkhan Almazov
Chef at the Azerbaijan National Culinary Centre
Presentation
Japanese pastries: the pastries of the air
10:50 - 11:20 HRS
Borja Gracia
Founder and head chef of Akita Foods (Madrid, Spain)
Presentation
Cooking with chocolate in 3 square centimetres
12:30 - 13:00 HRS
Gianluca Fusto
Pastry Chef and Maîtres Chocolatier at Fusto (Milan, Italy)
Presentation
Dry breads. Flavours, textures and memories
14:10 - 14:40 HRS
Diego Pagán
Baker at Artesanos San Ramón (Murcia, Spain)
Presentation
Carioca breeze
15:15 - 15:45 HRS
Paula Prandini
Pastry chef at Empório Jardim (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Presentation
Liquid nougat
17:00 - 17:30 HRS
Fátima Gismero
Pastry chef at Fátima Gismero (Pioz, Guadalajara, Spain)
Noelia Tomoshige
Owner and baker at Monroebakes (Getafe, Spain)
Presentation
Iberian puff pastries
17:35 - 18:05 HRS
Ricardo Vélez
Chocolatier at Moulin Chocolat (Madrid, Spain)
Presentation
'Ensaimadas' and 'torteles' with sobrasada
18:10 - 18:40 HRS
Jacobo y Pablo Moreno
Pastry chefs at Pastelería Mallorca (Madrid, Spain)
Presentation
New butter expressions
10:00 - 10:30 HRS
Alexis García
Pastry chef at 100% Hojaldre (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain)
Presentation
Sacher with S for Syrah
11:10 - 11:40 HRS
Raúl Bernal
Lapaca Pastry Shop (Huesca, Spain)
Presentation
Hard work, effort and method: the path taken by the Spanish National Bakery Team
12:50 - 13:20 HRS
José Roldán
Baker and pastry chef at Panadería El Brillante (Córdoba, Spain)
Presentation
The memory of taste: the secret evolutionary biology of gastronomic pleasure
10:50 - 11:15 HRS
Juli Peretó
Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Valencia & Researcher at the Institute of Integrative Systems Biology I2SysBio
Presentation
Who decides what we eat? Ultra-processed foods: shortcut or trap?
12:00 - 12:30 HRS
Gregorio Varela
Professor of Nutrition and Food Science at CEU University in Madrid
Presentation
Fake Food,how hoaxes sneak into our diet
10:30 - 11:00 HRS
Luis Martín
Director of Digital Business and Director of AI Solutions at LLYC
Presentation
Food as medicine. Foods that modulate
15:30 - 15:55 HRS
Elena Roura
Scientific Director of the Alícia Foundation (Sant Fruitós de Bages, Barcelona, Spain)
Valentín García Alcover
Vice President of Innovation Strategy at Eatable Adventures
Presentation
Matured fish
17:30 - 18:00 HRS
Gerônimo Athuel
Chef at Ocyuá (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Diego Schattenhofer
Chef at Taste 1973* (Arona, Tenerife, Spain)
Carlos Portillo
Chef át Bistronómika (Madrid, Spain)
Presentation
Salt and human health
13:00 - 13:30 HRS
Carlos Duarte
Professor of Marine Sciences at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) (Saudi Arabia)
Presentation
Applied genetics: from the laboratory to the farm: what does innovating at the source mean?
12:05 - 12:45 HRS
José Miguel Mulet
Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Polytechnic University of Valencia
Rafael Valenzuela
Royal Spanish Federation of Select Livestock Associations
Presentation
Gastronomy that does not yet exist. Cooking tomorrow
14:00 - 14:15 HRS
Toni Massanés
Director of the Alícia Foundation (Sant Fruitós de Bages, Barcelona, Spain)
Presentation
Jerez Gastronomic Capital 2026
11:00 - 11:30 HRS
Juanlu Fernández
Chef at Lú Cocina y Alma** (Jerez de la Frontera, Spain)
Israel Ramos
Chef at Mantúa* (Jerez de la Frontera, Spain)
Presentation
Teodoro Bardají: from Binéfar to the court
12:40 - 13:10 HRS
Eduardo Salanova
Chef at Canfranc Express* (Canfranc, Huesca, Spain)
Iris Jordán
Chef at Ansils* (Ansiles, Huesca, Spain)
Presentation
Under-22s at Teppanyaki and Aquanaria without waste
13:15 - 13:45 HRS
Joao Kather & Miguel de Aguilar
Chefs at Tetsu (Madrid, Spain)
Presentation
Origin, Territory and Excellence: the quality standards of Andalusian EVOO in haute cuisine
14:55 - 15:40 HRS
Juan Carlos García
Chef at Vandelvira* (Baeza, Jaén, Spain)
Patrocinado por la Junta de Andalucía, a través de la cofinanciación de los fondos FEDER de la Unión Europea
Presentation
Cuisine of remembrance and market
16:50 - 17:20 HRS
Mª José Pagán & Pedro Buitrago
Head waitress and chef at Tándem (Murcia, Spain)
Presentation
17:25 - 17:55 HRS
Jorge Peñate & Luis Martín
Chefs at Dos Naifes-Atlántico (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain)
Presentation
Bread as an ingredient
18:00 - 18:30 HRS
Dani Carnero
Chef at La Cosmopolita & Kaleja (Málaga, Spain)
Presentation
Karabakh lamb kebab techniques
18:35 - 19:05 HRS
Rufat Aliyarov
Food engineer at the Azerbaijan National Culinary Centre
Rasim Najafov
Executive Chef at the Azerbaijan National Culinary Centre
Sakina Asgarova
Director of Gastronomy at the Azerbaijan National Culinary Centre
Presentation
Mexican cuisine: the legacy of traditional cooks
11:20 - 11:50 HRS
Evelyn Castro
Editor Gastrolab
Israel Aretxiga
Executive chef Grupo Zeru
Presentation
Cow and grill: art and alliance
15:15 - 15:45 HRS
Mariano García Poyuelo
2023 Spanish Barbecue Champion
Javier Trabadelo Pol
Co-managing director of Trasacar
Presentation
What we learned to ignore
15:50 - 16:20 HRS
Gerônimo Athuel
Chef at Ocyuá (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Presentation
Sabores at the Center
16:25 - 16:55 HRS
Diogo Rocha
Chef at Mesa de Lemos* (Silgueiros, Portugal)
Presentation
The Revelation Chef go out for tapas with Balfegó
18:30 - 19:00 HRS
Presentation
China Taste: cuisine that transcends borders
11:05 - 11:35 HRS
Roberto Martínez Foronda
Chef at Tripea & Triperito (Madrid, Spain)
Yongping Zhang
Chef at Soy Kitchen (Madrid, Spain)
Presentation
Octopus, cashews, peanuts and aromatic pepper: typical Brazilian ingredients.
11:40 - 12:20 HRS
João Paulo Frankenfeld
Chef at Casa 201* (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Presentation
Huelva, mycological diversity: from basket to table
12:15 - 12:45 HRS
Luismi López
Chef at Arrieros (Linares de la Sierra, Huelva, Spain)
Daniel Calleja
Environmentalist and science communicator (Huelva, Spain)
Presentation
How can technology encourage creativity in the kitchen?
12:50 - 13:20 HRS
Sofia Cicinelli
Chef at Biribiri (Madrid, Spain)
Presentation
La Costa: we cook what we are, we cook what we have
14:00 - 14:30 HRS
José Álvarez
Chef at La Costa* (El Ejido, Almería, Spain)
Presentation
From its roots to the present day: wheat in Georgian cuisine. How to reinterpret tradition without losing identity
14:35 - 15:05 HRS
Guram Baghdoshvili
Chef at Karater (Lisboa, Portugal)
David Narimanishvili
Chef at Nunuka, Persimmon's (Madrid, Spain)
Presentation
The culinary and wine-producing character of Lanzarote, the cuisine of ingenuity
14:00 - 15:30 HRS
Presentation
An invitation to delve deeper into Washoku
16:00 - 17:30 HRS
Hideki Matsuhisa
Chef at Koy Shunka* (Barcelona, Spain)
Pablo Alomar
Sake expert. Founder and CEO of Salvioni Alomar.
Presentation
Between sea and mountains, village cuisine
18:00 - 19:30 HRS
Miguel Barrera
Chef at Cal Paradís* (La Vall d'Alba, Castellón, Spain)
Presentation
Creative Canarian cuisine with identity
14:15 - 15:45 HRS
Daniel Jiménez
Chef at La Tegala (Mácher, Lanzarote, Spain)
Presentation
Brazilian roots – cassava in Rio de Janeiro cuisine
12:30 - 14:00 HRS
Kátia Barbosa
Chef at Aconchego Carioca y Sofia (Río de Janeiro, Brazil)
João Diamante
Chef at Dois de Fevereiro (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Monique Gabiatti
Presentation
Spanish poultry, the most versatile product in traditional and avant-garde cuisine
17:45 - 19:00 HRS
Marta Lafarque
Head of Internationalisation at Avianza/Aves de España
Domingo Puentes & Mauricio Rodríguez
Chefs Ejecutivos del Grupo Arzábal
Presentation
We have a plan: Spanish cuisine seduces the world
10:30 - 11:00 HRS
José Miguel Herrero Velasco
Director General of Food at the Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Food (Madrid, Spain)
Presentation
The Diner
13:25 - 14:30 HRS
Paulo Airaudo
Chef at Amelia** (San Sebastián, Spain)
Ferran Adrià
Promoter of elBulli Foundation (Cala Montjoi, Girona, Spain)