The Westin Palace Madrid - News - Tapas, Pintxos y Petiscos

"Tapas, Pintxos y Petiscos" is the name of Starwood's new culinary program. The program, which will run from April, aims to expand and enhance the gastronomic offer of Starwood Hotels in the region of Iberia.

14 chefs from 14 hotels in Spain and Portugal have gathered for a groundbreaking initiative to create the "Tapas, Pintxos y Petiscos" menu that will be present in all the hotels in the region and will offer an interesting assortment of miniature culinary delights.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts brought together last March 17 chefs from the majority of its hotels in Spain and Portugal at the Westin Palace Madrid to present the first edition of the "Tapas, Pintxos y Petiscos" menu. The menu will be on offer in the bar area of such prestigious hotels as the Maria Cristina in San Sebastian, the Alfonso XIII in Seville, the Marques de Riscal and the Sheraton Algarve (the four Luxury Collection hotels), hotels Le Meridien, the Westin Valencia and Madrid, the Sheraton in Portugal, the Sheraton Santa Maria de El Paular and the recently opened W Barcelona.

After two intense days of visits to various hot spots of Madrid such as Mercamadrid and the Mercado de San Miguel, the 14 chefs met to share experiences, recipes and their savoir faire in the kitchen. This initiative sees several nationalities together for the first time under the corporate umbrella of Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Before the official presentation of the "Tapas, Pintxos y Petiscos" menu, the jury composed of representatives from the world of art, food, communication and the hotel world contributed their expertise and vision, voting for their favourite tapas based on criteria such as presentation, taste and quality. The jury members were Eva Celada, writer, journalist and expert in gastronomy, Borja Manso, Director of Film, Antonio Fournier, President of PISG Holding Group of Investments, gourmet and communications expert, Juan Antonio Casas, Chairman of the Spanish Association of DMCs Dynamic CEO & Partner and Susanna Tocca, Managing Director of Aims Portugal.

The jury issued a ruling that was somewhat unexpected, since they decided to award 4 prizes instead of 3. The first prize was shared by Juan Manuel Rodriguez and Ugur Talayhan, Chefs of Alfonso XIII and the Sheraton Algarve respectively, given that they both achieved the same high score for a sweet dish (Alfonso XIII) and for a savoury dish (Sheraton Algarve). Iker González del Maria Cristina was awarded the 2nd prize and Sandro di Marco, The Westin Palace on the 3rd.

Once informed of the decision of the Jury, attendees could sample the selection of tapas presented by our 14 chefs, as well as the products provided by our invaluable partners. These were: Domecq, with their wine Azpilicueta, Vinos de los Herederos del Marqués de Riscal, Pernod Ricard, Antonio de Miguel, Codorniu, Mahou, Santos Carrasco Manzano, Ahumados Domínguez, Polesud Helados y Postres and the oil of Oleo Salgado.

PARTICIPATING CHEFS

SHERATON PORTO HOTEL & SPA - Ilidio BARBOSA
HOTEL SANTA MARIA DE PAUL - ANTONIO GISTAU
HOTEL MARQUÉS DE RISCAL - JOSÉ RAMÓN PIÑEIRO
SHERATON LISBOA HOTEL & SPA - PEDRO SEQUEIRA
SHERATON LA CALETA RESORT & SPA - JOHN HORNSBY
THE WESTIN VALENCIA - SERIOUS ALONSO
LE MERIDIEN BARCELONA - EUGENI CORTES
THE WESTIN PALACE MADRID - SANDRO DI MARCO
SHERATON ALGARVE HOTEL, ALBUFEIRA - UGURA TALAYHAN
LE MERIDIEN RA BEACH HOTEL & SPA - CARLES GASSO
LE MERIDIEN PENINA GOLF & RESORT - BERNARD LUISSIANA
HOTEL MARIA CRISTINA, SAN SEBASTIAN - IKER GONZÁLEZ
W BARCELONA - HEINRICH MOEDAS
HOTEL ALFONSO XIII - JUAN MANUEL RODRÍGUEZ