This event, which will be attended by 700 people, is the FIL’s major social gathering. This chef will also prepare the menus for the Gastronomy Festival, a buffet offered by Los Vitrales restaurant at Hotel Barceló over the nine days of the fair and which will present a selection of dishes typical of Barcelona cuisine.

The chef that has been selected to represent the city knows Catalan gastronomy very well and also dominates Mexican cuisine. Gerard Bellver is the chef and owner of Jiribilla restaurant in the Sant Antoni neighbourhood of Barcelona. He is committed to combining the best of Catalan and Mexican traditions, with high quality products and innovative culinary techniques. Born in Barcelona, he trained in prestigious restaurants such as Tezka, Arzak and El Bulli.  In 1995, he moved to Mexico and lived there for 28 years. He worked as a head chef in the Spanish embassy in Mexico and in Biko restaurant (a gastronomic benchmark in Latin America). In 2023, he returned to Barcelona and opened his own business, the Jiribilla restaurant.