Gastro Trends 2011 finished

This year’s Gastro Trendy fair was the center of the culinary events. It held the eleventh edition of the most important culinary competition in the country - Polish Culinary Cup. The fair was the venue of the next Coffee Olympics, i.e. Polish Championships of Coffee Shop Chains and Polish Cup Tasting Championships. There were also a few days' long coffee workshops. New initiatives included projects "Cooking in High Heels. The School of Culinary Theatre", National Finals of the International Master Bartender, as well as sandwich workshops "Between Rolls". The fair featured the first edition of trainings for the restaurateurs on this year's theme "How to get customers and not go bankrupt"

During five days (11 - 15 September) the whole event encompassing six different fair exhibitions: Polagra-Food, Polagra-Tech, Gastro Trendy, Pakfood, Tastes of Regions oraz KWZH was visited by 45 thousand visitors. 

This year’s exhibition was visited by the President of Poland Bronisław Komorowski, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos and Ministers of Agriculture from Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova and the Russian Federation. The fair guests included many culinary authorities such as Magda Gessler, a restaurateur known for her passion for culinary revolutions, Robert Makłowicz, the culinary globetrotter and titled chef Kurt Scheller.

The fair hosted the eleventh edition of the Polish Culinary Cup - considered the most important and prestigious culinary competition in our country. The winners were Robert Echaust and Jakub Walczak from Platinum Palace Residence of Poznan. They were the best at the preparation of the competition dish, i.e. veal cheeks with the the meat of maturing and fresh crayfish. The second place was taken by Przemyslaw Wieloch and Grzegorz Cielecki from the restaurant Jan z Bełchatowa, and the third by Krzysztof Zdunek and Sławomir Twork from BanGlob of Gdynia. The finalists were evaluated by an international jury composed of recognized European chefs.

Gastro Trendy fair was the place of Polish premiere of the "Cooking in High Heels - The School of Culinary Theatre" project. This innovative initiative was aimed at women in the catering industry: owners of restaurants, hotels, female chefs, managers, owners and representatives of HoReCa and FMCG companies, culinary experts, teachers of vocational subjects, representatives of the industry media and book authors. - I am very happy that "Cooking in High Heels" met with so much interest of Polish gastronomy women. We have been preparing this project for a year and a half, and the last four exhibition days proved that it really was worth trying! (...) – sums up Joanna Ochniak, the organizer of this remarkable project. 

Over one hundred restaurant managers and gastronomic premises owners participated in the training: "How to get customers and not go bankrupt .... or prudent marketing in times of crisis". During training the restaurateurs could learn how to prepare a successful advertising campaign for both newly opened and already working restaurants. Participants of the training jointly agreed that it opened their eyes to many issues, which they did not realize so far, and that they really needed such a boost in their activity.

Great attention was attracted by the "Sandwich Workshop - Between Rolls" organized for the first time during the Gastro Trendy fair. Discover the secrets of famous Sandwiches". Their participants could learn what sandwiches are the most suitable for a sandwich bar. On the whole there were seven thematic workshops featuring among others seasonal cuisine, cuisine compatible with blood group or occupation. Workshop leaders explained how to prepare healthy sandwiches for cardiac patients, pregnant women, people with high cholesterol level and osteoporosis. They also spoke about the types of sandwiches served in various countries and regions of the world, including Italy, France, Greece, England, but also in Hawaii, Wielkopolska and Podhale.

During the seventeenth Forum of Bakers and Confectioners the best Polish confectioners, including members of the national baker's team, baked breads and baguettes with new bread supplements. Polish confectioners ran a show of caramel and marzipan products and presented the most beautiful wedding cake decorations.

An increasingly visible interest in coffee and events promoting the coffee drinking culture was noticeable at the GASTRO TRENDY fair, where there were several major coffee related events, and professional trainings for restaurants and baristas. One of these events was the Fourth Coffee Olympics, the only Polish Championships of Coffee Shop Chains. It was won by the Empik Cafe chain (Anita Filipek and Katarzyna Zając), the second place went to Coffee Heaven chain (Konrad Konieczny and Piotr Wołowicz), and the third to Green Coffee (Edyta Miklasiewicz and Ewa Wojciechowska). The competition struggle was accompanied by the Coffee Academy®, involving numerous coffee shows and presentations.

The stand of the Polish branch of SCAE held the Polish Cup Tasting Championships. The title of the best coffee tester in Poland was awarded to Mikołaj Panasik of Kafo Café in Gliwice, who correctly recognized seven out of the eight coffee sets within 4 minutes and 37 seconds. At the stand of the Polish branch of SCAE the barista champions and market experts ran workshops on cultivation and flavor characteristics of top quality coffee, sensory evaluation, preparation of espresso and espresso-based drinks including latte art techniques, and combining coffee with alcohol.

Ten best Polish bartenders representing all Polish regions met in Poznan during the Polish finals of the International Master Bartender 2011. Competing under the watchful eye of the jury led by the beer experts together with Robert Makłowicz, the bartenders had to prove their perfection in beer serving. The winner was Alicja Zabłocka who will represent our country at the international finals in the Czech Republic. Second place and the audience award was granted to Edyta Baranowska from Bydgoszcz, and the third to Renata Kołodziejczyk from Czestochowa.

This year’s Gastro Trendy was as usual a meeting place for restaurateurs, managers, owners of catering companies, catering accessories manufacturers, baristas and chefs and culinary masters from Poland and many European countries.

Next year's trade fair block dedicated to gastronomy will be held on 8-11 October 2012. See you next year.