For 2023, the 20th CEUCO Congress was concluded with great success and attendance in the city of Castellion, Valencia, Spain, between October 27 and 29.
Every year, the heart of Europe’s haute gastronomy and oenology beats loudly at the annual conference of the European Council of Gastronomy and Oenology, known as CEUCO (Conseil Europeen des Confreries Oenogastronomiques), which takes place in a different country and city.
The annual CEUCO Conference is an important point of reference for European Gastronomy, as European countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Belgium and Hungary participate, while CEUCO members are well over ten thousand, with the aim of spreading the cultural, historical and qualitative dimensions of gastronomy.
The European Council of Gastronomy and Oenology has established, after evaluation, the annual awards, with the selection of the one and only, best European of its kind (Best European).
For 2023, the best European olive producer was the company “Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms“, from Greece and Sparta, who were honored with the title of BEST EUROPEAN ORGANIC OLIVE PRODUCER 2023, winning 1st place by the tasters and CEUCO members.
It is very important to emphasize that it is the first time that an olive producer from any European country has been awarded, in the seventeen years that the high level of difficulty culinary awards have been held and highlight the best European of its kind.
At this year’s conference in Spain, hundreds of delegates from all over Europe, chefs, experts, tasters but also producers, hoteliers, restaurateurs and CEUCO guests participated and tasted the valuable products of each country, while the Diplomacy of Greek Gastronomy was the point of reference, with a wide variety of products from Greece, prepared by the chefs of the Acropolis Chef’s Club of Attica, together with the Chef’s Club of Corfu and presented for evaluation to the delegates.
The mission of the Greek Gastronomic team was under the auspices of the General Secretariat for Hellenism Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the Greek National Tourism Organization E.O.T.
The granting of this rare award to Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms was made to their founder George Sakellaropoulos, by the president of CEUCO Mr. Carlos Martin Cosme and the vice-president Mr. Konstantinos Mouzakis, in a particularly brilliant ceremony at the city’s Auditorium and Convention Centre in Castellion, Valencia, Spain, in the presence of political, social and culinary personalities from all over Europe.
George Sakellaropoulos in his acceptance speech at the end of the ceremony, addressing the president, vice-presidents and members of CEUCO, said: “In me today, with this uniquely honorable award of the European Organic Olive Producer 2023, my country Greece, my homeland Sparta and the Greek Olive Industry are rewarded, but also all Greek olive producers in general. Today, the multi-year effort of ” Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms”, which started from a vision to reach the top of culinary Europe today, is being awarded with your rare but very special award, which is a lifetime award. I express my deepest gratitude from the bottom of my heart for this great honor, and I invite you and the members of CEUCO to visit my special homeland, the city of Sparta, in the Peloponnese.”
At this year’s CEUCO conference, the concerns of the international culinary community as well as the legitimate questions of professionals about the increases in primary and secondary sector products worldwide were recorded. Thoughts were also heard on the quality, variety and promotion of Europe’s culinary and wine tourism, as specifically mentioned by the President of CEUCO Mr. Carlos Martin Cosme.
The Vice-President of CEUCO Mr. Konstantinos Mouzakis in his speech stressed that “the journey of European gastronomy in the year 2023 is on another level and especially sustainable gastronomy gives a different touch to professional kitchens, which are now cooking “Green menus”. The realization that today’s food production will have a significant impact on tomorrow’s environment has led a portion of the culinary world, both those in the kitchen and those managing food establishments, to adopt a new operating framework, a new “roadmap”.
We must, through some small moves in our business and especially in the gastronomy sector, follow sustainable gastronomy and ensure a better tomorrow for the planet with reduced environmental impact”, said Mr. Mouzakis.
