Packed to the rafters throughout the day, the main auditorium of Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España was the epicentre of the most multifaceted and disruptive edition in the history of the congress. One of the first chefs to take the stage was Quique Dacosta, introduced by conference president José Carlos Capel, who had words of remembrance for the pioneers of Madrid Fusión, both those who will be on stage again this year and the much-missed Paul Bocuse and Charlie Trotter.

The chef from Denia appeared on stage knowing that ‘coming to Madrid Fusión is always an exercise in responsibility. You come here to add value’. From there, he spoke about what is happening in Denia, where his menu is protected ‘as an artistic expression, that gastronomy is the eighth art’. Italian chef Mauro Uliassi, chef at Uliassi*** (Senigallia), returned to the Madrid Fusión stage to explain the approach he is taking at his restaurant, where the chef sits down with diners to share a dialogue about the menu and the dishes, thus altering the traditional chef-customer roles with the aim of seeking emotion, which for him is at the heart of cooking.

Albert Adrià, chef at Enigma** (Barcelona), spoke about the past, present and future of his career as a chef. At the end of his presentation, he confessed: ‘I am fearful, because I want the customer to enjoy themselves. I still get nervous’. He also pointed out that ‘creativity at the highest level occurs on rare occasions’, and spoke of the importance of the gastronomy of yesteryear, ‘of analysing the past and understanding it in order to evolve it’.

Dabiz Muñoz. Liquid gastronomy beyond pairings

With a packed auditorium and queues outside before the start, Dabiz Muñoz returned to Madrid Fusión like a rock star. Muñoz recalled that the conference is very special to him because it was here that he was named Revelation Chef in 2008, and he chose this venue to present “Metamorphosis”, the new liquid menu at DiverXO***. ‘The challenge has been to create a complete liquid menu with the same dose of creativity as the solid menu, allowing diners to enjoy the rollercoaster of flavours that is eating at DiverXO’, he said. ‘Metamorphosis seeks to go beyond the concept of pairing. The idea is for both menus to coexist, to run in parallel. It's a new discipline: two menus in one or two menus at once’, he said. He explained that there is an entire department of the restaurant dedicated to this development, combining cuisine, science, biochemistry, art and other disciplines. ‘At Metamorfosis, we look for drinks that have the umami of solid gastronomy’, said the chef, who explained the different ways to enjoy DiverXO's two offerings from now on, with the two complete menus or with the possibility of combining parts.

The new creations range from kombuchas to churros with drinkable Mexican mole, condensed consommé with game and wine, and Tom Yum soup with Motril shrimp.

Disfrutar, Ferran Adrià and Paulo Airaudo

Oriol Castro and Eduard Xatruch (Disfrutar***, Barcelona) spoke about their experiments with products such as raw peanuts and presented a garum made with hare and wood pigeon to enhance certain dishes. The technique used in Disfrutar's presentations is always astonishing. In this case, they worked with potato and corn starch in the form of film to make edible paper and plastic with flavours.

Ferran Adrià was also very present and active at the conference, recalling the work done at elBulli and explaining the spirit he is instilling in the Madrid Culinary Campus (MACC), the academic project born out of the collaboration between Vocento Gastronomía and the Pontifical University of Comillas, of which he is an advisor. Adrià encouraged the sector to practise more self-criticism. ‘Spain is a wonderful country, but we must improve, we must work, we must study and we must take risks’, he said. After Adrià, Paulo Airaudo, chef at Amelia** in San Sebastián, took the stage to reflect on the customer. ‘There is one basic question’, said Airaudo: ‘knowing what kind of customer you want at your table’. Airaudo is clear that ‘the tasting menu is not dead, although it is getting shorter because people don't want to spend so many hours eating. That is the trend’, he said. He advocated the ability to adapt. That is what allows survival. Every seat has a price. Otherwise, the numbers don't add up’.

A prototype to kill anisakis without altering the fish

Looking to the past for inspiration is one of the strongest trends in today's cuisine. Chefs such as Cristian Palacio (Gente Rara*, Zaragoza) addressed this, considering that ancestry ‘must be reformulated with today's perspective, means and knowledge’. This openness to the past and present led to a collaboration between the chef and his team and the University of Zaragoza, which allowed Palacio to present a revolutionary prototype developed by the centre's scientists that kills anisakis without freezing or altering the fish in any way.

Dreaming about the future of gastronomy

Dreams #SpainFoodTechNation did not disappoint at the start of its third edition, insisting on providing answers to the main challenges facing the future of gastronomy. Today, the focus was on the uncertain future of home cooking and the viability of restaurants as we know them, conditioned by new lifestyles and the language of the new generations. The other major topic of the day was the crisis facing traditional restaurants in the face of new business models. Part of the problem, said Nino Redruello of Grupo La Ancha, ‘is maintaining our DNA as the structure grows’.

The afternoon of Dreams #SpainFoodTechNation filled the ring with great expectation to hear from the top brass of the elBulli Foundation: Ferran Adrià, Lluís García and Ferran Centelles. In an entertaining and interactive talk, and based on the foundation's Sapiens methodology, they addressed the economic and operational challenges of today's gastronomic catering, offering useful and interesting tips to help restaurants remain competitive in an increasingly demanding and changing environment.

Between drinks and desserts

The first day of The Wine Edition Wines from Spain 2026 broke down barriers and explored new wine business models. Almudena Alberca MW deciphered the secret of slate terroir and its organoleptic impact, Ferran Centelles presented Volume VIII of Bullipedia: wine as an emotional catalyst in the customer experience, while François Chartier showed how wine can interact with food at a molecular level. Likewise, the rise of Spanish wines in the Philippines was demonstrated in the first Vinomio 60' of the event, with the fusion of Filipino cuisine and national labels, in the hands of chef Chele González and Paula Menéndez, from In Wine Veritas.

For its part, the Madrid Fusión Pastry stage offered a rich dialogue between sweet and savoury by Joan and Jordi Roca (El Celler de Can Roca***, Girona), who demonstrated that ‘there are no barriers in the kitchen’. The Roca brothers were not the only big names present; Jordi Butrón, Albert Adrià and his airy nougats, and baker José Roldán were also in attendance.