The next edition of Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España will arrive with the slogan "The customer takes the lead". After years in which great restaurateurs set the pace for the gastronomic experience, the movement is now going in the opposite direction. Diners are demanding more freedom, authenticity and decision-making power. This will be the most global edition in the event's 24-year history, with more international chefs than Spanish ones on the main stage. It will take place from 26 to 28 January 2026 in Hall 14 of Ifema. There, the major global gastronomic summit will address the new challenges facing the world of gastronomy. This is an industry undergoing a transformation, where the passive diner is disappearing and an informed, demanding and discerning consumer is emerging.The relationship between the kitchen and the dining room has changed from a vertical one to a horizontal conversation, with the public setting the pace and the discourse.

Everything happening in the dining room and at the table is being reviewed. The rigid structure of tasting menus, which for decades symbolised fine dining where excellence, ritual and creativity reigned supreme, is being questioned by a significant number of customers who no longer accept empty narratives. An increasing number of diners want to customise their experience, choosing dishes, skipping steps or even rejecting elements that no longer feel right for them. The same is true of mandatory pairings, which many customers are rejecting because they prefer to enjoy wine without restrictions.

Hyperopinion and social media

This change did not come out of nowhere; it reflects a broader social phenomenon. In an era of hyper-opinion, social media and open public conversation, customers arrive at restaurants with their own criteria and, above all, a critical stance towards certain established codes. They want to be heard, not directed. They want their point of view to have a real impact on their experience.

At the same time, demand is shifting towards a more fundamental approach. More substance, less artifice. Diners seek clarity and truth in their food, often finding it in ancestral techniques that bring fire, smoke, fermentation, dough, and slow cooking back to the forefront. In this return to their roots, they recognise consistency and honesty — values that carry more weight today than technical complexity or visual impact.

The new luxury

The slogan 'The customer takes the leadl' does not signal a rebellion against haute cuisine, but rather its natural evolution. The new luxury is not about letting yourself go; it's about playing an active role in the experience. The challenge for restaurants will be to strike a balance between diners' freedom and chefs' vision, while maintaining their identity and building a rapport with their customers.

In this new scenario, great chefs don't just cook; they listen, too. They listen to the territory, the producer, the planet and, above all, the customer. They adapt, reinterpret and question. Diners demand diversity, regeneration, authenticity and experiences that connect with the territory or personal memory. Many of the chefs selected this year, from all continents, best represent this transformation: cuisine for a customer who participates, demands and evolves, rather than just observing. They represent a world in which cuisine stops imposing and starts conversing. Diners want to participate, influence and feel part of the experience, rather than just being spectators.

The new geography of flavour

That is why international chefs from Europe, Asia and America will be coming to Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España, having reformulated their menus to cater for this new type of curious, critical, informed and emotional diner. The first list of confirmed chefs is extensive and includes Bas van Kranen, the Dutch chef from the Flore** restaurant in Amsterdam, who is one of the most radical figures in European cuisine today.

Following a break due to the pandemic, he questioned the traditional foundations of European cuisine by eliminating dairy products — no butter, cream or milk — and creating a new approach to gastronomy based on awareness, responsibility and connection with the producer. His dishes, with a rural foundation and subtle Japanese influence, demonstrate that creativity flourishes when familiar conventions are challenged.

Hailing from Paris is the magnetic Bruno Verjus (Table**, Paris), ranked eighth in the world on the The50Best list. He is a cultured, hedonistic and deeply free autodidact. He doesn't follow rules or repeat formulas. Every morning, he receives whatever his producers send him, often without asking, and uses this unpredictable selection of ingredients to create a cuisine that shuns artifice. Verjús is a storyteller who cooks and a philosopher of taste who champions simplicity as the path to intensity.

At his side is another Parisian with a nomadic spirit: Akrame Benallal (Akrame*), one of the most exciting voices in French cuisine. Born in Paris, raised in Oran and trained alongside Pierre Gagnaire, Akrame's career was further shaped by an internship at elBulli. He represents modern France: a blend of Maghrebi heritage, French technique and an imagination that transforms each dish into a feat of precision and audacity. His minimalist, surprising and travelling cuisine has brought vitality back to the Parisian scene.

Mauro Uliassi returns!

Eighteen years after his last appearance at Madrid Fusión, one of the great stars of Italian cuisine returns: Mauro Uliassi (Uliassi***, Senigallia, Italy), whose contemporary Adriatic-inspired seafood cuisine is pure and elegant, with the product handled with absolute sensitivity. He reinterprets tradition from the heart, saying, 'Grandmother is an emotion, not a recipe', and transforms the flavours of memory without copying them, returning them with a personal and light touch. This is all supported by a rigorous creative laboratory that renews its offerings every year with precise techniques, fresh ideas, and a deeply personal identity.

Italy will also present one of the most beautiful stories of this edition: that of Diego Rossi, the creative force behind the Trippa phenomenon in Milan. Rossi has shown that creativity is not confined to the temples of fine dining. Starting from a simple trattoria without a tasting menu or R&D laboratory, he has revolutionised popular Italian cuisine. His trippa fritta, airy vitello tonnato and reinterpreted traditional recipes have won over the entire gastronomic community. Rossi proves that emotion can arise from simplicity when combined with technique, sensitivity and authenticity.

Another Italian chef featured in this edition is Giuseppe Iannotti (Krèsios**, Telese Terme), whose work represents one of the most original voices in contemporary Italian cuisine. A former engineering student who became a self-taught chef, he has created a unique project on his family's old farm in the heart of Campania. There, he combines local produce with contemporary techniques and boundless creativity. His cuisine explores fermentation, maturation and locally sourced produce, always reinterpreted with a bold, experimental approach. Krèsios is not just a restaurant; it is a gastronomic ecosystem comprising a bistro, a bottega and hospitality spaces. This reflects a philosophy that champions total freedom of expression and absolute respect for the product.

Asia will also be powerfully represented. Vicky Cheng, chef at Wing* in Hong Kong and ranked 11th in The World's 50 Best Restaurants, has created a cuisine that reimagines Chinese culinary heritage from a contemporary perspective. Canadian by training, French in technique and deeply Chinese in spirit, Cheng has reinterpreted the eight traditional regional cuisines with the elegance of haute cuisine. Her dry-aged Cantonese chicken, sea cucumber presented as pancetta, and smoked pigeon with sugarcane have become iconic dishes that combine memory, technique, and narrative.

Japanese chef Tomohiko Kuchiiwa is the man behind the Kuchiiwa Soba bar, a small restaurant in Toyama where he elevates soba to the level of haute cuisine. With almost ceremonial precision, he works with humble grains such as buckwheat, grinding them daily and adjusting calibres and textures to create menus in which each course offers a different interpretation of soba.

In his intimate, minimalist restaurant with just eight seats, Kuchiiwa offers deeply artisanal cuisine that elevates a humble ingredient to a symbol of Japanese identity, technique and sensibility. Chef Mano Thevar, at the helm of Thevar (Singapore), is one of the most influential figures in contemporary Indian cuisine. With Tamil roots and training in European techniques, he has created a style that combines spices from southern India with a modern, precise and elegant approach. Dishes such as his chettinad chicken, lobster in curry beurre blanc, and reinterpreted Malaysian classics showcase a cuisine that is explosive in flavour yet refined in form. In his unassuming restaurant, which has become a gastronomic destination, Mano Thevar has succeeded in redefining Indian cuisine for the modern age, establishing himself as a key figure in the Asian culinary scene.

Completing this Asian map is Chele González from Cantabria, who has brought Filipino cuisine to the international stage from Manila. His restaurant, Gallery by Chele, is a pioneer of contemporary Filipino haute cuisine. Having trained in the Spanish avant-garde at Arzak, elBulli and Mugaritz, Chele now embraces local produce, culinary anthropology and sustainability, building a soulful gastronomy through direct collaboration with farmers, fishermen and indigenous communities. His cuisine is a blend of research, memory and future.

Homage to the sea

The Portuguese Atlantic coast will be represented in Madrid by Gil Fernandes, the chef at Fortaleza do Guincho*, a chef and biologist who collects seaweed from the rocks with a knife every day. His cuisine is a true tribute to the sea, incorporating his own fermented products, broths made from every part of the fish, and wild coastal herbs, all informed by a deep understanding of natural cycles. From his 17^(th)-century fortress, Fernandes has created a menu that exudes sustainability and scientific knowledge.

Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España also showcases the best of Latin American cuisine, with Pía León at the helm. León is one of the most prominent figures in global gastronomy, having been named Best Female Chef in the World in 2021 and the 9th best chef in the world by The50Best Restaurants for her work at Kjolle in Lima, Peru. She is creative, rigorous and deeply committed to research, and connected to the land. Kjolle is, in essence, a celebration of Peru: its diversity, its mestizo culture, and the universe of ingredients that Pía transforms into luminous, free, and deeply contemporary cuisine. Born from Mater, the ecosystem research centre that she runs with Virgilio and Malena Martínez, her cuisine is fuelled by Peru's most diverse ingredients: tubers, roots, Amazonian plants, grains, flowers and marine fruits. Kjolle offers a free, colourful and poetic interpretation of the country and celebrates the territory as a living kaleidoscope.

Santiago Muñoz is the chef at Maizajo in Mexico City, a project based on respect for corn and the reinterpretation of traditional Mexican cuisine with technical rigour and a contemporary vision. At 32, Muñoz pays tribute to native corn, especially 'maizajo', an ancestral variety, and reinterprets Mexican flavours. Muñoz represents a new generation of Mexican chefs who combine local produce, technical refinement and a clear desire to promote Mexican cuisine worldwide.

Spanish chefs attending this edition of Madrid Fusión include Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casañas (Disfrutar***), Quique Dacosta (Restaurante Quique Dacosta***), Coco Montes (Pabú*), Albert Adrià (Enigma*) and Borja Marrero (Muxgo*) and Juan Viú (Mare).

Madrid Fusión Pastry

Over the next few weeks, more participants will be announced for Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España, which will also host the fourth edition of Madrid Fusión Pastry. This major forum focuses on pastries, baking, chocolate and coffee. Leading figures in the world of sweet cuisine will be in attendance, including Albert Adrià, Jordi Roca, Alexis García, Diego Pagán, Fran Segura, Fátima Gismero, Noelia Tomosighe, Mireia Riba, José Roldán (named the world's best baker in 2025 by the International Union of Bakers), Paco Torreblanca, Pablo and Jacobo Moreno, Ricardo Vélez, Jordi Butrón, Aaron Melero and chocolatiers Oriol Balaguer and Raúl Bernal.

The fifth edition of The Wine Edition – Wines from Spain, the Madrid Fusión wine congress, will also take place, featuring important new developments to be announced in the coming weeks. There will also be the third edition of Dreams #SPAINFOODTECHNATION, where the future of food is discussed, and where the worlds of science, health, technology, and gastronomy share experiences relating to the agrifood and agrotech sectors. Madrid Fusión Dreams will also announce its programme in the coming days.

The Experience stage

A major new feature is the Experience Stage, which replaces the multi-purpose stage and represents an evolution of this space. It will become a dynamic meeting point where interaction takes centre stage, redefining its function within the congress.

The Experience stage will continue to host the official Madrid Fusión competitions, one of the event's most recognisable features, but it will expand its offering by incorporating cooking demonstrations with live tastings accessible to all audience members. This means that the audience will be able to both watch and taste what is being prepared on stage. Experience was created to improve the visitor experience at Madrid Fusión, offering a more open and participatory gastronomic experience.

At Madrid Fusión 2026, the Revelation Awards for the best chef, pastry chef and maître d'hôtel will be presented once again, as will the Alimentos de España award for Product Promotion. The Best Chef of the Year in Europe award will also be presented again this year. Alongside the traditional culinary competitions recognising the best ham croquette, escabeche, creative cuisine with Italian ingredients and cheese snacks, there will be more recent additions such as the best hotel breakfast, steak tartare and empanada competitions. New competitions include the 1st World's Best Flan Championship, the World's Best Torrija Championship, and the Best Smoked Salmon with the Best Croissant Championship.

In terms of new developments, it is also worth noting that Rio de Janeiro has been chosen as the International Guest City at this year's Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España. This recognition highlights the city's vibrant culinary scene and its ability to combine tradition, cultural fusion and creativity. Rio de Janeiro will arrive in Madrid with some of its best chefs, who represent a gastronomy influenced by Brazilian biodiversity, Afro-indigenous flavours and neighbourhood culture, as well as a new generation of chefs redefining the meaning of cooking in the city today. Meanwhile, the Guest Region will be Aragón, a territory that champions the quality of its local produce, agricultural wealth and extreme landscapes, as well as a cuisine that naturally moves between rural, innovative and deeply identity-based traditions. Thus, the territories of Rio de Janeiro and Aragon will converge in Madrid to demonstrate how geography continues to inspire the finest cuisine.

Tickets for Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España 2026 are now available, allowing professionals from anywhere in the world to experience the conference in person or online. The full three-day pass, which provides access to all presentations, activities and programme content, is priced at €250. This option offers the most comprehensive event experience, enabling you to closely follow the chefs' work, access the main auditorium, learn about trends, and participate in the most influential gastronomic summit on the international stage.