Jacket suits and sequins.
Hugs, toast with glasses of Moët & Chandon.
Bites of seared lobster, goat and sea bass in a delicious cocktail under the golden rays of the sun at sunset.
Photographers, poses, elegance, electronic music and the Mediterranean as a backdrop.
The list of glamorous ingredients was endless on Monday night at the Los Monteros hotel, where Marbella kicked off its season of great social events.
He did it for solidarity reasons: fundraising for the Down Spain Foundation and under the initiative of ChefsForChildren.
The shine was provided by more than thirty chefs who came from all over the country to add almost 70 Michelin stars and as many Repsol Soles.
beach clubs
and hotels have already started the summer.
"This is already an obligatory appointment in our agenda", affirmed Jesús Sánchez (from the Cenador de Amós).
Wearing a rigorous suit jacket and his classic beret on his head, the Navarrese highlighted the hospitality of Marbella: “They always welcome us wonderfully”.
The chefs Eneko Atxa (Azurmendi) and Diego Guerrero (DSTAgE) confirmed it while chatting with the guests and repeating: “You have to get involved in causes like this”.
The act allowed the collection of 10,000 euros for the Down Spain association, an entity that brings together 90 associations distributed throughout all the autonomous communities.
As explained by one of the members of its board of directors, Francisco Muñoz, the figure will go to the Play Down program, which will take place in Malaga and will include initiatives for school reinforcement and speech therapy for people with Down syndrome.
“This support is blessed glory”,
said Muñoz, star of a solidarity gala that is beginning to consolidate -this is the fourth edition- in Marbella and which will be followed this summer by the already traditional Global Gift promoted by the actress Eva Longoria and the one developed by the Starlite Festival in the hands of Sandra Garcia-Sanjuán and Antonio Banderas.
There is no doubt that the Costa del Sol is the place where international residents and celebrities scratch their pockets for social purposes: here the cutlery cost 350 euros.
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Very elegant and talkative at the welcome cocktail, Quique Dacosta (Quique Dacosta Restaurant) highlighted the importance of chefs coming together to contribute to different causes.
“The family is growing and we are getting involved in everything that ChefsForChildren asks of us,” explained the man from Cáceres, who knows very well the situation of people with Down syndrome through his brother David.
He also has close relatives Fernando Villasclaras (El Lago).
“I know about the care and affection they need and any collection that is achieved is little”, explained one of those in charge of preparing the dinner menu, with eight passes and designed by chefs from Malaga restaurants with a star —José Carlos García, Benito Gómez, Mauricio Giovanni and Diego Gallegos, in addition to Villasclaras—;
with an extra plate by Martín Berasategui.
lively, fun,
photocall
while mentioning his classic “¡Garrote!”
and he claimed to be excited after more than two years without seeing his colleagues and having suffered first-hand the ravages of the coronavirus.
“I have been very screwed.
We humans are so fragile… and to see myself here now with my colleagues is incredible”, he explained.
Master classes for children
The serene, formal and elegant atmosphere of the dinner —whose gala was presented by the actor Canco Rodríguez— was the second act of an intense day for the chefs.
In the morning, in the same location, they were in charge of directing workshops for 150 children between 6 and 12 years old from different local schools and Down Spain associations.
"The initiative has two objectives: fundraising and promoting healthy eating," recalled Pilar Candil, director of Lima Communication, the agency promoting the event.
For this ChefsForChildren organizes throughout the year different workshops with minors in Spanish cities such as Madrid, Valencia or Malaga, which this Monday was joined by the one in Marbella, carried out with the support of brands such as Porsche, Acciona or Joselito.
The minors prepared different recipes —fruit skewers, tartlets or couscous and citrus salad— together with the chefs, who taught them their tricks and told them the importance of a good diet.
The professionals, yes, enjoyed it more than the children: shortly after the activity began, Ángel León (Aponiente) ran from one side to the other, splashing syrup and chocolate on the rest of the chefs.
His jacket cried out for a washing machine.
"This is the south and you have to come and have a good time," he said while his colleagues, with their sleeves rolled up, had fun like children.
Later, the man from Cádiz became serious to underline the importance of the initiative.
“There are children who want to be cooks, but the important thing is the reality of cooking every day, something that is done less and less.
Many fathers and many mothers ask me for recipes for their children to eat fish.
I tell them to go to the market on a Saturday morning, show them the fish, pet them, tell them a story, then clean them at home, make up another story, and finally eat them.
Possibly that is the best way,” she claimed.
With his face smeared with strawberry syrup, chef Ricard Camarena highlighted the impact of events like the one held by ChefsForChildren: "Feeling useful in this kind of thing gives meaning to the effort of coming and leaving your house for a couple of days," he said between the hustle and bustle, the shouts and the laughter of the little ones, who interrupted the interviews to ask for autographs, take helium balloons or ask for some advice for their elaborations.
"In the end, they give us much more than we give them," added the very young Mario Cachinero (Skina).
“Coming to these places is one of the most beautiful reasons why being a chef is worthwhile”, said Elena Arzak happily after directing a workshop on brochettes and potato salad, which ended on the head of Jesús Sánchez.
The chef of the Arzak restaurant pointed out that these events also serve as a congress,
of meeting in which to exchange opinions and situations.
And they do it while savoring the day in a much less stressful environment than their kitchens and waving the flag of solidarity.
