Varadero Gourmet International Festival: 15 editions with a truly Cuban flavor

For fifteen editions, the Varadero Gourmet International Festival has become much more than a culinary event. In 2025, it is already recognized as a space for meeting, innovation, and celebration of Cuban gastronomic identity. Its international reach seeks to showcase the culinary richness of a nation where cultures and craftsmanship merge.

The Plaza América Convention Center, the festival’s main venue, welcomes chefs and entrepreneurs, as well as academics, mixologists, and lovers of culinary creations, to present Varadero as a gastronomic destination of excellence.

Each edition has a particular focus, but they all share a common purpose: to improve the quality of gastronomic services in Cuba. In 2025, under the motto “Flavors without borders: The magic of fusion cuisine with Cuban soul,” this event focuses on fusion cuisine, highlighting the combination of cultures such as the Spanish, Chinese, and Caribbean in Cuban gastronomy.

One of the pillars of Varadero Gourmet has been the promotion of sustainable cuisine that encourages the use of local products, respect for seasonality, and reducing environmental impact. This is undoubtedly a benchmark that seeks to position Cuba as a destination committed to healthy and responsible cuisine.

The festival is also a platform for the academic development of industry professionals. Through presentations, workshops and competitions, its organizers and speakers promote the exchange of knowledge about cocktails, healthy cooking, sustainability, and bar techniques.

Over the past fifteen years, the festival has hosted culinary and evolutionary cocktail competitions, professional tastings and awards ceremonies, master classes and tastings, as well as presentations of local and international products.

This year, the First International Franchise Workshop will take place, a unique space that will explore how Cuban culture and identity can become competitive advantages in the tourism sector through iconic brands such as El Gato Tuerto, Bar Floridita, and La Bodeguita del Medio.

Approximately 30 exhibitors are expected to participate, including representatives from the public and private sectors.

With the support of the Cuban Ministry of Tourism, the Cubasol Business Group, and the Palmares Extra-Hotel Enterprise, the Varadero Gourmet International Festival attracts delegations from various countries and strengthens alliances between suppliers, entrepreneurs and industry professionals.