Eliana Real, chef at the Bahía del Duque Hotel, excelled at the 8th Canary Islands Regional Gastronomy Contest, organised by ACYRE Canarias and held on 23 September at the Casa de El Capitán Museum in San Miguel de Abona, Tenerife. Together with her colleague Mirella González, she claimed the top prize in this prestigious regional cooking competition thanks to an original and flavour-packed proposal.
A contest that celebrates Canarian cuisine and local ingredients
The event brought together leading chefs and pastry chefs from across the Archipelago for a day dedicated to locally sourced and seasonal produce through workshops, talks and live demonstrations. Contestants were challenged to create two dishes featuring salema (white sea bream) and cochino negro (Canarian black pig), testing both their creativity and culinary skill.
The award-winning dishes: salema and Canarian black pig take centre stage
Eliana and Mirella’s menu began with a dish of salema served with seafood tortellini and citrus, followed by black pig cheeks with balsamic, chocolate and a fig sauce. “We wanted to showcase fresh, powerful flavours that would capture the jury’s attention while keeping the spotlight firmly on the main ingredient of each dish,” explained Eliana.
Their proposal stood out for its originality, technical finesse and ability to highlight the natural flavours of each ingredient, earning them first place and the jury’s praise.
Towards the National Culinary Competition in Mallorca
Thanks to this success, they will represent the Canary Islands at the National Cooking Contest this November at the Escola d’Hosteleria de les Illes Balears in Mallorca.
Eliana Real has been part of the Bahía del Duque Hotel team since 2016. She first joined as an intern and soon found in the hotel’s philosophy an ideal environment to develop her talent. Today, as chef de partie at La Brasserie by Pierre Résimont, she works alongside the celebrated Belgian chef – holder of two Michelin stars at his restaurant L’Eau Vive – to fuse the richness of Canarian produce with French ingredients, offering diners the refinement of Belgian and French cuisine. Her culinary style blends tradition with innovation, combining depth of flavour with recipes designed to captivate from start to finish.
An award that highlights Bahía del Duque’s culinary excellence
For Eliana and Mirella, the award is recognition of their dedication and teamwork: “For us, cooking is abaout blending technique with passion. This prize inspires us to keep creating dishes that surprise and move everyone who sits at our table.”
The Bahía del Duque Hotel has established its position as a gastronomic benchmark in the Canary Islands through its commitment to excellence, innovation and the promotion of local produce. With a unique and diverse culinary offering led by renowned chefs, the hotel reaffirms its pledge to provide guests with truly exceptional experiences.
