Last year we celebrated our First Cheese Cooking Congress, and after evaluating the experience and feeling the satisfaction of all attendees this year we could not stay behind.
For this edition we wanted to do something different but, like last year, we wanted to keep our main objective of promoting the role of sheep cheese from Castilla y León as an innovative element in our culinary, nutritional, social and cultural habits. We also love to explore the elaboration of cheese dishes and new techniques. It is very important for La Antigua to pay tribute to all those who maintain the cheese-making tradition in Spain: shepherds, artisan manufacturers, cooks, etc.
Therefore, in this second edition, the main protagonists and those who left the most emotional moments of the night were the award winners. There were 3 awards.
The first, the ” GAG-QueseríaLa Antigua Traditional Shepherd Award” went to Mr. Octavio Martín Arroyo, a 59-year-old shepherd from La Mula de Sayago in Zamora. It has a flock of about 500 native Churra breed sheep. The production of these sheep is used for the only cheese in Castilla y Leon with Protected Designation of Origin, Queso Zamorano. This award recognizes a lifetime of dedication to his profession, that of shepherd.
The second ” GAG-QueseríaLa Antigua New Shepherds Award” went to Agusvel Sociedad Cooperativa. This four-member cooperative is the perfect mirror in which to view itself for the new entrepreneursThanks to their efforts and learning, they currently own 1,900 ewes, 1,600 of which are breeding ewes, all of them Assaf, producing 800,000 liters of milk per year. sheep’s milk per year. This award recognizes this intense work during 10 years in which they have created a model farm of cattle management with a very good seasonality.
The third, “Commitment Award” to the Parador Nacional de Turismo de Zamora. This award recognizes the work that this Parador has been doing with Zamorano products and, of course, with the cheeses of Quesería La Antigua de Fuentesaúco.
In every cheese cooking congress, cheese cooking could not be missing, that’s why we wanted to count on the best. Eugeny Kuzhmin and Elena Yartseva came from Russia to join us both at this congress and at the San Sebastian Gastronomika, and the national chefs Goyo Moreno, Head Chef of the Parador de Zamora, Santos Vicente, Chef de Cuisine at Parador de Salamanca, Helio Flores of Laboratorio Gastronómico Los Alamos, David Berrocal of Lilicook, Ramiro Gutierrez of Café Especial Xirex and Julio Cesar Macias of Wabi Sabi Japanese Tavern.
All of them used Quesería La Antigua‘s sheep cheese as the main ingredient in their tapas, each one adding their own personal touch and different techniques. Needless to say, at the end of the Congress the tapas came out for tasting, and the attendees didn’t leave a single one!
We would like to thank the rest of the organizers and collaborators of this Congress, without you it would never have been possible to make it happen. a complete success! Thank you! 😉
After reading this article, I’m sure you are looking forward to attending, aren’t you? Well, don’t worry, in the following video you will be able to enjoy the Congress in its entirety, you will only have to taste the delicacies they prepared for us! What we do have a remedy for is for you to enjoy the cheese, and you know where you can find us😉
