The group of a dozen chefs who participate in Algarve Chefs Week, as soon as he entered, he was greeted by the three volunteers of the Algoz/Tunes Refood project, who made them known about their work. Some of chefs they confessed that they didn't know about the project yet and a contact was established right there, for a possible future collaboration.
Mónica Fernandes, one of the volunteers, explained to Sul Informação that “many of the food sources do not know us yet, so our presence here is a vehicle to reach more people. Hence the great interest of this opening that Makro has given us, to be present here».
And where is this “here”? It is the Makro Horeca Hotel and Restoration Fair, which runs until tomorrow, Saturday, the 30th, at the Makro Store in Albufeira.
The event, which has around a hundred exhibiting stands, from brands or from Makro itself, also has, as revealed by Isabel Caeiro, responsible for Communication at Makro, "a solidary and social responsibility aspect", hence the invitation to attend of Refood. This project is entirely promoted by volunteers, who, at the end of the day, collect the food that is left over and is still in perfect condition, in restaurants and hotels, to distribute it, with all hygienic care, to families and people with few resources, thus contributing to reduce food waste.
"Makro already contributes to the Food Bank, but Refood is going to get food from our customers, so we thought it would be useful to give them visibility, facilitating contact with the restaurant owners who come here and the cooks," added the company spokesperson.
But, in addition to this solidarity aspect, the Makro Horeca Hotel and Restaurant Fair, the first to take place in the Algarve, after having already taken place in the brand's stores in Alfragide and Vila Nova de Gaia, is proving a success.
This morning, attention was focused on the live cutting (the “rumbling”) of a bluefin tuna weighing 179,5 kilos, while in the afternoon, at 15 pm, the Head Lígia Santos, winner of Masterchef Portugal, will be present for a showcooking, which is repeated tomorrow, Saturday, at the same time. Also tomorrow, but at 11:00 am, there will be the rumbling of a tuna again, something that most cooks and restaurant owners have never seen.
Among the approximately one hundred stands exhibiting food, wine and other beverages, equipment and everything else needed in the world of hotels, restaurants and cafeterias, some of which will be launched during the fair, are a large part of the «partners suppliers and representatives of the brands» working with Makro in the Algarve. «Innovations, trends, alternatives and solutions for the Horeca channel are being presented here to customers», adds Isabel Caeiro.
There are even products that «usually it is not possible to present to us in the normal day-to-day operation of the store, but which are always available by order, such as fresh tuna weighing almost 180 kilos».
The two tuna – the one that was cut yesterday and the one that will be cut tomorrow (11:00 am) are already sold “to customers who value fresh tuna”. "It's an item that we can't show regularly in the fish market, but it's always available by order."
It should be added that the tuna comes from traps, using selective capture techniques that guarantee the sustainability of the species. The catch of this tuna is certified and registered by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT).
At the Fair, which started yesterday, continues until today and ends tomorrow, there is also a bet on the presentation of Algarve products, in terms of vegetables and fruits, but not only, on the dissemination of new products, for example in mini vegetables and mushrooms, as well as in HCCP solutions. There is also a wide range of fish and seafood, such as oysters from Ilha da Culatra or sea bream and sea bass from Ria de Alvor, cheeses, cold meats, wines, bakery and pastry products, preserves, drinks, soft drinks, beers. And a lot, a lot to taste and taste.
Mário Campos, director of the Makro store in Albufeira, host of the event, guarantees that this is «one of the biggest fairs, if not the biggest, of this type that has ever been held in the Algarve». The fact is that, despite being centered on the Albufeira store, the event open to all Makro professionals and customers has a regional scope, not least because the brand has another store in Faro.
In the connection that is intended to be made between all sectors connected to the Horeca channel, the University of the Algarve is not even missing, showing its training offer, or the Hotel and Tourism Schools of Faro and Portimão, with its students participating in the preparations and presentations of many of the products.
«We have established a partnership with hotel schools and the presence of students here, in addition to being good for their training path, allows us to introduce them to potential employers. At other fairs, we have already had cases of hiring», revealed Isabel Caeiro. What ended up happening here too, in Albufeira. "I just learned that a chef who needs to hire a cook with certain characteristics has already contacted the hotel school in this regard," he announced to Sul Informação the person responsible for communication at Makro.
In summary, the objective of this first edition of the Makro Horeca Hotel and Catering Fair, which is being a success, is to «place all the players market in contact with each other, because we are all going to gain from it».
See video about the fair:
Picture: Luís Right|Sul Informação
And see the photos about the fair:
Photos: Sul Informação
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