“We’ll dream of them,” admits Jorge Amores, the chef at El Jardin. It’s not surprising after peeling eighty pounds of artichokes. In the kitchen with her team and Dori Chazarra, the third generation of a Guardamar family dedicated to hospitality keeps a firm hand on every detail. Everything is tightly organized as they work for days on a special menu crafted for the Valencian Community’s premier culinary event, Terra Managers.
initiative INFORMATION It arrived in a format suited to the era and with steadfast support from Turkey and Alicante County Council. There hasn’t been another gastronomic festival that threads the province from north to south and east to west as Menjars has done. This year the spotlight shifts to Vega Baja, a region steeped in tradition and flavor, where the journey through Alto and Medio Vinalopó, l’Alacantí and Baix Vinalopó culminates in a vibrant feast of local cuisine.
“I heard the kitchen loud and clear!” The team works low and steady as the squad serves the first cocktails while Jorge presents dishes. Today’s scope includes fresh takes on appetizers and a playful dessert that reimagines artichokes. There is endless discovery in Guardamar, where new generations bring fresh ideas to age-old craft. This is the story here.
A deconstructed Coca amb tonyna, a shrimp dish with leche de ñora and crispy sweet potato ceviche, and an Alicante-style homemade salad anchor the tasting menus. Vega Baja does not rely on artichokes alone, yet the star ingredient shines in dazzling, inventive forms, including a dessert featuring ñora, fondillon and crispy artichokes. The ñora and shrimp pairing from Guardamar are celebrated as a signature touch.
From his early days at CDT under manager Fernando Fernández de Córdoba, Jorge recalls a bold invitation to join a culinary program that many could not endure. The advice came from Martín Berasategui, a benchmark in the field, and it shaped a career that has endured the test of time. Margarita Rodríguez, the chef’s mother, shares how the kitchen path began and what has followed—family dinners that became a living lesson in resilience.
land and sea
Guardamar’s cuisine blends land and sea, revealing the region’s most authentic Mediterranean and Valencian flavors. The first Vega Baja gathering of Menjars de la Terra highlighted this identity, set near the Segura River’s mouth in a landscape of dunes, pine forests, and historic sites such as the Ingeniero Mira House Museum. Gastronomy is portrayed here as a driver of tourism and cultural pride.
Throughout the week, Menjars de la Terra showcases the work of southern restaurateurs, balancing traditional recipes with modern, high-quality ingredients. The festival distinguishes two Vega Baja culinary zones: the coastal belt and the inland orchard nourished by the Segura River. Attendees are invited to follow a culinary trail that traverses beach, orchard, and town, offering a tangible sense of place and heritage.
Club INFORMACIÓN’s leadership notes that in Vega Baja dining at weddings seems consistently exceptional. While the aphorism might be hard to verify, the impression remains clear: sharing a meal in this region feels like a celebration of community. Stories of family stews and regional memories surface, linking food to identity and place.
The conversation extends to the province’s rural-sun-and-beach tourism, where hearty stews, Guardamar shrimps, rabbit rice from Vega Baja, Almoradi balls, and Albatera figs anchor a broader sense of culinary abundance. Provincial support aims to energize trade and hospitality, reinforcing the link between gastronomy and local economy as a pillar of regional vitality.
Farmers and industry players in Vega Baja thank INFORMACIÓN for shining a light on the region’s best products. The festival positions the area as a culinary jewel central to both national and international attention, with the kitchen elevated to a stage where producers and chefs collaborate to showcase vegetables, seafood, and artisanal techniques. The event emphasizes a shared vision for the harvest, the harvesters, and the markets that sustain them, celebrating the queen of the kitchen as artichokes and the region that grows them.
Artichokes from Vega Baja will appear across menus at participating restaurants, emphasizing a respect for land and sea and the cooperative spirit of hoteliers. These conferences transcend mere meals; they travel through towns, carrying flavor and tradition while highlighting local producers and the stories behind every plate.
On opening day, the Vega Baja Artichoke Association organized a session to explore the crop’s national and international relevance and hosted a hands-on peeling workshop conducted by Peña Huertana de los Santicos de la Piedra de Almoradí. The event also shared a few traditional recipes that reflect the region’s culinary identity and its ongoing conversation between farmer, chef, and table.