Jerry Calmis, General Director of Metro Cash & Carry, the main ideologist of the event, welcomed the participants at the official opening ceremony of MEGUSTRO. “MEGUSTRO is the only large-scale conference for the HoReCa industry in St. Petersburg. The mission of Metro is to support small- and medium-sized business. We believe that there should be a single platform where businesspeople, chefs, and suppliers will meet to exchange experience and inspiration, and thus help develop the industry. The MEGUSTRO Festival is a special event for the HoReCa sector. Among the chefs who came to EXPOFORUM this year are holders of Michelin Red Guide Stars, the best chefs from all over the world, from China to Portugal. During the three days, the event will host 100 workshops and roundtable discussions on the topics of management and promotion in the restaurant sphere.

Sergey Movchan, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg, shared his dream: “I want St. Petersburg to have a Michelin-star establishment. After all, St. Petersburg offers excellent cuisine, restaurants to cater to every taste and wallet. I am sure that the three busy days of MEGUSTRO will help light new stars in the culinary world.” St. Petersburg is a city where they drink and eat in style, the Vice-Governor emphasized.

Sergey Voronkov, General Director of ExpoForum-International, inspired the public with the recent achievements of the city: in September, St. Petersburg received the Oscar of Tourism, World Travel Awards as the best destination in Europe in 2017, which proves how important it is to develop the sphere of hospitality and service. Voronkov also reminded those assembled that in 2020 EXPOFORUM will host the Worldchefs Congress & Expo.

On November 7, at 12:00 pm, the Chef a la Russe venue welcomed the selection leg of the Russian Open Culinary Competition under the same name. Teams from across the country will compete in the category of the Best National Dinner. Chef a la Russe is organized by Metro Cash & Carry, in cooperation with the National Association of Russian Cooks. The event takes place under the auspices of WorldChefs – WACS, the World Association of Chefs Societies. Each participating team consists of two cooks and a confectioner. The judges include professional experts of the HoReCa market and top stars of culinary arts (WACS judges of A and B class, and the National Association of Chefs. The best teams will participate in selection tours and will then visit the finale in Moscow. EXPOFORUM organizers have set up work zones for the chefs, with tables, convection steamer, induction cooktop, refrigerator, blender, slicer, mixer, and freezers. Here the participants will prepare four dishes that will be delivered by the teams in exactly 90 minutes. The final selection day will take place on November 9, when the chefs who will continue competing in Moscow will be selected. Thomas Gugler, President of World Chefs, noted that all chefs in the world started their careers from such competitions. “This is a fantastic opportunity for any chef to take part in a national competition, organized by such global actors as METRO,” Gugler said. He told the participants not to become carried away by the creative aspect of cooking; despite the importance of presentation, the main thing in food is its taste.

The Chef Challenge competition took place in a separate area over a period of three days. The audience could watch Russian and international chefs cooking together. The participants included Michelin Red Guide star holders. The best chefs competed in pairs, with each chef giving his or her opponent a food product that had to be included in the dish. The ingredient remains a secret for the show participants and spectators until the cooking process begins.

The exhibition space will present company products: alcoholic beverages from Baltika, non-alcoholic drinks from Pepsico and Sanpellegrino, cheeses and sausages, dairy products from Valio and Galaktika, technical products presented by Metro Cash & Carry, kitchen cleaning products, dishes and ceramics by Dymov, and Kasumi Japanese knives.

The business program consists of various thematic blocks. DIGITAL LAB will focus on cool SMM cases, trends in web design in HoReCa, mobile technologies and applications for the restaurant business. MARKETING & PR LAB reveals the secrets of attracting guests and shaping customer loyalty; the participants will hear success stories from the authors of the best restaurant concepts. NEW BUSINESS LAB will incorporate experts talking about new formats in the gastronomy business, the applicable innovations, useful breakthrough technologies and profitable startups. SELF DEVELOPMENT LAB will feature presentations by renowned coaches who will share their practical knowledge and techniques to create successful teams. The DESIGN LAB booths will present projects from leading architectural bureaus and design studios. Invited experts will discuss brand books of restaurants and share their opinions on trendy interiors and efficient design solutions.

A separate section is dedicated to bars; it will include workshops, expert talks on new projects, and cocktail-tasting sessions. Connoisseurs will present lectures on various drinks. #Gastrokurilka, a place for informal interaction between speakers and colleagues, is located nearby.

The creation of a new alliance for restaurateurs – the Professional Restaurant Alliance (REAL) – was announced at MEGUSTRO. The goal of the alliance is to bring together professionals for development of the gastronomic culture market potential in Russia.

The doors of the MEGUSTRO Festival will be opened for each and every gastronomy aficionado. The event will be organized by METRO Cash & Carry in cooperation with ExpoForum-International. The exhibition will be open through November 9; visitors can apply to attend at www.mesgustro.com.