Move over, Art Basel. The culinary world’s next big happening lands in Miami on October 14, when Estrella Damm’s Gastronomy Congress returns to the city after a seven-year hiatus—this time with the world’s best restaurant at the center of the table. For the first time, tickets are now open to the public.
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Barcelona’s Disfrutar, the reigning No. 1 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, this year’s edition will feature Chef Eduard Xatruch in a one-day culinary “congress” at Dua Miami in Brickell. Xatruch, one of Disfrutar’s three co-founders, will headline the program with an inside look at how a trio of former El Bulli chefs turned technical precision and creative chaos into the world’s top dining experience.
“Sharing our journey is about more than recounting milestones,” said Xatruch. “It is about opening windows to possibilities. At Disfrutar, we believe creativity grows from dialogue, from questioning our own limits, and from the perseverance to keep pushing forward.”
Since its debut in 2014, Estrella Damm’s Gastronomy Congress has toured the globe, bringing renowned chefs such as Ferran Adrià, Virgilio Martínez and Joan Roca to cities including Lisbon and Melbourne. The last Miami edition, in 2018, drew 350 guests; this one will top that, thanks to a lineup that doubles as a who’s who of Miami dining. Among those joining the conversation: Chef José Mendín of Pubbelly Sushi, Chef Alejandra Espinoza of Cotoa and Eduardo Lara, the taco phenom behind Wolf of Tacos.
The event kicks off with the Miami premiere of Blank Plate: Creating the Best Restaurant in the World, a new documentary chronicling Disfrutar’s obsessive evolution from startup to star. The screening leads into Xatruch’s keynote and a panel on collaboration in modern gastronomy, followed by a rooftop reception hosted by Dua Miami.
VIP tickets ($175) include access to all sessions and the closing reception—an unprecedented invitation for the public to rub shoulders with culinary royalty. Estrella Damm is also partnering with FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality, offering students a behind-the-scenes look at the industry’s uppermost echelon.
Or, to put it another way: This is as close as most of us will ever get to the world’s best table—and this time, you don’t need a reservation in Barcelona to claim a seat.