Vallarta Nayarit Gastronómica sets 2026 program
Vallarta Nayarit Gastronómica 2026 will take place from October 4 to 7, 2026, marking the event’s 18th edition. Its guiding slogan is “Descubriendo una nueva realidad”. Spain is the country of honor, while Guanajuato is the invited national state and Ciudad Juárez is the highlighted city.
The academic, technical, and commercial program will run on October 5 and 6 from 09:00 to 18:00 at the seafront facilities of Hotel Sheraton Buganvilias Resort & Convention Center, at Blvd. Francisco Medina Ascencio 999, Zona Hotelera Norte, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. The program includes live master showcookings, gourmet workshops, and practical clinics focused on pastry, fermentation, meat cutting, and unconventional pairings.
Visitors interested in drinks can find guided premium tastings of wines, champagnes, Mexican spirits, and international spirits. Specialty coffee clinics will be led by baristas Gustavo Enciso and Biorel Villaseñor, and the grilling program includes The Grilling Bastards, Mati Ruiz Díaz, and Emberwood.
The commercial program includes a B2B expo and gastronomic pavilion for commercial connections. Attendees can buy comprehensive passes for the daytime academic congress or reserve individual places for the official pairing dinners.
The Welcome Chefs & Sponsors VIP cocktail is scheduled for Sunday, October 4, at Hotel Sheraton Buganvilias in Puerto Vallarta. The Ambassadors’ Dinner is scheduled for Monday, October 5, at Hotel Villa Premiere Boutique in Puerto Vallarta, followed by the Grand Gala Pairing Dinner on Tuesday, October 6, at Hotel Sheraton Buganvilias.
The closing dinner is scheduled for Wednesday, October 7, at Restaurante Taormina, Marival Resorts, in Nuevo Nayarit, Riviera Nayarit. The official pairing dinners are held at Sheraton Buganvilias, Hotel Villa Premiere, and Restaurante Taormina at Marival Resorts.
The chef program includes Carlos Gaytán, whose HA’ concept has retained its Michelin star for 2024, 2025, and 2026. Gaytán received the Premio Xueños from Grupo Xcaret in 2025, the Premio Chef de Excelencias 2026 in Madrid during FITUR, and inclusion in La Liste 2025; he is described as the first Mexican to receive a Michelin star abroad. His listed concepts include Tzuco in Chicago and Tete Cocina de Barrio in Acapulco.
Other Michelin-linked participants include Paco Ruano, who won one Michelin star this year for Alcalde in Guadalajara; Mikel Alonso, who has one Michelin star for Cocina de Autor in Riviera Maya; Maycoll Calderón, who has one Michelin star; Luis Ronzón, who has one Michelin star for Ixi’im in Chocholá, Yucatán; and Rodrigo Rivera Río, who has one Michelin star for KOLI Cocina de Origen in Monterrey, Nuevo León. Jalisco has entered the Michelin Guide.
The roster also includes Mauricio Leal’s Restaurante Icú, which received a 2026 Bib Gourmand Michelin distinction, and Fabián Delgado’s Pal Real and Yunaites, which received a 2026 Bib Gourmand Michelin distinction. Claudia Lara has one Red Michelin Star and one Green Michelin Star for Los Danzantes Oaxaca, while Kisko García has one Michelin star and two Soles Repsol; Benito Gómez has two Michelin stars and two Soles Repsol, and Rubén Sánchez-Camacho has one Michelin star and one Sol Repsol.
Natalia Cocomá received One Knife at The Best Chef Awards in 2024 and 2025 and the 2025 Sustainable Restaurant Award from the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants academy. Salvador Carrillo was nominated for Chef Revelación by Food & Travel.
The institutional agenda includes Michelle Fridman, Secretary of Tourism of the State of Jalisco; Guadalupe Robles León, Secretary of Tourism of the State of Guanajuato; Francisco Moreno, Director of Tourism of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua; Raffaella de la Vega, representative of the Michelin Guide in Mexico; Fernando Olivera, official liaison for the Michelin Guide in Mexico; and José Miguel Machimbarrena, Tourism Counselor of the Embassy of Spain in Mexico.
Congress accreditations and dinner tickets are available through the organizing committee by phone at 322 304 98 54 or by email at info@vallartanayaritgastronomica.com.mx. Visitors can use the October 5–6 daytime schedule for the congress and reserve a dinner place at one of the listed venues.