Francisco Javier García wins the salad contest with 'Campo y Alma' products

Francisco Javier García, chef of the Martina Restaurant, has won today the first prize in the traditional salad contest 'WOOE Challenge', sponsored by the double guarantee brand 'Campo y Alma', promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, during the development of the World Olive Oil Exhibition (WOOE) at IFEMA.

A contest in which 10 professional chefs from different parts of the geography have participated and whose requirement has been to merge in the most original way the ingredients of the quality brand 'Campo y Alma' Honey from La Alcarria, Onion from La Mancha, Eggplant from Almagro and/or Nut from Nerpio with one or more of the olive oils from the four PDOs of Castilla La Mancha: Oils from La Alcarria, Campo de Calatrava, Campo de Montiel and Montes de Toledo.

The preparation, in which Francisco Javier García has perfectly integrated honey, onion, eggplant and walnut with AOVE DOP Campo de Montiel in his peculiar partridge salad, has been worthy of the 1,500 euros with which the first prize is endowed.

In addition, two special mentions were awarded to: Rocío Maya, from the Restaurant "Taberna de Noa" (Badajoz), and Adrián Garrido Sánchez, from Epílogo (Tomelloso, Ciudad Real), who have received the second and third prize, respectively, from Elena Escobar, general director of Food of the Junta Castilla-La Mancha, and José Luis Murcia, the executive director of the WOOE.

Presented by the television chef Juan Pozuelo, in this edition of the WOOE Challenge the jury was formed by the gastronomic journalists Carmen Ordiz and Begoña Tormo; María José Carmona, coordinator of Agrifood Industries and Cooperatives of the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla- La Mancha; Ángeles Mañanas and Amparo Arévalo, both from the Academy of Gastronomy of Castilla- La Mancha; and the Italian chef Carmine Bavuso, winner of the WOOE Challenge 2023.

The Desafío WOOE salad contest took place today at noon in the framework of the World Olive Oil Exhibition (WOOE), the international olive oil fair that is being held until tomorrow at IFEMA-Madrid, promoted by the Pomona Keepers group from Castilla-La Mancha and where more than 800 companies from the olive oil sector from all over the world are represented.