As a city open to the world, San Sebastián, and by extension San Sebastian Gastronomika Euskadi-Basque Country, has a long tradition of welcoming diverse cuisines from around the globe. The dean of gastronomy conferences has on numerous occasions paid tribute to these cuisines, with chefs from countries such as India, Japan, Italy and Peru taking to the stage at the Kursaal. However, given the complexity and effervescence of the culinary landscape, and the fact that there are sometimes stars that shine with their own light within a country, some cities have also taken centre stage (as was the case with London and New York). But never before has a Latin American city been the 'Guest Destination'.
 
Rio de Janeiro, the Cidade Maravilhosa, will be the first Latin American city to be chosen as the 'Guest Destination'. The choice is not trivial: Today, Rio de Janeiro is the gastronomic hot spot in Brazil and throughout the Americas, with distinctive culinary dynamics and a polychromatic hybridisation ranging from indigenous and African influences to European influences, all culminating in exciting offerings of traditional and contemporary haute cuisine. Although São Paulo has been Brazil's gastronomic capital for years, Rio de Janeiro is now challenging it for that honour, demonstrating its full potential with a vibrant cuisine that goes beyond its traditional — and renowned — taverns (botequins). Gastronomically speaking, Rio de Janeiro is taking off, and San Sebastian Gastronomika Euskadi-Basque Country did not want to miss the opportunity to participate in the city's current culinary brilliance.

In this regard, the Marvellous City will showcase its different cultures, cuisine and local products at Gastronomika, as well as the work of some of its great chefs. These chefs will be present in the main auditorium of the congress and will participate in activities organised by the tourism department of the Rio de Janeiro City Council (Prefeitura). Rio de Janeiro's mayor, Eduardo Paes, will accompany the delegation of chefs during their stay in Donostia, as he did not want to miss this showcase of Rio's cuisine.

Appearing on the main stage will be Rafa Costa e Silva, the chef at Lasai restaurant and Brazil's sole representative in The World's 50 Best Restaurants ranking; Felipe Bronze from Oro restaurant, which has two Michelin stars, and is known for his avant-garde take on grilled food; and Thomas Troisgros from L'Oseille*, a pioneer of fun dining who draws on French, Brazilian and fun influences in his cuisine. He is the grandson of the legendary Pierre Troisgros, founder of Nouvelle Cuisine. Two other chefs from the city, home to Sugarloaf Mountain and the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, will also participate in other Gastronomika activities, offering tastings of their cuisine. Elia Schramm, a Swiss chef with a Brazilian heart, runs the Francese Brasserie, and Danilo Parah is an advocate of creative emotional cuisine at Rüda.

Elia Schramm and Danilo Parah will specifically be responsible for representing Rio de Janeiro at the opening dinner of San Sebastian Gastronomika on Monday 6 October at the Palacio de Miramar. Their culinary creations will form part of the menu offered to 350 guests. The cuisine in the VIP room at the congress will also be Carioca, as will the tastings offered at the Rio de Janeiro stand at this year's exhibition fair and the special dish created for the Asador dining room.

Finally, a very special four-handed event is also worth highlighting on the first day of the conference in the Km.0 Dining Room, with chefs from Rio de Janeiro and the Basque Country collaborating. Rafa Costa e Silva (Lasai**) and Roberto Ruiz (Hika Gastronomiko) will share the kitchen, combining their gastronomic cultures.

Rio de Janeiro will therefore arrive in Donostia with its entire culinary arsenal, demonstrating that it deserves to be recognised as one of the world's gastronomic meccas. In 2025, Rio de Janeiro and Donostia will share gastronomy, just as they shared a name years ago — the Brazilian city was originally named São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. United by name, patron saint and stoves, Rio de Janeiro and San Sebastián are strengthening their relationship at the 27th Gastronomika event.

With a name of its own

Rafa Costa e Silva
Rafa Costa e Silva, one of the most influential chefs in contemporary Brazilian cuisine, will be in attendance. Having trained at the Culinary Institute of America and completed a placement at Mugaritz, he opened the restaurant Lasai (meaning 'calm' in Basque) with his wife Malena Cardiel in 2014. The restaurant has been awarded two Michelin stars and was ranked 28th in the 2025 World's 50 Best Restaurants list, making it the highest-ranked restaurant in Brazil.

In 2020, he was voted 'Best Chef in the World – Followers Category' at the Best Chef Awards, and he has also appeared as a judge on the TV Globo gastronomic reality show Mestre do Sabor. He also currently leads gastronomic projects at the Casa Marambaia hotel in Petrópolis.

Felipe Bronze
Before launching his own projects, Bronze worked in important restaurants such as Sushi Leblon and Zuka. Z Contemporâneo (opened in 2004) and Oro (opened in 2010). There, together with his wife, sommelier Cecilia Aldaz, he developed an avant-garde cuisine inspired by Rio de Janeiro street food. This has earned him two Michelin stars. Bronze's cuisine combines haute cuisine techniques with references to Rio de Janeiro culture, focusing particularly on grilling, local ingredients, and the creative reinterpretation of Brazilian flavours.

As well as his work in the kitchen, Bronze is a familiar face on Brazilian television, having presented and judged cooking programmes.

Thomas Troisgros
Thomas Troisgros is the fourth generation of a legendary French culinary dynasty. He is the grandson of Pierre Troisgros, the iconic co-author of nouvelle cuisine, and the son of Claude Troisgros, an influential chef. Born in Brazil, Troisgros trained at the Culinary Institute of America, perfecting his technique alongside renowned chefs such as Daniel Boulud, Andoni Luis Aduriz and Arzak.

He opened the Toto projects and the intimate Oseille restaurant in Ipanema; the latter was awarded a Michelin star in 2025 for its casual yet technically proficient approach to ingredient-focused 'fun dining'. His style is defined by modern, creative and accessible French-Brazilian cuisine that prioritises product quality and maintains a strong connection with local identity.

Elia Schramm
Schramm, a Swiss-born chef who trained in France and Brazil, has established himself as one of the most exciting new talents in Rio de Janeiro's culinary scene. He was awarded the title of Chef Revelation in 2015.

He is currently working on several projects in the city, including Babbo Osteria in Ipanema, which draws inspiration from Italian and Carioca cuisine; La Francese Brasserie, which is dedicated to contemporary French cuisine; and Jurubeba Bar in Botafogo, which pays homage to traditional Carioca botequins. Combining French technique with creativity, authenticity and warmth, his style offers experiences ranging from intimate and familiar to refined and classic.

Danilo Parah
Danilo Parah is an up-and-coming chef from Rio de Janeiro, whose training spans the home cooking of his mother and grandmother and the techniques he acquired in renowned European establishments. He runs the Rudä and Mäska restaurants in Ipanema, which offer contemporary Brazilian cuisine reinterpreting ingredients from south-eastern and north-eastern Brazil with an emotional, refined and creative approach.

Danilo was awarded the title of 'Revelation Chef' in 2023, in recognition of his innovative vision and thoughtful use of ingredients. Drawing on the concept of 'refining the simple and simplifying the sophisticated', he combines memory, ancestry and modern techniques to create a deeply Brazilian, sophisticated and emotive cuisine.