A star-studded gala dinner by the sea at El Balneario

A concert by cellist Arnau Tomás at the Picasso Museum, a requiem performed by Música Ficta and Schola Antiqua at the Sagrado Corazón church, and a star-studded dinner at the Balneario, by the sea in Malaga. Could it get any better? Well, all of that happened last Saturday in the city, thanks to the Raíces Málaga festival - a cultural and gastronomic event that highlights heritage through music and cuisine.

The festival featured a gala dinner prepared by 13 chefs from restaurants with a total of 11 Michelin stars (two of them green stars for their commitment to sustainability) and 12 Repsol 'suns'.

Although the musical lineup was hard to beat, the culinary side of the event was equally impressive. The chefs - Benito Gómez (Bardal, Ronda), Vicent Guimerà (L'Antic Molí, Tarragona), Mauricio Giovanini (Messina, Marbella), Kisko García (Choco, Cordoba), Diego Gallegos (Sollo, Fuengirola), Javier Jurado (Malak, Jaén), Pedro Aguilera (Mesón Sabor Andaluz, Alcalá del Valle), Lola Marín (Damasqueros, Granada), Diego René (Beluga), Juan José Mesa (Radís, Jaén), and Sergio del Río (Óleo) - along with pastry chefs Cati Schiff and Puri Daza, set the bar high during an event held at El Balneario, in Los Baños del Carmen, another historic site in the province.

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The inaugural event of this festival was organised by the Gastroarte association and sponsored by the Unicaja Foundation. Last Saturday night's dinner featured 13 courses, the same number of years this collective of chefs has been active.

The menu, created for a hundred guests, began with prawns marinated in citrus oil with Malaga goat cheese mousse, prepared by the chef of Messina in Marbella, and concluded with a baba soaked in spiced rum with Bourbon vanilla, created by Puri Daza and Antonio Martín from Daza pastry shop. The entire meal was paired with products from Malaga, including a young white wine from Ronda, a red from Moclinejo, and a sparkling wine from the Axarquía.

The president of Gastroarte, Fernando Rueda, remarked before the start of the dinner that the festival, which has brought together music and gastronomy at heritage sites, has been "exceptional" given the large turnout at all the activities (most of them free).

"We have sought quality, and some of the best in the world in their field have come to Malaga," he said.

Rueda was in charge of the gastronomic aspect of the event. The first culinary session took place on Thursday last week in Antequera, at the restaurant Arte de Cozina, where chef Charo Carmona, a virtuoso of traditional cuisine, prepared a 16-course menu that recreated 18th-century dining, leaving the 40 guests in awe.

Saturday's event, on the other hand, brought together under one roof some of the best chefs in the region.

For the chefs, it was also a special occasion, allowing them to reconnect, cook together, and share experiences.

Around 25 people worked in the kitchen at El Balneario, while the dining area was staffed by 12 professionals, along with four students from La Cónsula culinary school who attended as interns.

Mauricio Giovanini, from the restaurant Messina, admitted that these events are just as enjoyable for the chefs as they are for the guests.

"It's a time to share with colleagues," he explained.

Similarly, Vicent Guimerà, from L'Antic Molí, the chef who had travelled the furthest - from Tarragona - said, "These gatherings create synergies and introduce us to new projects."

Before the dinner, the festival had two concerts: one at the Christine Ruiz-Picasso Auditorium at the Picasso Museum and the other at the Sagrado Corazón church.

At the first venue, cellist Arnau Tomás, one of the most versatile and multifaceted musicians of his generation, performed three of Bach's six Cello Suites. Meanwhile, in the neo-Gothic church, Música Ficta and Schola Antiqua presented A Requiem for Eternity, composed by Tomás Luis de Victoria.