Everyone loves the Mediterranean – the beautiful sea, the blue skies, the friendly people, and, of course, the amazing food. And now, Sydney-based catering company Flavours of Spain is training the spotlight on one of Spain’s most famous dishes: paella. Launching outside Spain for the first time ever, the 1st International Paella Championships will showcase this iconic national dish on Sunday 25 May 2014 at Australia’s equally iconic Manly Beach.

Named the Paella Ambassador in Australia by Wikipaella.org, an organisation whose aim is to protect the authenticity of Spanish paella around the world, Spanish chef and Flavours of Spain founder Miguel Cuevas is the ideal man behind this premiere gastronomic event. Cuevas was introduced to cooking from a very young age. In Spain, his family produced its own small goods, including chorizo, black pudding, jam, and cider, igniting a passion in him for this country’s tastes and flavours. Over time, he mastered the secrets of Spain’s classic and traditional paella Valenciana, and his enthusiasm for and skill with this dish has grown into what is now one of the most acclaimed Spanish catering companies in Australia.

Flavours of Spain caters birthday and anniversary parties, weddings, and corporate events, bringing Cuevas’ authentic paellas throughout Australia. It has won numerous awards and is the only Spanish catering company in Australia with the Restaurant & Catering Association’s Gold Licence and the HACCP acreditation. And now, Cuevas and his remarkable culinary team are the official organisers of the 1stInternational Spanish Paella Championships.

The competition takes place Sunday 25 May 2014 as the prelude to and opening event for food and wine festival A Taste of Manly. The contest invites 20 Australian and international chefs to cook and fight for the title of Best Paella in Oceania in September 2014, the top three winners in Manly will then go on to compete in the  internationally renowned Sueca Paella Festival in Valencia, Spain, for the chance to be recognised worldwide as the world’s leading paella chef.

“We are very proud to be bringing this international contest to Australia and look forward to receiving applications from the most qualified chefs and paella lovers throughout Australia and other places in Oceania,” says Cuevas. “It’s an opportunity to present a truly unique food festival to the Australian community. Visitors who come to Manly to enjoy the Oceania’s first international paella contest will experience a vibrant and memorable gastronomic journey to Spain.”

For more details about Sueca Festival, please check out this video....