The launch of the second edition of the “Balneário Camboriú Convida à Mesa” culinary event, organized by the Balneário Camboriú Convention & Visitors Bureau with support from the city government through the Department of Tourism and Economic Development, took place on Wednesday evening (the 16th) at the Amaité Praia restaurant, located on Praia dos Amores.
The event, which features 26 restaurants (see the full list at the end of this article) in Balneário Camboriú and the surrounding area, runs through December 4, offering special menus (one dish plus a drink) priced at R$ 39.90, R$ 69.90, or R$ 89.90. On opening night, the final round of the Battle of the Chefs also took place, crowning chef Eduardo Gütz as the grand winner.
Food festival highlights the importance of gastronomy for Balneário and the surrounding region
Andrezza Negrini, president of BC Convention, emphasized that the second edition of the food festival is a “special moment” for the organization, the municipal government, and the culinary scene of Balneário Camboriú and the surrounding region, noting that “Convida à Mesa” was launched during a difficult time worldwide—in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the opening, the audience was also treated to a mini food fair featuring six of the restaurants participating in the event—Vô Ivo, Foqui Sanduíches, Pecorino, Budawine Bistrô, Seu Porco, and Chaplin Restaurante.
“The first edition focused more on delivery, but now we’re really inviting people to sit down at the tables in our restaurants. Our food festival is back with a vengeance, and we hope it will grow just like its older sibling, Balneário Saboroso, our annual food festival held every July, which is one of the largest culinary events in southern Brazil,” he said.
A culinary event in the winter—and now in the summer as well
Thiago Velasques, the acting secretary of tourism for Balneário Camboriú, noted that cuisine is essential for a tourist destination to be complete, and that this is evident in Balneário Camboriú and the surrounding region. “Our cuisine is very strong. It’s no use having beautiful tourist attractions and lush nature if our cuisine isn’t up to par. Projects like these—BC Convida à Mesa and Balneário Saboroso—are very important for bringing our cuisine to the forefront, giving it substance, and helping it evolve further. Now we have a culinary event in the winter (Saboroso) and one leading up to the summer (Convida à Mesa). We congratulate the Convention Center wholeheartedly for this initiative; we recognize the importance of cuisine for Balneário Camboriú, which is also a sought-after destination for this very reason—the richness of its local cuisine,” he stated.
"Convida à Mesa" encourages creativity among restaurants
Maria Julia Moro, Vice President of Culinary Relations at BC Convention and representative of Chaplin Bar and Chaplin Restaurant, spoke about the importance of collaboration among the restaurants that conceived the event during the pandemic; however, as President Andrezza noted, the event gained momentum and continued, drawing inspiration from the well-established Balneário Saboroso.
“The restaurants participating in Convida à Mesa deserve our applause, as they creatively develop recipes for exclusive dishes, put great effort into their presentations, and work very hard. As vice president of gastronomy at BC Convention, I am very proud to be part of this project. “I believe we’ve been doing incredible work with our two culinary events, which have been strengthening our cuisine, bringing attention to the participating establishments, and allowing us to show more and more how much we love what we do,” she said.
Personalized gift and side events
And that’s not all! Patrons will also receive a collectible bowl if they’ve visited three different restaurants participating in the BC Convida à Mesa program. Please note that this gift is available while supplies last (only 600 bowls in total), and to receive it, you must also download the Movimenta BC app and check in.
Just as at Balneário Saboroso, there will be a side program during BC Convida à Mesa—two workshops: the first will be “Drink Fresh, Drink Local,” with Barra Sul Cervejaria, on Wednesday (Nov. 23), at 3 p.m., led by Vinícius Pereira, at the Balneário brewery, located at Rua Nicolau Barreto, 43, Galpão 12, in the Nova Esperança neighborhood; and the second, “Risotteria Styllu’s: Now You’re the Chef,” presented by chefs Leno Dürrewald and Gabriel Dürrewald, on Tuesday (Nov. 29) at 7 p.m. at Slaviero Brut, located at Rua 1.901, No. 269, in downtown Balneário Camboriú. Registration for both events is free upon donation of a sanitary pad, which will be donated to the NGO Viva Bicho, and can be completed via linktr.ee/bcconvidaamesa.
Battle of the Chefs
The launch of BC Convida à Mesa also served as the venue for the final round of the Battle of the Chefs, which was won by Chef Eduardo Isnel Gütz. Chef Cassandra Zamberlam took second place. The chefs had to create a dish featuring the seasonal fish—sea bass—and present it to the judges: chefs Willian Aimar (winner of the first edition of the Battle, back in 2019), Guilherme Schwinn, and Leno Durrewald. Eduardo, who has lived and worked as a chef in Europe, won the prize of R$ 1,000.00, a full scholarship for a specialization program at Univali, a medal, and a trophy. “The dish I presented was my own creation, using ingredients from the countryside, since I come from the European Valley in Timbó. I used green to represent both our nature and hope, and I highlighted the sea bass, as required by the Battle’s rules. I’m very happy about this, for having won the Battle. It was very rewarding, and now I’ll also be able to pursue a postgraduate degree in the field; I’m going to focus more on haute cuisine to further enhance my resume,” he said.
BC Convida à Mesa is supported by the Balneário Camboriú City Government, the Balneário Camboriú Department of Tourism, Sebrae, and Univali; and sponsored by Amaité, Corcril, Barra Sul Cervejaria, D Market, KL Embalagens, Mister O., Germer Porcelanas, Styllu’s, Mr. Bey, Termonos, and Vinoterra. More information is available on Instagram at @bcconvidaamesa or through the Movimenta BC app, available for free download on iOS and Android.
Check out the restaurants participating in BC Invites You to the Table
Amare Kitchen & Bar
Best Burger
Blackpot Restaurant
Buda Wine Bistro
Chaplin Bar
Chaplin Restaurant
Churras Steakhouse
Cristo Luz Restaurant
Duckbill
FOLD NYC Pizza
Foqui Sandwiches
Guacamole Mexican Cuisine
Hugani Restaurant
Indaiá Restaurant
Kombina Felice
Maka Gastrobar
Mity Sushi
Ostro Kitchen & Vinho
Pecorino Bar e Trattoria
Sabores do Mar Restaurant
Seu Porco
Starv
Tai Cuisine
Thai Garden Asian
Vô Ivo Restaurant
Yujin Temakeria.
Source: Balneário Camboriú City Hall
Additional information:
Department of Tourism and Economic Development
(47) 3267-7067
Communications Department (47) 3267-7022
Text: BC Convention Communications Office
Photos: Mauro Molina
