We expect to celebrate it in that special way that we did every year of the contest.
You have arrived at this page because you have heard of the International Contest of Valencian Paella of Sueca, however you may not be aware of its origins and the reason for its inception. The origins date back in 1961 due to the growth of tourism and gastronomic contests.
During that period, Sueca celebrated the “Troballa de la Mare de Déu” 600th anniversary and, using the occasion, Sueca’s Mayor at that time, Francisco Segarra Fabiá wanted to create a celebration dedicated to the Paella. That is how the “rice celebration” was born and, the course was set and, a national paella contest began. The celebration grew in importance and stature and in 5 years it qualified as a significant tourist attraction. As interest grew each year so did attendance and in 1974 there were 1.600 visitors to the contest.
1987 is a special year to mention. The Community of Valenciana Cook Chefs Club, the Valencia Cooks and Pastry Cooks Association and the Spanish Cooks and Pastry Cooks Association, under the leadership of Jesús Melero (chef of the RI-RA restaurant, in Sueca),worked with us to organise the event, as they continue to do so today , There was a further major turning point in 1990, when the participation was extended to Europe, United States and Japan, making the contest an international event . In 2012 the first Pacific entrant competed and that opened the way for the Pacific now in its 4th edition. Since then Costa Rica, France and Peru have added to the International stature of the contest Once the participation abroad was consolidated, Sueca’s Valencian Paella recipe was certified and the Celebration of the International Concurso was declared as an event of National tourist attraction.
That’s how, with some improvements such as the image makeover by the advertising agency Socarrat.com in 2012, we arrive at today to celebrate the next edition of the Contest, and we expect to celebrate Paella Valenciana in this way today and in the years to come.