"Enjoy a Trip of Cooking and Tasting in Gwangju"... Gwangju Metropolitan City to Host 'Gwangju Gourmet Week' from October 2 to 11

【Financial News | Jeonnam-Gwangju = Reporter Hwang Tae-jong】"Enjoy a trip of cooking and tasting in Gwangju."
 Gwangju Metropolitan City will host '2026 Gwangju Gourmet Week (I-Gourmet)' in the Gwangju area from October 2 to 11.
 The event aims to reinterpret Namdo's abundant ingredients through Gwangju's distinctive cuisine, draw visitors into downtown alleys and cultural spaces by following stories woven through food, and showcase 'the essence of Gwangju's flavors.'
 Han Song-hwa, head of Gwangju Metropolitan City's Tourism City Division, said, "'Gwangju Gourmet Week' is where the flavors of Namdo cuisine in a single meal meet Gwangju's history and cultural stories," adding, "I hope travelers who come to Gwangju in search of its flavors will walk around the city, stay awhile, and discover reasons to return."
 According to Gwangju Metropolitan City, this year's 'Gwangju Gourmet Week' will officially begin with an opening ceremony at 6 p.m. on October 2 at Ogaheon in Dong District, Gwangju, under the theme 'Opening the Spoon: Gwangju Takes Its First Spoonful.' The event will feature food demonstrations using Namdo ingredients and an introduction to traditional liquors, presenting 'the story of gastronomy from the source to the table.'
 The following talk show will feature food experts, including food columnist and chef Park Chan-il and Kim Sun Kyung, Nampa Gotaek's chaejongbu, who will discuss the transmission of Namdo cuisine and the direction of gourmet tourism's development.
 Programs such as the 'Gourmet Workshop' and 'Gourmet Journey' will also allow participants to work directly with Namdo ingredients and explore Gwangju's streets. The 'Gourmet Workshop' will be held twice: 'Between Figs and Fall' on October 3, featuring dishes made with seasonal figs, and 'Vegan Table' on October 11, where participants will make vegan dishes using agricultural products grown in Naju and Gokseong.
 The 'Gourmet Journey' will consist of three courses designed to help visitors discover Gwangju's flavors and culture while walking through its neighborhoods: Yangnim-dong's 'Modern-Era Alleys and a Vegan Meal,' Geumnam-ro Street's 'Old Downtown Culture and Vegan Chinese Cuisine,' and Sansu-dong's 'Birdwatching Along the Greenway and Vegan Desserts.' The courses will offer a different way to experience Gwangju by connecting local history, culture and nature with gastronomy.
 Reservations for the 'Gourmet Workshop' and 'Gourmet Journey' can be made through the Gwangju Vegan Explorers reservation page. Participants will receive Namdo agricultural products as souvenirs.
 In particular, 71 food-service businesses in the Gwangju area will participate in the 'Gwangju Gourmet Week Discount Week,' including 42 Blue Ribbon Survey-affiliated discount stores and 31 Yangnim Spoon Week participants, with two duplicate businesses excluded. Restaurants and bars will offer designated menu items at discounts of at least 10%, while cafes and bakeries will offer discounts of at least 20%.
 Gwangju Metropolitan City will also operate three Namdo Gourmet Premium Tours under the theme 'From the Source to the Table': the day tours 'Gwangju Namdo Meal' and 'Sikgaek and a Naju Table,' along with the one-night, two-day tour 'My Own Meal Journey.'
 'Gwangju Namdo Meal' combines a seasonal hansik meal with a visit to Hyusimjeong, allowing participants to enjoy Gwangju's flavors and scenery. 'Sikgaek and a Gwangju Table' includes a walk through Gwangjuho Lake Eco Park and a hansik meal. 'My Own Meal Journey' offers an in-depth experience of Namdo's flavors and culture through special dining experiences, visits to Juknokwon and Lee Lee Nam Studio, and other activities. The gourmet tours are aimed at visitors from outside the region, including those from Seoul and Busan, and all include admission to Huh Young-man's exhibition 'Sikgaek: Behind the Taste.'
 The Namdo Gourmet Experience Programs will also allow participants to brew traditional liquor with glutinous rice grown in Namdo and make a liquor-lees bath bomb and a leather barley-dried yellow croaker key ring.
 The Namdo Gourmet Premium Tours and Namdo Gourmet Experience Programs can be booked through the Travel Haru website.
 In addition, the 'Namdo Gourmet Promotion Booth' will operate at May 18 Democracy Square in Dong District, Gwangju, from October 8 to 11. The booth will introduce businesses participating in the 'Gourmet Discount Week,' as well as workshops, travel packages and experience programs. It will also connect visitors attending nearby events, including Asian Culture Week and the Chungjang Street Festival of Recollection, with restaurants and alleys throughout Gwangju.
 Han Song-hwa, head of the Tourism City Division, said, "Through 'Gwangju Gourmet Week,' we plan to expand gourmet tourism that connects Namdo's farms to Gwangju's tables and then to downtown alleys and cultural spaces," adding, "We will showcase the city's appeal as a destination for gastronomy through actual travel products and connect the pleasure of a meal to longer stays and local spending."

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