A Historic Launch for Food and Football
This past Monday, September 22nd, a piece of Canarian history was made at the multidisciplinary Zona Lumm space within the LIVVO Lumm Hotel in Gran Canaria’s capital. In an event presented to Canarian society, the Unión Deportiva Las Palmas unveiled the first gastronomic guide in its 76-year history. Notably, this also marks the first official food guide ever presented and endorsed by a La Liga football team.
A Guide for the Entire Archipelago
After months of meticulous work, this first phase of the UD Gastro Guide launches with 31 establishments. The selection isn’t limited to Gran Canaria; it proudly includes restaurants from Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, El Hierro, and Tenerife. This reflects a core value the club wants to convey through the guide: the unity of the entire Canary Islands. This spirit, always part of the team’s DNA, now finds a new expression in the realm of gastronomy.
A Living, Dynamic, and Dish-Centric Guide
The presentation event, hosted by journalist Néstor Gutiérrez from UD Radio, featured insights from food critic Javier Suárez, director of the Gastro UD program and coordinator of the publication. He detailed the guide’s unique characteristics: “We are presenting a living guide. These first 31 establishments and their signature dishes are just the beginning. The plan is to add several new entries every month.” He compared this approach to established guides like Michelin or Repsol, which continuously update their listings to stay dynamic.
Suárez highlighted another key feature: the guide consciously moves away from focusing on Michelin-starred venues. “The reason is that we’ve centered the project not on chefs themselves, but on the dishes. The true stars here are the plates of all kinds—from a sandwich we’re passionate about to the most elaborate creation you can imagine. People often ask ‘which restaurant should I go to?’ Here, we want the dish itself to be the attraction. What you feel like eating in any given moment will determine how the guide becomes your perfect dining companion.”
A Sustainable and Accessible Digital Resource
Explaining the decision to forgo a printed edition, Suárez emphasized sustainability and accessibility. “By wanting it to be interactive, alive, and dynamic, we considered paper a waste of natural resources. We aim to be sustainable from the guide’s very foundation. That’s why it’s available for free to anyone who wants it, accessible via links on our website and the new UDPLAY app, available on both iOS and Android.” The guide can be downloaded by the club’s 23,000+ subscribers this season, as well as by thousands of Canarian food enthusiasts.
Club Leadership Backing the Culinary Sector
Suárez was keen to acknowledge the driving force behind the initiative: “The proposal to unite gastronomy and UDLP was possible thanks to the firm decision of the institution’s president, Miguel Angel Ramírez. He has always been a staunch lover of gastronomy and, from the start of Gastro UD, has championed the idea of the ‘yellow club’ being a major showcase for culinary professionals in the Canary Islands.”
Representing the club, General Director Patricio Viñayo took the stage to underscore “the firm intention that UDLP’s impact extends far beyond the football pitch.” He referenced the I+I Team initiative, celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, and now this gastronomic alliance. “The goal is to give a voice and increase visibility for the sector, leveraging the club’s combined social media reach of over 8,000,000 followers.”
A Celebration of Culinary Unity
The event culminated with the attending restaurants featured in the guide receiving a sticker officially recognizing them as an “Establishment Adhered to the UD Gastro Guide,” followed by a group photo. The gathering brought together nearly a hundred people, including Minerva Alonso, Minister of Industry and Commerce for the Gran Canaria Council, Lluis Serra, Rector of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, other authorities, sector business owners, and members of the UD Las Palmas board and family.
The launch concluded with a cocktail offered by the LIVVO Lumm Hotel in its spectacular Zona Lumm, with collaboration from Cervezas Pío Pío, Vinos 12, Ahembo, and Agua Firgas. The toast celebrated the new initiative and expressed the best wishes for the Unión Deportiva Las Palmas’s 25/26 season.
