GUSTOFOOD – Salento Ho.Re.Ca. Trade Fair

A trade fair in the heart of Salento

GUSTOFOOD is the professional trade fair dedicated to the Ho.Re.Ca. (Hotellerie, Restaurant, Café) sector that transforms the Eurofood FS headquarters in Soleto, Lecce, into a major meeting point for the entire Salento and Apulian catering supply chain every spring. This is not a public food festival, but a business-to-business event aimed at restaurateurs, chefs, pizza makers, gelato makers, bartenders, hoteliers, and hospitality entrepreneurs looking for new suppliers, products, and strategies to stay competitive.

Originally created as a showcase for products distributed by Eurofood, a local food service company, the event has grown into a full-fledged trade show capable of connecting supply and demand, featuring over fifty exhibitors from local, national, and international backgrounds.

What to expect at the fair

The core of GUSTOFOOD is the exchange between producers and those working daily in local kitchens and venues. Over the two days, professionals can:

• discover the season's new product launches in advance;
• meet suppliers and distributors from the food and equipment sectors;
• attend thematic masterclasses on professional cooking, mixology, and gelato making;
• follow workshops and training sessions on innovation, cost management, and service quality.

Training and youth

A distinctive feature of the fair is its focus on training: thanks to the collaboration with the Associazione Kalò FAI and local hospitality schools—specifically the Istituto Alberghiero di Nardò—GUSTOFOOD engages students and future professionals, introducing them to the business world and the techniques of front-of-house and kitchen operations.

An event for the region

The event is held under the patronage of Confindustria Lecce and represents a concrete growth opportunity for the Salento hospitality economy, in an area between Soleto and Galatina that is increasingly central to Apulian food and wine tourism. The recurring theme of recent editions is hospitality as a strategic lever for business competitiveness: the idea that the customer experience stems from the combination of product quality, hospitality, and service.

GUSTOFOOD takes place in Soleto, a small town in the Grecìa Salentina area in the province of Lecce, Puglia. Admission is free but reserved for industry professionals, subject to online registration on the official website.