Culinary Excellence Takes Center Stage: GTCO Food & Drink Festival 2026 Concludes With Thrills From Exhibitors And Visitors

GTCO Food & Drink festival 2026 has concluded with thrills from exhibitors and visitors.

NewsRain Nigeria reports that the GTCO Food and Drink Festival has successfully wrapped up its 2026 edition, leaving exhibitors, guests, and food lovers thrilled by the vibrant atmosphere and diverse culinary showcases. International chefs captivated audiences with masterclasses and live demonstrations, while over 2,000 exhibitors presented an impressive array of food and drink innovations.

The three-day festival, held from May 1st to 3rd in Lagos, featured a dynamic blend of local and international cuisines, interactive cooking sessions, and engaging workshops. Categories ranged from Street Food and Ready-to-Eat to Dry and Packaged, Drinks, and Restaurants, offering something for every palate.

Exhibitors praised the event’s organization and entrepreneurial support, reporting strong sales and valuable exposure. Vendors like Golden Crust introduced new products such as “donut bowls,” which quickly became crowd favorites, while Fossil Farmers Retail highlighted their farm-fresh produce and smoothie line, benefiting from improved preparation and customer engagement.

READ ALSO: GTCO Food And Drink Festival 2026 Presents “Everything Food And Drink”

Guests expressed delight at the affordability and taste of offerings. First-time visitor Dapo described the experience as “beyond expectations,” citing favorites like tacos, asun, and pepper pomo. Another attendee, Dami Bolade, noted that while prices were fair, lowering them could encourage even more purchases.

Families also enjoyed the Children’s Arena, where parents like Mr. Damilola and Mrs. Vivian Obi commended the arcade and play zones as highlights for their children, reinforcing the festival’s reputation as a family-friendly destination.

Mr Damilola, a parent at the arcade arena, expressed his family’s great satisfaction with the event, which he had attended for the past four years. He highlighted that his children were always very excited to come, particularly for the arcade and the food.

Mr Damilola described the event as a convenient, all-in-one experience and felt that while there was always room for improvement, the core offerings of food and play were sufficient and enjoyable.

Finally, he spoke on the excitement of his children being so high that he often did not tell them they were going until the day of the event to keep them from being restless.
He said: “If I tell them a day or two days before, they won’t let me rest. So you can imagine their excitement.”

Mrs Vivian Obi, a mother and a regular attendee of the annual children’s arena, shared her perspective as a parent.

She expressed great satisfaction with the event, which she had been attending for years. She highlighted that it was a “beautiful arena for children,” praising the variety of free play equipment available. She also described her children’s immense excitement for the event, noting it was a special “zone for them” that she had to bring them to each year.

She presented the position that the event’s value was enhanced by its free access and the wide range of play equipment, adding that the event was a mandatory and highly anticipated outing for her children.

The chefs’ masterclasses were a major highlight. Paris-born chef Jean-Baptiste Ascione wowed audiences with his coffee-marinated beef recipe, while pastry chef Camari Mick engaged participants with a hibiscus tart demonstration that blended science, artistry, and audience participation.

Jean-Baptiste Ascione demonstrated how to prepare two beef dishes. The primary focus was on a unique recipe where beef was marinated in coffee beans for two days to tenderize it and infuse it with flavor. He also prepared a duxelles (a finely chopped mixture of mushrooms and onions) and a beef tartare.

He indicated that the coffee-marinated beef recipe was a signature dish he created for his first restaurant six years prior. His cooking style was rooted in classic French techniques, emphasizing the use of butter and wine, though he was open to substitutions. He demonstrated a practical and creative approach to cooking, including repurposing ingredients to minimize waste.

Throughout the demonstration, the chef answered numerous questions from the audience about his techniques, ingredient substitutions, the origin of the recipe, and food safety.

In another MasterClass session,  pastry chef Camari Mick, whose work reflects both technical discipline and growing interest in identity, flavor, and form, demonstrated how to make a tart featuring a curd made from sorrow (hibiscus).

The process involved explaining the chemistry of cooking, such as pH level reactions causing color changes, and the importance of specific techniques like emulsifying butter and using gelatin. The chef actively engaged the audience, inviting volunteers to help with tasks like whisking.

The demonstration concluded with a Q&A session where the chef answered questions about ingredients, substitutions (including vegan options), health benefits, and cooking techniques.

Also, the demonstration flowed logically, starting with the preparation of the sorrow-infused liquid, followed by making the curd, and then the Swiss meringue. The chef maintained a friendly, energetic, and educational tone throughout. She seamlessly integrated audience participation, which kept the energy high.

The questions from the audience were highly effective as they were specific and practical. They focused on technique (“how do you know when to control the heat?”, ingredients, and dietary substitutions, and the chef’s responses were direct, clear, and informative, providing actionable advice and even offering to post the full recipe online.

The audience’s familiarity with “puff puff” further placed the event in this context.

The chef’s demonstration had the potential to inspire the audience to experiment with familiar, local ingredients in new and unconventional ways. By breaking down the science of pastry, she made complex techniques seem more accessible, potentially encouraging home cooks to be more adventurous. The enthusiastic reception to a suggestion that she open a restaurant in Nigeria showed her potential to influence the local culinary scene.

Other international chefs, including Jennifer Hill Booker and Dominique Leach, added to the culinary spectacle.

With its large turnout, diverse offerings, and enthusiastic reception, the GTCO Food and Drink Festival 2026 has once again reinforced its status as a premier culinary event, celebrating creativity, culture, and community.