San Miguel de Allende, Mexico - The San Miguel Food Festival is one of the biggest and most anticipated annual culinary events in Mexico, and this year the gala gourmet gathering will get underway on Thursday, July 14, with a 'Kick-Off Dinner' at Hotel Matilda's Moxi restaurant featuring two of the country's top chefs.

Collaborating on a multi-course menu for the Kick-Off Dinner will be Enrique Olvera, Mexico's most recognized chef who operates Moxi, and Matteo Salas, executive chef at acclaimed Áperi in San Miguel and a finalist in the 2016 Top Chef Mexico competition.

"The Kick-Off Dinner at Hotel Matilda is the perfect launch for our 2016 food festival," said Bruce James, Director of Hotel Matilda. "Moxi is the hub for exciting gourmet events in San Miguel de Allende, and it's impossible to imagine a more delicious menu than one created by local star chef Matteo Salas and Mexico's renowned international celebrity chef Enrique Olvera."

The dinner will be followed by a live acoustic concert by Los Rumberos de Massachusetts, the popular Mexican trio that has made its mark on the music scene of North America with its trademark blend of flamenco, rumba, reggae and Latin rock.

The San Miguel de Allende Food Festival is this celebrated colonial town's biggest annual festival, and the 2016 edition, July 15-17, will feature 20 national and international chefs, performances by five musical groups, more than 100 exhibitors including hoteliers, restaurants, caterers, artisans, local food producers and wineries, more than 20 food writers & other media.

About 3,000 food lovers from Mexico and around the world will converge on San Miguel to enjoy tasting menus, wine tastings, entertainment, product exhibits, and the festival's main event - the 'Chefs Table' where the invited chefs will be divided into teams to prepare unique recipes for a series of meals and spend time eating and talking with the attendees. For more information, email smafoodfestival(at)gmail.com.

The Kick-Off Dinner will start at 8:00 p.m. at Moxi on July 14, 2016. Space is expected to fill up fast because thousands will be attending the San Miguel Food Festival but there will be seating for only 120 people at Moxi. The cost is 2,500 pesos, or about $141, not including service. For reservations, email restaurant(at)hotelmatilda.com.

Hotel Matilda is a popular foodie destination in Mexico, known for its heralded Moxi restaurant, which is operated by Chef Olvera, and gala culinary events, notably special Supper Clubs held several times a year in Moxi that typically feature Chef Olvera and famous guest chefs collaborating on original menus with wine and tequila pairings.

Chef Olvera has enjoyed international recognition for his Mexico City restaurant, Pujol, which is rated #16 on the San Pellegrino list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants, and more recently for his first New York establishment, Cosme. Chef Olvera evolves time-honored Mexican culinary traditions with the latest cooking techniques, unexpected ingredient combinations and unique artistic presentations.

Matteo Salas is a rising star on the Mexican food scene. In 2014, Áperi restaurant at Dos Casas Hotel in San Miguel was named Best New Restaurant and Best Hotel Restaurant by the Mexican edition of Travel & Leisure magazine. The Mexican-Italian chef boasts extraordinary professional experience in the kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants in France, Spain and Italy.