The chef from Valladolid living in Alicante and president of Women in Gastronomy, María José San Román, is one of the winners of the National Hospitality Awards, which will be presented at the CaixaForum in Madrid on November 7. Among others, El Xato (Alicante), chef Maca de Castro, Le Cordon Bleu and Ecovidrio have also been awarded.
With these awards, the hospitality sector seeks to honor, once again, “the work, commitment and professionalism of establishments, companies and institutions and people” that have stood out in aspects such as innovation, sustainability, support for culture, commitment with people with disabilities and social responsibility, as stated in a statement this Tuesday.
According to Hospitality of Spain, these recognitions have established themselves as some of the “most reputable in the industry” and in this edition they have winners who accumulate between them a total of four Michelin stars and nine Repsol soles.
The Person Award for her contribution to the improvement of the sector has gone to María José San Román, president of Women in Gastronomy, an organization that seeks to value female talent and defends equality in the sector; She has a Michelin star, two Repsol suns and a sustainable sun.
Owner of the Monastrell restaurant and ambassador of the Mediterranean diet, San Román was one of the recipients, last December, of the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts corresponding to 2022.
It is also known for the study of emblematic Spanish ingredients and for its interesting interpretations of Spanish cuisine in its restaurants and in its artisan bakery in Alicante. After researching Spanish foods, she has promoted worldwide exports of agricultural products of great importance to Spain such as olive oil, saffron and rice.
This chef also works on pairing foods and different varieties of olive oil to create dishes, from appetizers to desserts, in which oil is an essential element of each of them.
Likewise, San Román (Valladolid, 1955) is a defender of the qualities of sustainability and the participation of women in gastronomy. She has been a speaker and trainer at national and international events and forums across five continents and continues to share the latest trends, techniques and innovations in Mediterranean gastronomy.
On the other hand, the Award for the hospitality businessman will go to Manuel Balseiro (Lugo), “Nito”, who has become a reference in Galician and national gastronomy, with two soles awarded by the Repsol Guide (the only establishment in the province in achieving this distinction), they added.
The hospitality company awarded in these awards is Grupo Pescaderías Coruñesas (Madrid), with a century of history and 450 workers.
In turn, the Award for the hospitality company committed to social responsibility went to the Trabanco Group (Asturias), founded in 1983 and which develops initiatives that combine solidarity and gastronomy, such as the solidarity dinner in favor of Zaporeak or Madres de la Cider.
The Award for the hospitality company committed to people with disabilities has been Los Tortillez (Barcelona), former Tapazia, which has had people with Down syndrome among its staff since its inception, in 2018, making their capabilities visible and enhancing and professionalism.
In innovation, the award-winning firm was Grupo Tándem (Zaragoza), with five stores in Zaragoza; and in the promotion of Spanish culture and gastronomy, El Xato (Alicante).
The award for young hospitality will come to La Garganta Restaurant in Malaga, a tourist complex that coexists with the “Desfiladero de los Gaitanes Natural Park”.
The Business Chef Award goes to Maca de Castro (Balearic Islands), with three Repsol suns and two Michelin stars, who descends from a family linked to the gastronomic world, started as a waitress and, after studying at the Hospitality School, as a kitchen assistant and as chef at the Jardín family restaurant.
The Paraguas Group is a group of restaurants with a presence in Madrid since 2004, and will be recognized for its internationalization, with locations in London, Monaco and the United Arab Emirates.
On this occasion, the Concord Award went to Javier Pérez Andrés (Castilla y León), a journalist specialized in wine, agri-food, tourism and rural development, with more than 30 years of professional practice.
Hospitality of Spain has also awarded the prize for communication dissemination work to elEconomista.es journalist Javier Romera and to Ecovidrio as an entity or institution, for its work since 1997 to guarantee that glass containers are collected and recycled correctly.
Schär, specialized in gluten-free products, will be recognized as a supplier company, while the haute cuisine school of the Francisco de Vitoria Le Cordon Bleu University will be recognized for its training work.
The Award for associative promotion in the sector goes to Antonio García González (Granada) and the particular recognition goes to clients in Luis Suárez de Lezo.
