Chef Quique Dacosta had to explain yesterday, once again, that paella is an “ancestral” dish that has specific ingredients, in which neither chorizo ??nor pineapple fit, although due to its universal fame it is already a very emulated in other countries.
Dacosta, culinary ambassador of Valencian cuisine, is even more so from his London restaurant Arros QD, where a few months ago the appointment that brings together chefs and cooks, gastronomy experts and journalists from half the world tonight in Valencia was announced. . This afternoon the gala for the delivery of “The World’s 50 Best Restaurant” awards to the best restaurants in the world is celebrated, so paella and the many other Valencian culinary riches have been talked about these days in Valencia.
In the morning it was one of the topics of the press conference to present the event in which the chefs Quique Dacosta, host; Massimo Bottura, from Osteria Francescana (Modena, Italy), and Elia Parks, from Atomix, a Korean cuisine restaurant in New York (USA). The institutional representation was carried out by the regional Secretary of Tourism, Francesc Colomer; the councilor of the PP in the Valencia City Council Paula Llobet and the director of Visit València, Antonio Bernabé.
The person in charge of the contest also participated, Charles Reed, who was delighted to be in Valencia and everything he is discovering in the city, and who explained that it was being a fantastic opportunity, so he does not rule out returning to this land to perform some other act.
Weaving relationships in the sector is another of the implications of the event, as important as knowing the ranking itself. A podium that will be revealed from 6:00 p.m., within the framework of the Palau de les Arts, and of which the positions from 51 to 1001 are already known, as the organization released the list of these restaurants a few days ago. The Valencian Ricard Camarena entered it for the first time, and at number 96, with work that is said to be “the jewel in the chef’s crown”.
In that first known ranking, a prelude to the excitement that prestigious chefs will live today, there is also the Enigma establishment (Barcelona), by Albert Adrià, in 82nd place; the Azurmendi restaurant (Larrabetzu), by Eneko Atxa, ranked 81st and the Aponiente restaurant (El Puerto de Santa María), by Ángel León, ranked 64th.
Likewise, apart from the competition, the city is also the scene of a wide range of gastronomic events, including conferences, gastronomic experiences or training meetings between relevant chefs and cooking students, among others. This is the case of the “50 Best Signature Sessions” program, in which local chefs such as Bernd Knöller or Begoña Rodrigo will participate, who hosted the official dinner last night at his restaurant La Salita cooking with Elena Reygadas, The World’s Best Female Chef 2023 and Pía Salazar , Latin America’s Best Pastry Chef 2022.
