FOODIE fans will be able to vote for the chef they love the most during the month of August.
The Best Chef Award will be awarded in Barcelona at the end of September. Last year’s winner was French chef Grégoire Berger.
The Best Chef Awards organization, based in Poland, has established a list of 100 well-known chefs designated by chefs and other professionals from the world of gastronomy. They’re up for several different titles to be awarded in Barcelona on September 23-24.
Distinctions will be awarded to the world’s best pastry chef, the most artistic chef, and the upcoming chef to watch. Professional chefs will choose from among their peers for the top title while another will be chosen as an influential personality in gastronomy whose career deserves recognition.
Finally, the best up-and-coming chef will be congratulated with a special award. The organizers have decided to end the award for the best female chef in order to no longer make gender distinctions among the best chefs.
Internet foodies will be able to vote for their favorite chef for a month starting on August 1at www.thebestchefawards.com.
France has the best chance to win awards as 18 of its nationals, working both within France and around the world, have made the list, while both Italy and Spain have 12 chefs in the running.
The nominated French chefs are Yannick Alléno (Pavillon Leoyen, Paris), Pascal Barbot (L’Astrance, Paris), Grégoire Berger (L’Ossiano, Dubai), Daniel Boulud (Daniel, New York), Dominique Crenn (Atelier Crenn, San Francisco), Eric Frechon (Epicure, Paris), Pierre Gagnaire (Restaurant Pierre Gagnaire, Paris), Paul Pairet (Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, Shanghai), Alain Passard (l’Arpège, Paris), Anne-Sophie Pic (Maison Pic, Valence), Jean-François Piège (Le Grand Restaurant, Paris), Emmanuel Renaut (Flocons de Sel, Megève), Alexandre Couillon (La Marine, Noirmoutier), David Toutain (Restaurant David Toutain, Paris), Michel Troisgros (Troisgros - le bois sans feuilles, Ouche), Julien Royer (Odette, Singapore).
These chefs had all been listed for the award last year. Adeline Grattard (Yam’Tcha, Paris) and Guy Savoy (Restaurant Guy Savoy, Paris) have been newly nominated this year.
In 2018, Joan Roca, head of the Catalan Spanish restaurant El Celler de Can Roca with his pastry chef and sommelier brothers, won the prize, placing ahead of René Redzepi (Noma 2.0, Copenhagen) and David Munoz (DiverXO, Madrid) in second and third place respectively. French chef Grégoire Berger, head of L’Ossiano in Dubai’s luxury hotel complex Atlantis the Palm, won the public’s prize. - AFP
