Scottish chefJock Zonfrillo named as the winner of the Basque Culinary World Prize 2018.

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Jock was voted as the winner by a jury made up of the world’s most respected chefs and culinary experts at the prestigious event in Modena after beating nine other chefs for the title.  He will also receive a €100,000 prize fund (to use for his project - The Orana Foundation) which is awarded to the winning chef to devote to a project or institution of their choice that demonstrates the wider role of gastronomy in society. 

Jock Zonfrillo has been named as the winner of the Basque Culinary World Prize 2018 – an award given to chefs who are actively improving society through gastronomy, in areas ranging from innovation to education, health, research, sustainability, social entrepreneurship and economic development. Jock has been recognised for championing the culture of the native peoples of Australia and safeguarding the Aboriginal culinary traditions.

The Scottish-born chef who has been based in Australia since 2000, has been recognised for his work safeguarding Aboriginal culinary tradition as well as his efforts championing the culture of the native peoples of Australia. 

Jock has visited hundreds of remote communities within Australia to best understand the origins of the ingredients that they use and their cultural significance. He has showcased these ingredients on the menus of his prestigious Adelaide-based restaurant - Orana and has also been recognised for bringing wider awareness to aboriginal cultural traditions to wider audiences via programs such as the Nomad Chef.

The  Orana Foundation has chronicled more than 1200 native ingredients and has undertaken research to find new ways in which they can be used. The Orana Foundation aims to share this information through an Indigenous Food Database, which will be available online to anyone free of charge and will also be used to create new business opportunities within the indigenous communities as well as helping them to connect with the rest of the country. Jock aims to help and support indigenous communities to allow them to expand production and market their products fairly.

On winning the Basque Culinary World Prize, Jock said:

“I am so honoured to have been selected as the winner of the 2018 Basque Culinary World Prize. I would like to give a huge thank you to all my restaurant staff, all the Orana Foundation staff, researchers and advisers, and, most importantly, to all the indigenous Australians who have given their time over the years to share their knowledge."

"One of the fundamental lessons I’ve learned from working with indigenous communities is to give back more than you take. My motivation comes from acknowledging a culture who farmed and thrived from the land they have lived on for over 60,000 years. The First Australians are the true cooks and ‘food inventors’ of these lands and their exclusion from our history, and specifically our food culture, it is unacceptable."

He continued: 

"I believe the world of gastronomy is committed to making a change and, while we never speak on behalf of indigenous people, we can walk hand in hand and together make positive change on their terms”.

Jock's work reflects the evolution of gastronomy where chefs are looking to use their knowledge, leadership, entrepreneurship and creativity to be part of the transformation of society.

Joan Roca, Chair of the Prize Jury, said:

“For over than 15 years Jock has dedicated himself to understanding and promoting one of the oldest cultures on the planet, that of the native peoples of Australia. From a perspective focusing on exchange and research, this Scottish chef has been showing the culinary potential of a long-ignored inheritance to the world."

"Through the identification of ingredients and traditions and his commitment to transforming the knowledge of these people into development opportunities, Zonfrillo sows the seeds for a better future. His work is inspiring and has a multiplier effect. That is why the jury has unanimously chosen him.”

The winner of the Basque Culinary World Prize 2018 was chosen from a talented final ten chefs which included: Anthony Myint (USA); Caleb Zigas (USA); Dieuveil Malonga (Congo/Germany); Ebru Baybara Demir (Turkey); Heidi Bjerkan (Norway); Jock Zonfrillo (Australia/Scotland); Karissa Becerra (Peru); Marc Puig-Pey (Spain); Matt Orlando (Denmark, USA); and Virgilio Martínez (Peru).

These chefs have focused on everything from innovation to education, health, research, sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and the preservation of local cultures. They are building on the work of a pioneering group that started this movement ‘beyond the kitchen’, which include Gaston Acurio, Dan Barber, Heston Blumenthal, Massimo Bottura, Claus Mayer, Jamie Oliver, Rene Redzepi and Alice Waters.

The Basque Culinary World Prize Jury was comprised of a wide array of renowned chefs such as Gastón Acurio (Peru), Massimo Bottura (Italy), Manu Buffara (Brazil), Mauro Colagreco (France), Dominique Crenn (USA), Andoni Luis Aduriz (Basque Country), Yoshihiro Narisawa (Japan), Enrique Olvera (Mexico), Leonor Espinosa, who has previously won the Basque Culinary World Prize back in 2017. The jury also included: as food writer Ruth Reichl, food historian Bee Wilson and interior designer Ilse Crawford and was headed up by Joan Roca, (Spain).

The winner was announced at Collegio San Carlo, in Modena this afternoon; hometown of chef Massimo Bottura, a prize jury member and one of the pioneering chefs who first brought gastronomy’s impact ‘beyond the kitchen’.

The Basque Culinary World Prize is organised and promoted by the Basque Government under the Euskadi-Basque Country Strategy and the Basque Culinary Center (BCC), a world-leading academic institution in gastronomy. Jock Zonfrillo will be awarded €100,000 to devote to a project or institution of his choice that demonstrates the wider role of gastronomy in society.

Joxe Mari Aizega, Director General of the Basque Culinary Centre, said:

"The award strengthens its commitment to a phenomenon that is diverse, pluralistic, and extensive. Chefs and cooks around the world demonstrate the value that gastronomy brings in terms of its eye towards creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation, and commitment that is aligned with the challenges of our society. For this reason, today we are pleased to celebrate Jock Zonfrillo being selected, standing as testimony not just to inspiration, but also as a multiplier effect."

Entries for the Basque Culinary World Prize 2018 came from 42 countries worldwide, and a total of 140 chefs were nominated. To be considered for the award, chefs had to be nominated by another professional currently working in the world of gastronomy - for instance, another chef, food writer or food supplier, or an institution."

For three months, professionals and institutions within the profession nominated chefs from anywhere in the world who demonstrated how gastronomy could become a transformational force in areas ranging from innovation to education, health, research, sustainability, social entrepreneurship and philanthropy, and the preservation of local cultures.

The ten shortlisted chefs were chosen by a technical committee of culinary experts including Dr Iñaki Martínez de Albéniz, professor of Sociology at the University of the Basque Country; Jorge Ruiz Carrascal, professor of the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen; Xavier Medina, social anthropologist and director of the UNESCO Chair on Food, Culture and Development; Pia Sörensen, director of the Science and Cooking program of Harvard University; and Carlos Zamora, chef at the helm of De Luz and seven other restaurants in Spain.