Donostia, San Sebastián- The Basque Culinary Center will host the Basque Culinary World Prize’s award ceremony today at 18:00 (CEST), honouring chef Andrés Torres for his work with the NGO Global Humanitaria to promote food security in 10 countries and his intervention in various global crises through gastronomy. Casanova, his restaurant, is built on sustainable practices and showcases that a novel perspective on gastronomy is possible.
The Basque Culinary World Prize is a unique, global award given by the Basque Government as part of the Euskadi-Basque Country comprehensive strategy and the Basque Culinary Center, a leading academic institution in gastronomy. The prize recognises chefs for transformative initiatives in areas such as innovation, technology, education, environment, health, the food industry, and social and economic development.
The event will be presided over by the Lehendakari, the Honorable Mr. Imanol Pradales, who will present the award to Andrés Torres, valued at €100,000. At the event, in the presence of authorities and prominent figures from the food sector of Euskadi, there will also be speeches from Amaia Barredo Martín, Minister of Food, Rural Development, Agriculture, and Fisheries of the Basque Government; Joan Roca, President of the Basque Culinary World Prize Jury; and Joxe Mari Aizega, Director of the Basque Culinary Center.
Cooking, sustainability, humanitarian aid, and war journalism converge in the multifaceted figure of Andrés Torres, who leads two interconnected projects: he is the founder and president of the NGO Global Humanitaria, dedicated to fighting for food security and children's rights in ten countries, with more than 200 school canteens, and to conducting emergency interventions in war zones and disaster areas, facilitating access to food, water, hygiene, health, shelter, and basic education; he is also the chef and owner of the restaurant Casa Nova in Penedés, which exemplifies true sustainability and self-sufficiency, earning him a Michelin Green Star.
Part of the profits go to fund Global Humanitaria, and some of his sustainable cooking practices and preparations are based on knowledge acquired in the communities where the NGO operates.
The €100,000 financial award from the Basque Culinary World Prize will be used to support the chef's initiatives that benefit people, the environment, and society. In the words of the winner, Andrés Torres,
I am very grateful to the Basque Culinary World Prize for receiving this recognition. It is an award for the constant work sustained for over 25 years and for the unwavering desire to support as many communities as possible. Not just mine, but all the people who are part of Global Humanitaria. Beyond strengthening our projects in food security, health, or education, I hope this award allows our message to reach more people and that we can thus expand our assistance to the countries we work with.
Andrés Torres was chosen as the winner by a jury composed of some of the most influential chefs in the world, representing the International Committee of the Basque Culinary Center. Presided over by chef Joan Roca (Spain - El Celler de Can Roca), the jury also included renowned chefs such as Gastón Acurio (Peru), Pia León (Peru), Yoshihiro Narisawa (Japan), Manu Buffara (Brazil), Dominique Crenn (USA), Trine Hahnemann (Denmark), Mauro Colagreco (Argentina-France), Elena Reygadas (Mexico), Josh Niland (Australia), Narda Lepes (Argentina), and ThiTid Tassanakajohn (Ton) (Thailand).
A Transformative Initiative
The Basque Culinary World Prize was launched in 2016 to provide testimonies on how gastronomy can be a transformative force, highlighting the work of entrepreneurial men and women committed to excellence; of innovative and creative people; determined, but above all, committed to their society.
More than 1,250 nominations and nearly 850 nominees from 42 countries have formed the basis for an award recognised by the press as the “Nobel of Gastronomy,” supported by esteemed academics and experts, including some of the best chefs of our time.
For two months, professionals and institutions from the industry and sector nominated chefs from around the globe who demonstrated that gastronomy can serve as a catalyst for change in areas such as social integration, sustainability, or education, among others. Meanwhile, the Basque Culinary Center activated a team that conducted an exhaustive search and verification process for different profiles.
On June 19, the Basque Culinary World Prize announced Andrés Torres as the winner of the Basque Culinary World Prize 2024 from Lima (Peru) and also made two special mentions, reiterating its interest in highlighting current challenges and identifying profiles of entrepreneurial chefs with commitment to excellence, as well as innovative, creative, and determined chefs committed to their community, serving as examples of the inspiring and contagious phenomenon that gastronomy represents.
Thus, in addition to Andrés Torres, the jury recognised the efforts of two other chefs, granting special mentions to Gisela Medina (Argentina) for valuing the ancestral cuisine of her region, Corrientes, from the town of Mburucuyá, which has long been undervalued and contributing to the development and employment in the area; and Ángel León (Spain) for exploring the ocean's possibilities as a gastronomic pantry by showcasing the potential of unexplored culinary applications through innovation and sustainability.
In each edition, the Basque Culinary World Prize, through the winner and special mentions, sends a message to the international community to perceive the different areas where a chef can add value, and in this edition, it has highlighted the area of food education, in addition to social integration areas related to immigration or talent diversification.
