• Journalists, professionals and institutions from the gastronomic sector are invited to nominate chefs whose projects have a transformative impact on sectors including innovation, technology, education, environment, health, food industry and social or economic development
• Awarded by a jury of the world’s most influential chefs and leading experts from the world of gastronomy
• Winner will receive 100,000 euros, which they will devote to their chosen project that demonstrates the transformative power of gastronomy
• Global prize – now in its third year - awarded by the Basque Government within the framework of the Euskadi-Basque Country Strategy and the Basque Culinary Center
A final call was made today for gastronomic professionals and institutions to nominate candidates for the third edition of the Basque Culinary World Prize ahead of the closing of nominations on May 31st.
The award was created to recognise chefs whose transformative work has had an impact “beyond the kitchen” in areas such as technology, education, environment, health, the food industry and on social or economic development.
Now in its third year, this international award–created by the Basque Government and the Basque Culinary Center–underlines the impact gastronomy can have when chefs use their knowledge, leadership, entrepreneurialism and creativity to generate changes within society.
An interdisciplinary prize jury – made up of some of the most influential chefs in the world, academics and international experts – select each year’s winner, choosing a chef whose work embodies the ethos of the prize: to transform society through gastronomy. The winner will receive 100,000 euros, which he or she will devote to a project of their choice that expresses the transformative power of gastronomy.
To be considered for the prize, gastronomic professionals, food writers and journalists, and institutions may nominate chefs via the Basque Culinary World Prize website, www.basqueculinaryworldprize.com. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, July 24, 2018 at the meeting of the International Committee of the Basque Culinary Center in Modena, Italy, which will be part of a major global event exploring the interlinkages between transformation and gastronomy, healed together with Massimo Bottura.
HOW THE PRIZE OPERATES:
The Basque Culinary Center wants to use the collective knowledge of the gastronomic community to unearth candidates from around the world who have improved humankind through gastronomy but have not necessarily come to wider public attention. Anyone with a background working as a professional chef, regardless of nationality, - from any culinary tradition - is eligible for the prize.
The nomination period is open until May 31, 2018. During a closed-door session in mid-June, the nominations are reviewed by the Prize Committee, consisting of leading academics and culinary experts– including Pia Sörensen, director of the Science and Cooking program of Harvard University; Dr. Xavier Medina, social anthropologist and director of the UNESCO Chair on Food, Culture and Development; Jorge Ruiz Carrascal, professor of the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark); and Melina Shannon Di Pietro, director of MAD, René Redzepi’s project in Denmark. This committee deliberates over more than 100 applications each year, selecting the best candidates based upon each applicant’s work, regardless of his/ her fame or place of origin. The 10 selected finalists are announced on July 2nd.
From July 23-24th, the jury panel will gather during the meeting of the Basque Culinary Center Advisory Council to deliberate and choose the winner (by majority vote) in Modena, Italy. Each year the jury panel is made up of some of the most influential chefs in the world, academics and international experts. The 2018 jury will be chaired by chef Joan Roca (Spain) and include celebrities such as Gastón Acurio (Peru), Massimo Bottura (Italy), Michel Bras (France), Dominique Crenn (USA), Yoshihiro Narisawa (Japan) and Enrique Olvera (Mexico), among others. Leonor Espinosa, the BCWP 2017 winner, will join the above-mentioned group, in addition to leading experts from other disciplines–announcing the winner live from Italy.
On October 25, 2018, the prize is officially conferred to the winner at a special gala in the Basque Country hosted by the Basque Government. Joxe Mari Aizega, Head of the Basque Culinary Center, said:
“There is just a month left for gastronomic professionals to nominate a chef that they know of who is making a huge impact on their community. There are chefs out there doing great work that deserves recognition and celebration. The process of nomination is simple – go to www.basqueculinary worldprize.com and give us a brief description of why you think a particular chef is a worthy winner. We guarantee the anonymity of all those who nominate a chef.”
“Gastronomy can have a positive influence on society when chefs take on the responsibilities that come with having a public voice. In the second year of the prize, we aim to uncover more examples of great work ‘beyond the kitchen’ from chefs around the world - whether they are known or unknown”.
Bittor Oroz, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Policy, highlights the fact that:
“This unique and global award celebrates the scope and potential of gastronomy when chefs around the world make the best use of the knowledge, leadership, entrepreneurial spirit and creativity that sets them apart to generate transformative changes in society.”
“Another aim of this prize, awarded within the framework of the Global Strategy for the Basque Country, is that shared values in Basque society– such as the culture of effort, commitment, self-improvement, dedication to innovation and competition, and equal opportunities for women and men– are associated with the image of the Basque Country and become our calling card at an international level”.
QUOTES FROM MEMBERS OF THE PRIZE JURY:
Joan Roca, president of the jury of the Basque Culinary World Prize and International Council of the Basque Culinary Center, chef of El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain:
"The Basque Culinary World Prize is an innovative initiative, already consolidated in its third edition. It is a great honor to be the president of this jury".
Gastón Acurio, member of the Basque Culinary World Prize jury, chef of Astrid & Gastón in Peru:
"This is an extremely important prize because it celebrates the value of cooks in every place where the kitchen can transform people's lives. To support this prize is to support the ability of the kitchen to serve as a tool of peace, well-being, innovation and development”.
Dominique Crenn, member of the jury of the Basque Culinary World Prize, chef of Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, United States:
The Basque Culinary World Prize is an extremely important prize, not only for our sector but for the world, because it provides a well-deserved recognition to the work that chefs are doing connecting their kitchens with other realities, and because it gives voice to people with inspiring and necessary testimonies”.
Massimo Bottura, member of the jury of the Basque Culinary World Prize, chef of Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy:
“Culture, knowledge, conscience and sense of responsibility. These are the foundations of the chef of the future, which is why I am proud to be part of this award, with which we hope to inspire and mobilise those who strive to make a difference".
The prize in previous years:
In 2017, the Basque Culinary World Prize was awarded to Colombian chef Leonor Espinosa for her FunLeo project, a foundation that promotes "Gastronomy for development". Through her restaurants Leo and Misia in Bogotá, Leonor Espinosa uses gastronomy as a force to transform realities. She harnesses the ancestral knowledge of the indigenous and Afro-Colombian members of the Colombian population. In addition, she integrates the different actors of the food chain in ways that connect the knowledge and needs of rural areas with the opportunities and demands from the city.
Reflecting on winning the prize, last year’s winner, Leonor Espinosa, said:
"Winning the Basque Culinary World Prize in 2017 gave voice to communities which have been fighting for years to gain recognition for value of their ancestry and their contribution to the national cultural identity. It helps us to break the silence generated by armed conflict, injustice and exclusion. In the midst of this reconciliation process in Colombia, this award confirms the importance of using gastronomy as a key tool for the economic development of these populations - generating well-being through heritage".
The 2017 ten finalists were: José Andrés (Spain / United States), Ebru Baybara Demir (Turkey); Leonor Espinosa (Colombia); Dan Giusti (United States), David Hertz (USA), Anthony Myint (United States), Danie Patterson and Roy Choi United States); Melinda McRostie (Greece); Niko Romito (Italy); Ricardo Muñoz Zurita (Mexico).
