Portugal’s Henrique Sá Pessoa (“Alma”, Lisbon) ranked 38th this Wednesday, the highest-grossing 100 entry in the Best Chef Awards list, with Spain’s Dabes Muñoz taking first place. (“DiverXo” Madrid).
In addition to Sá Pessoa, who entered this ranking for the first time and simultaneously won the “Best Entry” award, José Aviles (“Belcanto”, two Michelin stars, Lisbon, and about a dozen other restaurants in Portugal and Portugal Dubai) is the other Portuguese chef on the list, This time in 44th place, up from 70th in the 2020 edition.
The awards were announced tonight, at a gala in Amsterdam, attended by Sá Pessoa, “chef” from “Alma” (two Michelin stars) and other restaurants in Portugal and also in Macau.
Upon receiving the award, the Portuguese highlighted the meaning of receiving this award in Amsterdam, explaining that he is preparing to open a new restaurant (‘ARCA’) in the Dutch capital in November. Sá Pessoa also left thanks for his team, noting that these were “difficult times for everyone and especially for restaurants”.
Speaking to Lusa, the chef summed up the sentiment: “I’m happy.” “It is without a doubt a very special award,” he said, calling it “one of the greatest moments” of his career. Sá Pessoa also noted that these awards are also positive for Portugal, as there are many “chefs” with restaurants in the country that are among the top 50.
Austrian Hans Neuner (“Ocean”, two Michelin stars, Porsche, Algarve) moved to the top of the table this year from 69th to 50th.
Also with restaurants in Portugal, Spaniards Martin Berasategui (“Fifty Seconds”, Lisbon, 1 star) and Eneko Atxa (“Eneko Lisbon”, 1 star) respectively ranked 28 (37 in 2020) and 31. (17 in year 2020).
The award, created by Italian gastronomy expert Christian Gaddo and Polish neuroscientist Joanna Slusarczyk, aims to highlight the chef in the restaurant, and the selection of nominees is part of the platform’s “independent partners”.
In this year’s edition, Dabiz Muñoz (DiverXo, three stars) won Best Cook, followed by Björn Frantzén (Frantzén, Stockholm, three stars), again in second place, having been the winner in 2019.
In third place was Andoni Luis Aduriz (Mogaritz, Guipuzcoa, Spain, 2 stars).
Awards distinguish chefs in various categories, from inception to “Legend”, which this year was awarded to Alfonso Iaccarino (“Don Alfonso 1890, Italy), while Juan Roca (“El Celler de Can Roca”, Spain, already considered the best in the world). And with three Michelin stars), he was awarded the “Science” award for outstanding chef in research, experimental and transformation techniques.
Brazilian Manu Bovara (Mano, Curitiba, Brazil) won the “Followers” award, after being considered a “rising star” last year.
The list includes last year’s outstanding and one hundred “new faces”. 70% of the voting is by pairs — a way for chefs to honor one another — and the remaining 30% is the result of voting by “a select group of journalists, critics, bloggers, photographers and other personalities with a special knowledge of fine cuisine,” according to the promoters.
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