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Thus, in honour of International Paella Day, this prestigious competition will be held in Valencia for the fifth consecutive time, where the finalists will light up their cookers, seeking to demonstrate their skill and creativity in the preparation of this iconic Spanish dish, as well as impress the jury with their unique interpretations of paella, trying to take home the coveted title.
Ireland, France, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, United Arab Emirates, China and Japan are the countries from which the chefs competing to take over from Japanese chef Kohei Hatashita, winner of the 2023 edition with his great paella recipe, which included duck a l’orange and leek.
Once again, Spain will maintain its role as host, without taking part in the competition, leaving the limelight to those international chefs seeking to win the prestigious cup for the best paellero (made by a Fallas artist).
In this new edition of World Paella Day Cup, a total of almost 50 aspirants from the five continents (10 from America, 9 from Europe, 4 from Asia and 3 from Africa and Oceania) made great efforts to enter the final. However, only 12 lucky chefs managed to make it:
Ø Ireland: John Kenwright
Ø France: Jordane Estevez
Ø Italy: Giuseppe Bardelli
Ø Romanía: Irina Cristina Turcu
Ø Bulgary: Nick Todorov
Ø Colombia: Miguel Ángel Moreno
Ø México: Jorge Alberto Castellanos Rodríguez
Ø Perú: Franklin Javier Dasso Seminario
Ø Puerto Rico: Joe Padilla
Ø United Arab Emirates: Avinash Agarwal
Ø China: Yuqin Yang
Ø Japan: Shingo Hinokio
The finalists will have the opportunity to visit the city of Valencia, European Green Capital for 2024, a recognition that highlights the sustainable approach that Valencia has applied to become a friendlier city for future generations. The chefs will get to know its main natural larder: the Valencian market garden, the Albufera rice fields (the largest lake in Spain), the fish market and the Turia riverbed.
One of the aims of this competition is for the finalists to enjoy the paella culture by immersing themselves in the history, flavours and customs of Valencian gastronomy on the World Paella Day Stage. A journey in which they will enjoy great experiences, as well as numerous activities and events designed to offer unique, memorable and personalised moments, in the company of producers and expert paella chefs who will pass on all their knowledge, becoming future ambassadors of paella and the destination.
World Paella Day is an initiative of institutions such as the City Council of Valencia, Visit Valencia, the Provincial Council of Valencia, Turisme Comunitat Valenciana and Tourspain.
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