AWARDS AND COMPETITIONS
The Gastronomy Show
InnoForum
The InnoForum Awards aim to recognise the innovation contributed by the foodservice industry and food artisans to gastronomy, as well as to support the creation of a more sustainable world.
The awards were divided into seven categories:
- Most innovative product (food): Escudella i Carn d’Olla amb pilotes by Cuinats Jotri
- Most innovative product (non-food): Baby aquaponic lettuces by Green in Blue Consulting
- Most sustainable product: Aquafaba Bio by Casa Amella
- Most creative and sustainable packaging: El Huerto del Chef Can Garús
- Most original flavour in sweet foods: Biquiños ice cream by Bico de Xeado
- Most original flavour in savoury foods: Stuffed pig’s trotters by Ca l’Estevet Embotits d’autor
- Most original flavour in beverages: Sangría Republic pink grapefruit, juniper and tonic Spritz-style 5% by Sangría Republic
Cuiner 2025
GASTRONOMIC FORUM BARCELONA
The Gastronomic Forum Barcelona Chef Award, created in 2009, recognises the work of emerging chefs who offer high-quality culinary proposals, using local products and committing to sustainable cuisine.
Six candidates, preselected through online voting and the judgement of a specialised panel, cooked live a dish that represented them and summarised their culinary style.
The winners of the 2025 edition were Helena Termes and Jeffrey Ruiz (La Cort del Mos, Palamós)
In collaboration with:
Pizza Bit Competition Spain
At Gastronomic Forum Barcelona, the second phase of the Pizza Bit Competition took place, ahead of the grand final.
A competition that brought together the best pizza makers, with the aim of choosing the Dallagiovanna Pizza Ambassador Spain 2026–2027. A unique opportunity to gain professional visibility and join an international community dedicated to pizza excellence.
In collaboration with:
The Baker: Award for Excellence in Bakery
Third edition of the national competition organised by the Baking School Barcelona Sabadell of the Guild of Bakers of the Province of Barcelona.
The aim of the contest is to recognise and elevate the craft of baking, rewarding the professional who demonstrates the best mastery in the execution of various bakery and pastry techniques, while contributing new ideas and showing business management skills.
The judging panel was made up of renowned professionals, including Yohan Ferrant (Technical Director of the Baking School Barcelona Sabadell), Maria Cruz Barón (Deputy Director of the same school), and Georgina Reinares (Panadería Barrihuelo), winner of THE BAKER 2024.
The winner of the 2025 edition and Best Baker in Spain award was Xavier Pàmies Vallvé.
Organised by:
Technical partner:
Josep Mercader Awards
A RECOGNITION OF A LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT
The Mercader Awards aim to recognise individual or collective efforts, sometimes over an entire lifetime. They pay tribute to the work and legacy of those who have made significant contributions across different sectors and social, economic and professional areas related to gastronomy.
The categories are: Cuisine, Service, Wine, Fishing, Artisan Trades, Training, Commerce, Sustainable Food and Communication.
The winners of the 2025 edition were:
- Cuisine category: Núria Callau (one of the promoters of the Gastrosàvies project)
- Service category: Rosa Gil (Casa Leopoldo)
Wine category: Pere Tardà, Vinyes Antigues de l’Alta Segarra - Fishing category: Antonio Abad (President of the Catalan Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds)
- Artisan Trades category: Josep Dolcet (Confraria del Gras i el Magre and Gremi de Cansaladers de Catalunya)
- Training category: Marina Duñach
- Commerce category: Anna Campos (La Estrella)
- Sustainable Food: Mireia Franc (Cooperativa Sambucus)
- Communication category: Colman Andrews
Best Artisan Panettone and Best Chocolate Panettone in Spain 2025
The competition is organised by the School of Pastry of the Barcelona Guild. Its goal is to encourage and reward the knowledge and skills of artisan pastry chefs in the making of panettone, thereby promoting the profession and quality of artisan pastry-making in Spain.
The jury evaluated entries according to the following criteria:
Appearance and shape
Baking and glaze finish
Crumb structure and fruit distribution
Aroma and flavour
BEST ARTISAN CHOCOLATE PANETTONE IN SPAIN 2025 COMPETITION: Rafel and Adrià Aguilera from Pastisseria Cal Jan (Torredembarra)
VIII BEST ARTISAN PANETTONE IN SPAIN 2025 COMPETITION: Oriol Carrió from Pastisseria Carrió (Barcelona)
Organised by:
Organised by:
10th Catalans’ Favourite Dish: Which dish best represents Catalan cuisine?
Catalonia – World Region of Gastronomy and CUINA magazine revealed the semi-finalists of this year’s edition of the Catalans’ Favourite Dish competition. This initiative seeks to identify the dish that best represents the essence of Catalan cuisine.
From 15 initial proposals, four emblematic dishes move on to the semi-final, chosen by popular vote through the website platfavorit.cuina.cat.
The event began with a four-way conversation between some of the participating chefs, under the title “From bread with tomato to calçots: the symbol of a nation at the table,” reflecting on how traditional dishes express our culture, territory and identity.
THELOBBY – HOTEL & GASTRO TALKS
At THELOBBY – HOTEL & GASTRO TALKS, three awards were presented to recognise innovation, strategic vision and leadership in Spain’s gastronomic hospitality sector. Their goal: to highlight the transformative power of gastronomy as a driver of competitiveness and differentiation within the industry.
- Best Gastronomic Hotel in Spain: Hotel Akelarre, San Sebastián
- Best Hotel F&B Director: Víctor Caride, Royal Hideaway Corales Resort
- Best Lobby in Spain: The Madrid Edition
- Barcelona Tribute Award for Contemporary Hospitality: Casa Bonay
Organised by:
1st National Cooking Competition with Mallorca Black Pig IGP Sobrasada
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment, through the Directorate-General for Agri-Food Quality and Local Products, promoted at Gastronomic Forum Barcelona the Mallorca Black Pig Sobrasada. It did so with two initiatives: organising the first National Cooking Competition with Mallorca Black Pig IGP Sobrasada, aimed at showcasing the product’s qualities as an ingredient in haute cuisine; and a technical presentation on the product led by Xesc Reina.
The judging panel included Xesc Reina, Tomeu Caldentey, Josep Dolcet, Eva Hausmann, Antònia Torres (manager of the Protected Geographical Indication Sobrasada de Mallorca) and Joan Llabrés (Director-General for Agri-Food Quality and Local Products).
Out of a total of 34 recipes submitted, six finalists were selected, and the winner was José Carlos López.
