The acting President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Pere Aragonès i Garcia, attended the National Gastronomy Awards ceremony at the Palau de Pedralbes, and emphasised that Catalonia has “the best gastronomy in the world”. According to Aragonès, “we have a diverse country from the point of view of food producers”. He emphasised that the country has been “open to the Mediterranean” and the site of “exchange with other cultures,” and as a result, also “gastronomic exchange that has enriched us”.

The head of the Government also highlighted the country’s talent, “from the producers to everyone who makes it possible for Catalonia to be a world leader today in terms of gastronomy and hostelry”.

Aragonès recalled that Catalonia will be World Region of Gastronomy in 2025, “thanks to the momentum from the Ministry for Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda and the extraordinary talent that we have in our country in the entire world of gastronomy,”he stated.

President Aragonès concluded the event by thanking the Catalan Academy of Gastronomy and Nutrition for “highlighting the quality of our gastronomy, which is simply the quality and level of our culture”.

The President made these comments during a ceremony that paid tribute to the work of six professionals in the sector, at which Aragonès presented the National Traditional Gastronomy Awards for 2024 and the National Gastronomy Award 2024 for Best Cuisine d’Auteur.

The event was also attended by the Minister for Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, David Mascort i Subiranas.

National Gastronomy Awards 2024

1. Special Award of the Catalan Academy of Gastronomy and Nutrition 2024 to Carlos Massanés
2. Maitre d’Award 2024 to Fina Navarro, Gaig Restaurant
3. Néstor Luján Award 2024 for Gastronomic Journalism to Amparo Molinero
4. Rising Chef Award 2024 to Núria Bonet
5. National Traditional Gastronomy Award 2024 to Paco Soler i Parellada
6. National Cuisine d’Auteur Award 2024 to Xavier Pellicer i Pareja