Amsterdam will host the 5th THE BEST CHEF AWARDS powered by PERLAGE on September 13, 14 and 15th 2021.
The three-day long culinary celebration will include FOOD MEETS SCIENCE, AREA TALKS and a few new activities, ending with the grand AWARDS GALA, as they continue to honor the many talented chefs that create the best food experiences around the world.
This year the announcement of the new 100 candidates from 35 different countries who will compete for the title of THE BEST CHEF together with the chefs of the TOP100 2020 will be full of suspense. Starting from February 25th and for 100 days, THE BEST CHEF will announce one candidate per day (in random order) through its social channels.
The fourth batch of nominees has been announced. Here they are.
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CAROLINA BÁZAN
Coming from a traveled and foodie background, Carolina chose to devote herself to gastronomy. In 2003 after finishing her studies in Chile, she opened the first Ambrosia in downtown Santiago alongside her family. For years she combined the success of that first Ambrosia with stages in different countries like Peru, Brazil, Italy and Thailand, and in 2011 she decided to go back to school and stayed for a year in Paris, where she also worked for chef Gregory Marchand in Frenchie Restaurant.
Back in Chile, in 2012, Carolina and her partner, sommelier Rosario Onetto, began the first Hidden Kitchen movement in Santiago, which finally led to Ambrosia’s new location and new concept. The result is a modern family Bistro, outside of the classic gastronomic circuit, where fresh market products lead a menu that changes daily according to what’s in season.
The goal is to give an amazing dining experience, showing not only good food but also fresh, seasonal ingredients paired with a grand variety of wines, music, and good old hospitality. In 2017, Carolina and Rosario opened their own Ambrosia Bistro, located downtown with a very hip vibe, but maintaining the idea of working a seasonal menu, simple, but focusing on very tasty food.
Carolina Bazán , Chile
Ambrosia, Santiago, Chile www.ambrosia.cl
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HISATO HAMADAH
WAGYUMAFIA was founded by self-taught wagyu expert Hisato Hamada and entrepreneur Takafumi Horie. Originally in the beef export business, the brand was created following a series of private dinner pop-ups around the theme of wagyu. The duo later launched their first members-only restaurant, The WAGYUMAFIA Progressive Kaiseki, in Tokyo in 2016.
With a mission to educate consumers, restaurateurs and suppliers on authentic Japanese wagyu beef, the WAGYUMAFIA brand is a platform that showcases the dedicated work of Japan’s wagyu farmers which is deeply rooted in history and tradition. Driven by a collaborative spirit, WAGYUMAFIA has embarked on a 50-city world tour, bringing knowledge and expertise into a series of exciting and high-profile chef collaborations, including Spain’s 3-Michelin star Azurmendi, London’s Soho House, Fortnum & Mason and Spago in Los Angeles.
Hisato Hamada, Japan
WAGYUMAFIA, Tokyo, Japan www.wagyumafia.com
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GARIMA ARORA
Garima Arora is the Chef-Owner of Restaurant Gaa and the all-day modern Indian eatery & bar, HERE, in Bangkok, Thailand. She is also the founder of Food Forward India; a not-for-profit initiative aiming to explore and catalogue the immense diversity of the cuisines of India.
Her passion for the culinary world began in her family’s humble kitchen in Mumbai. Having studied to be a journalist, Arora made the switch to the culinary world with a short cooking stint in Paris, France. Since then, she has worked in some of the top kitchens of the world to eventually open Restaurant Gaa on 1 April, 2017.
Today Arora is known for applying traditional Indian cooking techniques onto locally sourced ingredients to create an experience that is completely unique to her cooking at Gaa. She is a strong advocate for the relevancy and resourcefulness of Indian cooking techniques.
Garima Arora, India
GAA, Bangkok, Thailand www.gaabkk.com
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JASON TAN
Chef Jason Tan achieves yet another milestone of his remarkable career, Restaurant Euphoria. True to its name, Euphoria delivers delight, wonderment, and enduring memories through the unique experience of Gastro-Botanica.
More than a restaurant, it is a piece of Jason’s soul. Food has been at the centre of his life, and the enjoyment of food at its finest is one of Jason’s greatest pleasures and source of his most cherished memories.
Through Gastro-Botanica and Restaurant Euphoria, Jason now brings gastronomic bliss to diners; conjuring in their hearts the same emotions he feels at the dining table and leaving in their minds the same indelible memories. The Chinese character ‘忆’ in Euphoria’s logo voices eloquently this sentiment and vision.
In 2014, Jason created Gastro-Botanica, an original culinary philosophy showcasing carefully sourced and prepared premium vegetables, meats and seafood, where prominence and elaboration are given to botanical elements of vegetables, tubers, herbs, spices, and fruits.
Jason Tan, Singapore
Restaurant Euphoria, Singapore www.restaurant-euphoria.com
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HENRIQUE SA PESSOA
ALMA is a fine dining restaurant, with signature cuisine served informally in a sophisticated ambience. They aim to innovate by breaking the basic rules of fine dining as well as presenting amazing food.
For Henrique Sa Pessoa there is only good and bad cuisine. His menu is tasteful, refined and full of technique and excellent product. The basis of his culinary philosophy is in his influences and references that come from traveling the world, his passion for Asia, the knowledge of traditional Portuguese cuisine and his life in Lisbon.
Chef Henrique Sa Pessoa, Portugal
Alma, Lisbon, Portugal www.almalisboa.pt
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IGOR GRISCHECHKIN
For many, Russian food remains an enigma, enclosed between stereotypes of the Soviet regime and pre-revolutionary romanticized notions of Russians only eating blinis with caviar. The reality is contemporary chefs such as CoCoCouture’s Igor Grishechkin are combining staple products and flavours from their childhood with a modern, more technical and creative approach, and in time, creating a new Russian cuisine as forward (and historic) as New Nordic.
That being said; if you know Russian culture, literature, poetry and history then you quite easily can understand Igor Grishechkin’s universe. But even if not, you cannot but help being amused by his cooking’s playfulness, almost as telling fairy tales to a child.
“Memory informs a great many of my dishes”, Igor explains. “I set out to bring restaurant recognition to seemingly humble traditional tastes and nostalgic Russian dishes from my childhood that have been forgotten. I re-evaluate them to create a new extraordinary cuisine. My cooking is about authentic Russian tastes, only everything is modernised with a new identity and, most importantly, a new optimism and joy.”
Chef Igor Grishechkin, Russia
Cococo, St Petersburg, Russia www.cococodelivery.ru
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DAVE PYNT
Originally from Perth WA, Dave Pynt comes from a heavyweight culinary background, staging and working under legends such as Tetsuya Wakuda (Tetsuya’s and Waku Ghin), Rene Redzepi (Noma), Victor Arguinzoniz (Asador Etxebarri), Nuno Mendes (Viajante and The Loft Project) and Fergus Henderson (St. John) to name but a few. Plus the much talked about filming with super chef Raymond Blanc, where Dave told Raymond “first we need to burn the shit out of the leek”.
Chef/Owner Dave Pynt has established Burnt Ends as one of Asia’s most exciting places to dine. At the heart of this modern barbecue restaurant is an open-concept kitchen with a custom four-tonne, dual cavity oven and four elevation grills, where they demonstrate the magic that comes out of cooking with wood by creating new menus every day.
Dave Pynt, Australia
Burnt Ends, Singapore, www.burntends.com.sg
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GUILLAME GALLIOT
“I believe in finding prestige in even the most humble ingredients, transforming them into unforgettable dishes.”
Guillaume Galliot is a French chef of the highest calibre of gastronomic tradition. If his expertise lies in his classical French technique, his talent is found among the myriad flavours brought in perfect harmony on each plate. At Caprice in Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, Galliot brings his vision of French cuisine: flavours of France dancing in unison with the tastes of the world.
Born in the town of Chambray-Les-Tours in the Loire Valley, Galliot found his passion, and wanderlust, quite young. Working under the twin brothers Chef Jacques and Laurent Pourcel at three Michelin star Jardin des Sens, Galliot expanded on his culinary school training, sharpening his skills while coming under the influence of the lighter touch of the Mediterranean.
While there, he worked for a time in pastry, an experience that left him with an appreciation of the precision of the pastry arts, and a deeper understanding of how dessert unifies with a full dégustation menu.
Guillaume Galliot, France
Caprice, Hong Kong, www.fourseasons.com/caprice
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MARK DONALD
Mark began cooking in his hometown of Glasgow where he spent time in the kitchen of Stravaigin, then one of the city’s most popular restaurants, renowned for their unique approach to global cuisine. Since then, he has gone on to build impeccable culinary credentials that include Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Hibiscus in Mayfair, Bentley Restaurant in Sydney and a formative season at Noma in Copenhagen.
2018 saw his homecoming to Scotland where he took over the kitchen at Number One at The Balmoral where he retained their Michelin Star until he departed in 2021.Mark now takes on the role of Executive Head Chef at the Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, located in the heart of Scotland’s Oldest Working Distillery in Perthshire. He is renowned for his creative and warm Scottish hospitality and making people laugh.
Mark Donald, United Kingdom
Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, Perthshire, www.theglenturret.com
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JORDI CRUZ
Jordi Cruz is one of the chefs of the well-known Spanish avant-garde cuisine. But he is not just another chef. One of the things that are probably most surprising about him is his professional precociousness. As he has said on several occasions, Jordi realised that he wanted to be a chef when he was seven years old. And not only did he realise it, but he did all he could as a child to make it happen. He was a little boy who knew what he wanted.
“Cook simple dishes with logic and care, also applying the principle of proportionality so that diners enjoy each and every one of the courses on the menu and they are equally enthusiastic throughout.”
Jordi Cruz, Spain
ABaC, Barcelona, www.abacbarcelona.com
On June 6th, THE BEST CHEF begins the voting process, where all the chefs included on last years’ list (plus an anonymous group of independent professionals) and the new 100 candidates will be invited to vote for their peers to name 2021’s TOP100 AWARDS.
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Hungry for more? Read this in-depth US-article on The Best Chef.
