Ugo Chan, Since 1911 and Paco Vélez, among those awarded by the Madrid Academy of Gastronomy
Rogelio Enríquez made a successful debut as president of the Madrid Academy of Gastronomy at the presentation of its seventh awards, among whose recipients were Ugo Chan, Desde 1911, Paco Ron or La Manduca de Azagra.
At a well-attended ceremony at the Royal Post Office, headquarters of the Community of Madrid, the Academy presented its awards, which aim to promote the region's gastronomy. The award for best restaurant went to Ugo Chan, a restaurant that, since Hugo Muñoz opened it in November 2021, has consistently garnered accolades, including a Repsol Sun and a Michelin star. Its success is due to its bold, worldly-inspired cuisine, interpreted through the chef's Japanese lens.
Roberto Jiménez received the award for best service for his work at Zalacaín, a worthy successor to the work of José Jiménez Blas and Carmelo Pérez at the first restaurant in Spain to achieve three Michelin stars, while Israel Ramírez, sommelier at Saddle, received the award in his professional category for managing a wine cellar that few restaurants can boast of.
La Manduca de Azagra, a bastion of Navarrese cuisine and especially of its vegetables in the capital, was recognized with the Regional Cuisine award in Madrid, while the three Lifetime Achievement awards went to Paco Ron (Viavélez), Juanjo López Bedmar (La Tasquita de Enfrente) and Félix Colombo (Las Cuevas de Luis Candelas and La Posada de la Villa).
The Italian restaurant La Piperna was recognized as the best International Cuisine; Bodegas Rosell as the Traditional Bar; 1862 Dry Bar as the best cocktail bar; Berria for its wines; Labra for its traditional dish of breaded cod; Desde 1911 as the best innovative proposal; La Duquesita for its pastries; and the chickpea from Daganzo as the best product.
The Altius Foundation received the Social Project award and Supracafé, the Industry award.
Presidential debut
It was Rogelio Enríquez's first official act as the new president of the Madrid Academy of Gastronomy, succeeding Luis Suárez de Lezo, who also recently assumed the directorship of the Royal Academy of Gastronomy. In his address, he paid tribute to two prominent figures in Madrid's hospitality industry who passed away in 2023: chef Benjamín Urdiain, the first in Spain to earn three Michelin stars with Zalacaín, and Mayte Camarillo, the driving force behind the recently closed restaurant Arce.
He also wanted to thank his predecessors, Luis Suárez de Lezo and Ángel Parada, "who have transformed an association that was little more than a group of friends who met for lunch, into a Public Law Corporation with a clear vocation to defend Madrid's gastronomy in all areas."
And he spoke of the line of work that the board he chairs wants to follow: "To work with all the actors in the sector (...) and to turn the Academy into a popular institution in which both professionals and amateurs feel represented and integrated."
All this in a city that has become "one of the world's leading tourist destinations and a top-tier gastronomic destination."
The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, closed the event with praise for the sector. "Never before has the food in Madrid been as good as it is now, and never before has Madrid tasted so good to the whole world."
