El Celler de Can Roca is already a legend of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants
The World’s 50 Best unveiled this year’s list of the world’s best restaurants. Chef Mauro Colagreco’s Mirazur restaurant was named the world’s best, while winners from past editions – including El Celler de Can Roca, named the world’s best in 2013 and 2015 - were inducted into the newly created ‘Best of the Best’ category. Andersen Lee, a young up-and-comer received the award recognizing him as the winner of the 50 Best BBVA traineeship.
A few things have changed in the World’s 50 Best since last year’s winners were announced. The main one, announced months ago, is that previous winners of the top award would no longer be eligible to the annual ranking. Instead, they were to be ascended to a select new category, named ‘Best of the Best.’ The purpose of this idea was to give other chefs the chance to be crowned king of the culinary world.
And Mirazur (Menton, France), run by Italian-Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco, has been chosen to reign in 2019. His predecessors at the top of the list, including El Celler de Can Roca, received the audience’s recognition as they inaugurated the Hall of Fame of the former number ones.
All chefs from The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2019 - The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2019
El Celler de Can Roca was voted the world’s best restaurant in 2013 for the first time, and then again in 2015. It has been ranked in the top 3 for the past eight editions of the list, and in the top-10 since 2009. Joining El Celler de Can Roca in the 'Best of the Best' category were El Bulli, The French Laundry, The Fat Duck, Noma (in its original location), Osteria Francescana and Eleven Madison Park.
A traineeship for future number ones
During the event held in Singapore, the name of the winner of the second edition of the 50 Best BBVA Scholarship was also unveiled. Andersen Lee, a young aspiring chef from Montreal (Canada), was chosen among candidates from over 70 countries. Lee will be invited to complete his culinary training working with prestigious chefs Julien Royer, Clare Smyth and Jorge Vallejo.
In a matter of days, Lee will travel to join chef Julien Royer’s staff at his Odette restaurant in Singapore. Later, in London, he will work at Clare Smyth’s Core to then complete his traineeship at Jorge Vallejo’s Quintonil, in Mexico City.
Andersen Lee, 50 Best BBVA 2019 Scholarship winner - The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2019