Madrid, April 18, 2023.- The 36th edition of Salón Gourmets hosted the national final of the XChef 1906 Beer Challenge today. A contest that, in addition to discovering the talent of new chefs and their creativity in the kitchen, allows them to give a voice to those chefs who share one of the values ??the company is committed to: generating a positive impact on society, in this case through gastronomy.
In today’s exciting final, the six finalists from the different regional competitions previously held throughout the country have presented their gastronomic proposals, which had to be harmonized with a beer from the 1906 family varieties. The jury, who has valued both the creativity of the recipes of the participants and the good practices in their kitchens, including zero waste or energy savings, has been made up of Javier Olleros, chef and owner of the restaurant Culler de Pau (O Grove, Pontevedra) , Moncho Méndez, from the Millo restaurant (A Coruña) and Winner of the XChef 2022 Challenge, Pablo Márquez, gastronomy director of Madrid Culinary Campus and co-founder of Food Idea Lab and Carlos Ávila, Hijos de Rivera Beer Culture technician.
Finally, Julen Bergantiños Santos, from the Islares restaurant in Bilbao, won first place, with a proposal called “Manitas de porco celta en salsa verde with kokotxa de hake Cantabria and arbeyos”, a dish for which he chose 1906 beer. Special reserve. As the winner, he has received a prize worth €2,500.
His dish is a tribute to the “culinary heritage of northern Spain”. And, as the chef from Islares explained, he decided to integrate ingredients from Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country into his recipe, as a “sign of respect for its origins and a very special way of understanding gastronomy”. Bergantiños claimed to have been calm in the final, “enjoying it at all times” and very proud to share the stage with chefs “of such a high level and talent”. For the new winner of Desafío Xchef 2023, this award is an honor for what it means. “Not only is the taste and presentation valued, the sustainability behind it and the attachment to a territory are valued,” highlighted the Basque chef.
Second place went to Enrique Zubillaga, from the Lamadrid restaurant (Colmenar Viejo, Madrid), with the dish “White asparagus tips, carpaccio and asparagus from its stem” (harmonized with 1906 Black Coupage beer), while third place went to for Jorge Gago (A Maceta restaurant, Santiago de Compostela), who cooked “Xardiñas de San Xoán” (with 1906 Reserva Especial beer).
In the words of Javier Olleros, one of the members of the jury, «It has been the hardest, most beautiful deliberation and with the most discussion. They all had a great technical and flavor level. All the participants have been able to spin the stories behind a plate. I leave excited because I notice that things are changing, that the chef’s gaze right now has a great residue of responsibility and that he knows that he belongs to something more than his kitchen »
The rest of the contestants who reached the final were:
XChef de Cervezas 1906 Challenge is a contest that tours our country with the aim of recognizing the effort of chefs to introduce good practices in the processes they carry out in their establishments, thus forming part of a community that acts in favor of achieving a positive and conscious impact on society. In this way, through this competition, applicants are challenged to demonstrate not only their skill and creativity when presenting a recipe, but also the committed background behind its preparation.
Contact:
Contact name: Sons of Rivera
Contact telephone number: 981 901 906
