The best chefs in the world will gather in Valencia in June

Valencia will once again become the center of international haute cuisine with the presentation of the awards for the best restaurants in the world. The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 gala, which will be held at the Palau de les Arts on June 20, will bring together more than 100 of the world's best chefs and will culminate in a program of special events, most of them by invitation only, which will also include gastronomic sessions open to the public.

The presentation ceremony will be preceded by the #50BestTalks, meetings with the national and international chefs in attendance, and other educational events exclusively for guests, as well as press conferences. You can see the details of the schedule here.

Valencia's great gastronomic tradition will also be celebrated with the “50 Best Signature Sessions”, haute cuisine workshops where local chefs boasting Michelin stars will delight diners in their restaurants with special menus cooked "in twos" with other prestigious international chefs.
Reservations are now open for the different sessions (lunch or dinner) that will be part of the “50 Best Signature Sessions” activities on June 19, 20 and 21:

• June 18 (dinner), Riff Restaurant, Valencia: German-born chef Bernd Knöller invites his Austrian colleagues Heinz Reitbauer and Birgit Reitbauer, from Vienna's Steirereck Restaurant, to recreate some of their signature dishes with a Valencian twist.
• June 19 (lunch), Arrels Restaurant, Sagunto: the Mediterranean cuisine of Vicky Sevilla combines with the best Brazilian cuisine by Janaina and Jefferson Rueda, from the A Casa do Porco Restaurant, in Sao Paulo. 
• June 19 (dinner), La Salita Restaurant, Valencia: a menu celebrating the “French connection”, prepared by Valencian Begoña Rodrigo and her guest, Jean-Philippe Blondet, from the London restaurant Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester.
• June 20 (lunch), Fierro Restaurant, Valencia: Germán Carrizo and Carito Lourenço share cooking duties with Mauro Colagreco and Andrea Moscardino, from the French restaurant Ceto in the Cote d'Azur.
• June 21 (dinner), Ricard Camarena Restaurant, Valencia: Valencia's own Ricard Camarena and Italian chef Riccardo Camanini of the restaurant Lido 84 in Gardone Riviera round out the schedule with a menu that promises seasonal dishes with extra helpings of improvisation.

The birthplace of paella, Valencia is internationally renowned for its rich and healthy Mediterranean cuisine, as well as for the creativity of its chefs, with eight Michelin-starred restaurants in the province. The city boasts one of the best natural pantries in the world, thanks to the combination of the fertile farmland that surrounds it and the Mediterranean Sea, which supply its restaurants and markets with a great variety and abundance of fresh products. It is also a model of food sustainability and home to the FAO's World Sustainable Urban Food Centre since 2019.

The World's Best 50 Restaurants gala is not the first high-level culinary event held in Valencia, which hosted the presentation of the Michelin Guide Spain & Portugal 2022 in 2021. In addition, Valencian cuisine is regularly celebrated in numerous other events, like the recent Valencia Culinary Festival with its program of gourmet workshops and experiences, and the special competitions and menus that will be prepared on the occasion of World Paella Day on September 20.