Massimo Bottura, Juan Roca, Debora Fadul, Zizi Hattab or Santiago Lastra. The most prestigious chefs have gathered to receive the Best Chef Awards. In fact, once again this year, Catalan chefs have demonstrated their global recognition within the industry: a total of 19 have been recognized. It's worth noting the inclusion of Pep Moreno from Deliranto and Rafa Peña from Gresca, and Jordi Vilà's move from one to two knives (the awards' yardstick). But it's not all roses and violets. Haute cuisine is experiencing a period of certain exhaustion. There are several questions looming in the sector. Have people grown tired of tasting menus? Are they too long? Too heavy? Are there enough diners for so many high-end restaurants? What will come next? the revolution that took place in CataloniaFor that, Modena chef Massimo Bottura has the answer.

The world of haute cuisine is measured by various lists and rankings. One of them is the Best Chef Awards, where there's always a Catalan presence. The nearly 1,000 voters decided how to distribute the one, two, and three knives, as well as the individual awards. At a gala held Thursday night in Milan, there were two entries in the one- and two-knife categories, proving that Catalan cuisine can be captured by influencers. First, Jordi Vilà: he and his restaurant Alkimia were recognized with two knives. And that means at least 40% of voters considered him. Last year, Vilà had one, so he's moved up a category.