Tavira chef is the first Portuguese to win the world's biggest award for young cooks

TAVIRA CHEF IS THE FIRST PORTUGUESE TO WIN THE WORLD'S BIGGEST AWARD FOR YOUNG COOKSTavira chef, Artur Gomes, has become the first Portuguese cook to win the S.Pellegrino Social Responsibility Award, the biggest international competition for young chefs.

The 30 year old professional said “It is an honour and a great pride to receive this recognition, which was my main objective in this competition. Throughout this two-year journey, I had the opportunity to demonstrate my vision of what haute cuisine can be.”

The international competition had 15 young chefs participating, combining gastronomy with sustainability.

Artur Gomes was the first Portuguese cook to receive the distinction, which is one of the three awards of the Grand Final of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2022-23 , which will take place in Milan, Italy, between October 4th and 5th, 2023.

According to the organisation, the prize won by Artur Gomes is “given to the chef whose dish best reflects the principle that food tastes better when it results from socially responsible practices, conveying a message of sustainability”.

“It is the first time that a Portuguese person has received a world prize in the most important and influential gastronomic competition dedicated exclusively to young cooks and it is also a reason for greater pride to represent Portugal”, said the proud Artur Gomes on Facebook.

The winning dish was Celery “Vale das Lobas”, a recipe by Artur Gomes that took almost two years to develop and which was mentored by Henrique Sá Pessoa.