Apapaxados
Apapaxados
2026
A Tribute
Dominique Crenn is a French chef and founder of Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, a restaurant with three Michelin Stars. Recognized as The World’s Best Female Chef and recipient of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Icon Award, her cuisine brings together memory, poetry, technique, and a vision committed to sustainability and equity.
We Recognize
Mexican chef and one of the great ambassadors of Mexican gastronomy, particularly the cuisine of Guerrero. Her career has been dedicated to sharing the country's flavors, traditions, and hospitality in Mexico and internationally.
We Recognize
Mexican writer internationally recognized for Like Water for Chocolate, a novel in which gastronomy, memory, emotions, and Mexican culture are deeply intertwined. Her work has become an international reference in literature connected to food and identity.
We Recognize
Mexican chef and restaurateur recognized for projects such as Laja and Merotoro. His cuisine is defined by seasonality, local ingredients, and an honest, contemporary approach closely connected to the territory.
We Recognize
Mexican winemaker and one of the key figures in the development of contemporary wine culture in Baja California. His work has influenced generations of producers and strengthened the identity of Mexican wine.
Danish chef and founder of Alchemist in Copenhagen, considered one of the most innovative figures in global gastronomy. Named Best Chef in the World by The Best Chef Awards in 2024 and 2025, his concept of “holistic cuisine” integrates art, science, technology, and sustainability to create dining experiences that encourage reflection on today’s social and environmental challenges.
Spanish chef and founder of DSTAgE in Madrid, awarded two Michelin Stars and one Michelin Green Star. Considered one of contemporary gastronomy’s most creative and innovative chefs, his approach combines technique, sustainability, and creative freedom, resulting in a personal and committed cuisine deeply connected to the responsible use of ingredients.
Chef Oriol Castro Forns is co-founder of Compartir and Disfrutar, the Barcelona restaurant awarded three Michelin Stars and named the world’s best restaurant by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024. His cuisine combines technique, creativity, and a playful perspective inherited from the spirit of elBulli.
Mexican chef and co-founder of Quintonil in Mexico City, a restaurant awarded two Michelin Stars and recognized among the world’s best by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. His cuisine reinterprets Mexican culinary tradition through a contemporary vision, highlighting the richness of the land, local ingredients, and the country’s gastronomic identity.
Italian chef at the helm of Lasarte in Barcelona, the first restaurant in the city to receive three Michelin Stars. Trained alongside leading figures in European fine dining and with an extensive career alongside Martín Berasategui, his cuisine combines technique, precision, and creativity, reflecting a constant pursuit of excellence.
Chef Paco Roncero is a leading figure in contemporary Spanish fine dining and heads Paco Roncero Restaurante, awarded two Michelin Stars. His approach brings together innovation, technique, and emotion, exploring new ways to interpret flavors and the dining experience.
Chef Yusuke Takada leads La Cime in Osaka, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant that blends European technique with Japanese sensibility. His contemporary cuisine has positioned him among the leading culinary figures in Asia and the world.
Chef Alex Atala is a leading figure in Brazilian gastronomy and a pioneer in bringing Amazonian ingredients into fine dining. From D.O.M., his two-Michelin-starred restaurant, he showcases Brazil’s biodiversity and identity to the world.
Chef Álvaro Clavijo, founder of El Chato in Bogotá, elevates Colombian ingredients through a contemporary fine-dining perspective. His cuisine engages in a dialogue with producers, territories, and techniques that celebrate Colombia’s richness.
Chef Atsushi Tanaka is one of the leading figures of contemporary Japanese cuisine in France. At the helm of AT in Paris, he develops a creative, minimalist approach that blends Japanese influences, French techniques, and a profound exploration of ingredients, textures, and emotions.
Paco Ruano leads Alcalde in Guadalajara, where he develops honest Mexican cuisine centered on ingredients and closely connected to the land. His experience at Mugaritz, El Celler de Can Roca, and Noma strengthens a straightforward, confident, and contemporary approach.
Chef Rubén Hernández Mosquero builds a cuisine with an international outlook, shaped by renowned restaurants such as Noma, Geranium, Azurmendi, and Atomix. In 2025, he returned to Madrid to bring EMi, his most personal and ambitious project, to life.
Mexican chef and co-founder of Fauna in Valle de Guadalupe, recognized as Mexico’s best restaurant by Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023. His cuisine celebrates local abundance through an experimental, sustainable perspective deeply connected to seasonal produce.
Chef Ana Dolores González develops contemporary Mexican cuisine rooted in ingredients, seasonality, and respect for local produce. At Esquina Común, she reinterprets Mexican flavors through modern techniques, vegetables, herbs, and quelites.
Chef Nicolás Tapia, founder of Yum Cha, creates a cuisine influenced by Mexico and by his experience in restaurants around the world. His approach brings together technique, multicultural sensitivity, and a contemporary perspective on flavor.
Chef Sebastián Jiménez, originally from Puebla, leads Ræst in the Faroe Islands with a cuisine that brings ancestral traditions and contemporary creativity together. Alongside sommelier Karin Visth, he creates an experience where flavor, place, and fermentation engage in dialogue through an international perspective.
Chef Sergio Díaz, originally from Guatemala, creates a cuisine guided by innovation, technique, and respect for his roots. After training in kitchens in Chile, Spain, and the United States, he returned to his country to strengthen the local culinary scene through a contemporary perspective.
Mexican chef at the helm of Villa Torél in Valle de Guadalupe, where he develops a locally driven cuisine inspired by Baja California, its seafood, gardens, farms, and wines. His approach combines flavor, a sense of place, and a contemporary perspective in a countryside setting within Bodegas Santo Tomás.
Spanish pastry chef and an international reference in contemporary pastry. Her career includes some of the world’s most influential culinary projects, such as El Bulli, The Fat Duck, and Nobu Hotels, and her work combines innovation, creativity, and technical excellence. Recognized by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and Gault & Millau, she leads an approach that transforms pastry into an immersive, multisensory experience.
Chef Emmanuel Peña, a Monterrey native with an international career in Paris, brings Mexican cuisine to Europe through an authentic and contemporary perspective. At Tarántula Paris, he blends tradition, innovation, and the true flavors of Mexico.
Chef Fernanda Prado is a leading figure in Mexico’s sweet culinary world, with a career focused on pastry, gelato, and contemporary technique. Through projects such as Gelatoscopio and Cuina, she elevates the world of desserts with creativity, precision, and a distinctly Mexican perspective.
Mexican chef with experience in some of the most renowned kitchens in Mexico and the United States. Through Tlatolli, his most personal project, he creates a culinary experience that intertwines technique, tradition, and storytelling, paying tribute to Mexican identity and the family legacy that inspires his cuisine.
Mexican chef and founder of La Cocinoteca in León, Guanajuato, named Chef of the Year 2020 by Culinaria Mexicana. A reference in live-fire cooking in Mexico, his approach celebrates fire as the essence of flavor, combining technique, tradition, and innovation to reinterpret Mexican gastronomy from a contemporary perspective.
Mexican pastry chef and co-founder of Fauna in Valle de Guadalupe, recognized as Mexico’s best restaurant by Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023. Her desserts stand out for their use of local and seasonal ingredients, expressed through an elegant, thoughtful, and contemporary perspective.
Co-founder of Arca Tierra and Baldío in Mexico City, the capital’s first restaurant to receive a Michelin Green Star. His work promotes a gastronomic model based on regenerative agriculture, traceability, and the full use of ingredients, fostering a cuisine deeply connected to the land and sustainability.
Chef with 18 years of international experience, specializing in restaurant openings, culinary strategy, and team leadership, with a career shaped by working alongside renowned figures in the global culinary scene.
Mexican chef whose career is rooted in the promotion of national gastronomy and the value of local ingredients. Her work combines culinary tradition, hospitality, and a contemporary perspective.
Chef with a career focused on contemporary gastronomy, developing a cuisine that combines technique, creativity, and respect for ingredients.
Traditional cook and advocate for the lake-region cuisine of Mexico City's Indigenous communities. Recognized for her work researching, preserving, and promoting the gastronomic heritage of Tláhuac, Xochimilco, and Milpa Alta, she fosters community tourism experiences and editorial projects that strengthen culinary identity, ancestral knowledge, and the conservation of the territory.
Arturo Santos: Mexican bartender and founder of Mecenas in Guadalajara, a project recognized on the North America’s 50 Best Bars 2026 list. A specialist in agave spirits and contemporary cocktails, his approach integrates creativity, technique, and hospitality, developing a distinctive language rooted in the origin of each ingredient and respect for artisanal processes.
Mexican musician, singer, composer, producer, and actor with a career spanning several decades. He is one of the most recognized figures in Mexico's contemporary music and entertainment scene.
CEOs of Casa Madero, the oldest winery in the Americas. They drive innovation and sustainable viticulture, strengthening the international prestige of Mexican wine.
Carlos Borboa is a sommelier, journalist, and international wine authority. As director for Latin America and North America of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, he promotes wine culture from Mexico to the world.
Spanish chef and founder of PABÚ in Madrid, a restaurant awarded one Michelin Star and named Restaurant of the Year 2025 by the Madrid Academy of Gastronomy. Trained at Le Cordon Bleu Paris and with experience in some of the world's most prestigious kitchens, his approach celebrates extreme seasonality, respect for ingredients, and a contemporary vision of vegetable-forward cuisine.
Chef whose culinary work is characterized by a contemporary approach, technical precision, and respect for ingredients and their origin.
Mexican chef and one of the leading ambassadors of Guerrero's cuisine. His work celebrates the flavors, ingredients, and culinary traditions of Mexico's Pacific coast through a contemporary vision.
Eric van Beek is a mixologist and co-founder of Handshake Speakeasy, named the world’s best bar by The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024. His approach stands out for its technique, creativity, and contemporary vision of cocktail culture.
Bar Managers at ARCA in Tulum, a project recognized for its culinary and cocktail program. With national and international experience, they lead a bar that blends creativity, hospitality, and Mexican spirits, advancing a contemporary vision of mixology while collaborating as advisors to Grupo Xcaret.
Esteban Rojas brings science and gastronomy together through fermentation, integrating microbiology, technique, and creativity. At El Fermentario in Mérida, he transforms fermented foods and beverages into sensory experiences with identity and scientific rigor.
Eugenio Romero founded Cervecería Wendlandt in Ensenada, Baja California, establishing it as a benchmark in Mexican craft beer. His approach stands out for innovation, quality, and labels that have helped position Baja California on Mexico’s craft beer scene.
Winemaker and founder of La Lomita, Finca La Carrodilla, and Lunario in Valle de Guadalupe. A pioneer of sustainable viticulture in Mexico, he developed the country’s first vineyard with organic certification both in the field and winery. His vision integrates origin, gastronomy, and innovation, with a deep commitment to local identity and respect for nature.
Chef and restaurateur whose gastronomic approach combines technique, creativity, and a deep connection with ingredients and contemporary cuisine.
Mexican composer internationally recognized for a body of work that brings together contemporary music, cultural identity, and diverse artistic influences.
Professionals linked to Mexico's wine and hospitality scene, with a career focused on promoting wine culture, gastronomy, and experiences centered on origin and quality.
Italian chef at the helm of Il Piccolo Principe in Viareggio, a restaurant awarded two Michelin Stars. Recognized for his refined interpretation of Italian cuisine, his approach combines technique, creativity, and balance, reflecting a deep connection with ingredients, tradition, and gastronomic excellence.
Founder of Sözen Organization and creator of Gastromasa, an international platform that brings together leading figures from the global gastronomy industry. His work connects chefs, restaurants, media, and culinary leaders from around the world.
Argentine chef recognized for his work in contemporary fine dining. His cuisine combines technique, creativity, and a personal interpretation of ingredients, establishing him as an important figure in Latin American gastronomy.
Professional in the gastronomic and hospitality industry whose work is linked to the development of culinary experiences, products, and projects with a contemporary perspective.
Mexican winemaker and executive linked to the development of the wine industry in Baja California. His work has contributed to strengthening Mexican wine through quality, innovation, and a strong connection to the Valle de Guadalupe.
Colombian chef and restaurateur, regarded as one of the most influential figures in his country's contemporary gastronomy. His cuisine combines Colombian ingredients and flavors with international influences and refined technique.
Professional linked to gastronomy and hospitality, with experience in the development and promotion of culinary projects and experiences.
Juan David Zapata is one of the leading figures in contemporary Colombian cocktail culture. With more than a decade of experience, he has developed projects that celebrate local ingredients and creativity behind the bar, while earning recognition as one of Colombia’s top bartenders and an international World Class finalist.
Coffee specialist, two-time national barista champion, and author of Café: Arte y Cultura. Co-founder of Colegio de Baristas México, he currently leads Grupo Xcaret’s Fábrica de Café, driving production, traceability, and sensory-experience projects that promote coffee culture with a focus on quality and innovation.
Kazuo Harada is a chef whose culinary approach reflects precision, technique, and a deep respect for ingredients, bringing together tradition and contemporary creativity.
Spanish pastry chef recognized for his technical precision and creative approach to contemporary pastry. His work combines craftsmanship, innovation, and a deep understanding of chocolate and sweet cuisine.
Traditional cook from Tixtla, Guerrero, and one of the leading advocates of Guerrero’s ancestral cuisine. A delegate of the Conservatorio de la Cultura Gastronómica Mexicana, she has represented Mexico at major international culinary forums and festivals, dedicating her career to preserving, sharing, and strengthening the culinary heritage of Guerrero and Mexico.
Traditional cook from the Indigenous community of Zacualpan, Colima, and an advocate for Colima’s ancestral cuisine. A member of the Mujeres del Fuego and Xolocuauitl collectives, she has dedicated her career to recovering, preserving, and sharing her region’s culinary knowledge through research, teaching, and the preparation of traditional dishes using native and seasonal ingredients.
Traditional Cook certified by the Conservatorio de la Cultura Gastronómica Mexicana, recognized for her work preserving and promoting Maya, Yucatán Peninsula, and Campeche cuisine. An ambassador of ancestral knowledge, she advances culinary education and strengthens cultural identity through community, educational, and culinary-promotion projects in Mexico and abroad.
Panamanian chef and restaurateur recognized for a cuisine that explores Panama's biodiversity, ingredients, and cultural identity from a contemporary perspective.
Chef and gastronomic professional whose work combines contemporary culinary technique, creativity, and a focus on the quality and origin of ingredients.
Chef whose culinary career is shaped by technical precision, contemporary creativity, and an international perspective on fine dining.
Miguel Ángel Millán is one of Spain’s most renowned sommeliers and an international reference in the world of wine. With a career developed at some of the country’s most iconic restaurants, including Santceloni, Kabuki Wellington, and DiverXO, he stands out for his deep technical knowledge and his ability to create unique experiences through wine.
Traditional Wixárika cook, cultural advocate, and co-founder of Yuriiku, Sabor y Tradición Wixárika, in Nayarit. Dedicated to preserving and promoting the gastronomy of Indigenous peoples, her work honors ancestral knowledge, corn, and the identity of her community, establishing her as a leading voice in the promotion of Wixárika culinary and cultural heritage.
Mexican chef whose work explores national cuisine through local ingredients, contemporary technique, and a strong connection to culinary identity.
Chef and gastronomic professional whose work focuses on contemporary cuisine, ingredients, and the creation of culinary experiences connected to the territory.
Chef whose culinary approach combines technique, creativity, and respect for ingredients, developing a contemporary interpretation of gastronomy.
Pamela Cerdeira is a journalist, broadcaster, and co-founder of Opinión 51, with more than 20 years of experience in media. Her work promotes equity, inclusion, civic justice, and reading through a critical and socially engaged perspective.
Recognized as one of the most influential chefs in Spanish gastronomy, Quique Dacosta holds a total of seven Michelin Stars across the restaurants he leads. His culinary approach combines innovation, creativity, and a deep respect for place, making the Mediterranean the main source of inspiration for a cuisine that has transcended borders. His vision has established one of the most outstanding careers in contemporary fine dining.
Master traditional Purépecha cook from San Jerónimo Purenchécuaro, Michoacán. With more than four decades devoted to cooking, she has represented the culinary richness of her community at national and international gatherings, sharing the knowledge, ingredients, and traditions that form part of the cultural heritage of Michoacán and Mexico.
Ryan Cole is a restaurateur and hospitality professional whose career has been linked to the development of internationally recognized gastronomic projects and experiences.
American chef and restaurateur recognized for his work in fine dining and Michelin-starred restaurants. His cuisine combines precise technique, contemporary creativity, and a strong focus on high-quality ingredients.
Argentine chef recognized for a contemporary cuisine focused on fire, ingredients, and the connection between technique and territory.
Sommelier certified by The Court of Master Sommeliers and ambassador for RIEDEL Mexico and California Wines. With more than two decades of experience in wine and spirits, he combines international expertise, specialized training, and a strong educational vocation, promoting a culture of thoughtful drinking through teaching, outreach, and the development of regionally distinctive Mexican spirits.
Chef and culinary professional whose work combines contemporary technique, creativity, and an international perspective on gastronomy.
Chef at Gucci Osteria Florence. He blends Japanese precision with contemporary Italian cuisine, following a distinguished career alongside Massimo Bottura.
Promoter of Mexican gastronomy and Academy Chair of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants for Mexico and Central America. She champions the richness of Mexican cuisine both nationally and internationally.
Professional in the gastronomic world whose work is linked to the promotion, communication, and development of culinary culture and hospitality.
Traditional Michoacán cook and one of the leading exponents of the gastronomy of Tierra Caliente. Recognized for her work preserving and promoting ancestral Mexican cuisine, she has participated in major national and international gastronomic gatherings, sharing Michoacán's culinary legacy through a cuisine deeply rooted in tradition, family, and cultural identity.