Chef Cristina Gómez of the Fierro de València restaurant has been proclaimed winner of the 12th edition of the Dénia Red Prawn International Creative Cooking Contest. Gómez has cooked a dish that stands out for its originality and combination of flavors around the town's star product, the red shrimp.
The members of the jury - among whom are chefs, renowned food critics, and even a gastroinfluencer - have highlighted Gómez's dish above the rest under criteria such as presence, the extraordinary treatment of the shrimp, taste and creativity, as the chef explained Quique Dacosta.
"We have a product that is extraordinary and that benefits chefs because it allows us to develop tradition and imagination," added the expert. In this way, the chef has managed to obtain a prize of 2.500 euros and a sculpture by the artist Toni Marí with her proposal "Les Vermelles, Gamba amb Bleda" (prawn with chard.
Second place went to Cesar Mogollón, from the Ambivium restaurant in Peñafiel (Valladolid), while third place went to Ariel Mungia, from the Raza restaurant in Valladolid.
Toni Marí, artist who created the award, has received a special prize for his contribution to the competition.
"To make the name of Dénia and our cuisine a reference", is the objective of this contest, as expressed Vicent Grimalt, mayor of the town. Grimalt highlighted the expectation that was in the atmosphere, in addition to the enthusiasm on the part of the participants and the jury.
The regional Secretary of Tourism, Cristina Moreno Borrás, present at the contest, has highlighted the role of the event as a promotion of Dénia at the national and international level through a 0 km product.
Dozens of people have come to the Dénia Municipal Market to see firsthand how these kitchen experts work on their creations. The eight finalists managed to reach today, surpassing their 56 classmates who registered for the contest.
