Last night saw a socially-distanced, live-streamed virtual gala to celebrate the 2021 Michelin Guide awards for Spain & Portugal. It was held at the Real Casa de Correos in Madrid's Puerta del Sol and hosted by actors and food lovers Cayetana Guillén Cuervo and Miguel Ángel Muñoz (pictured) - respectively the finalist and winner of the first Spanish edition of MasterChef Celebrity.
This year, the Michelin Guide for Spain & Portugal welcomes 3 new 2-star restaurants and 21 new 1-star establishments, as well as 53 new Bib Gourmand, 105 new Michelin Plate awards and 21 green stars - the new Michelin sustainability emblem. A total of 234 Spanish restaurants made it into the distinguished Michelin Guide.
Amongst the restaurants awarded 1 Michelin Star are Silabario, run by Alberto González Prelcic (Vigo); Saddle, run by Adolfo Santos (Madrid); Raíces-Carlos Maldonado, run by Carlos Maldonado Pinel (Talavera de la Reina); Quatre Molins, run by Rafel Muria (Cornudella de Montserrat); Odiseo, run by Nazario Cano López (Murcia); Mu.na, run by Samuel Naveira (Ponferrada) and Miguel González, run by Miguel González Quintela (Pereiro de Aguilar).
Ambivium (Valladolid), Amelia (San Sebastián), Atempo (Girona), Baeza & Rufete (Alicante), Béns d’Avall (Mallorca), Callizo (Huesca), DINS Santi Taura (Mallorca), Eirado (Pontevedra), En la Parra (Salamanca), Espacio N (Huesca), L'Aliança 1919 d'Anglès (Girona), La Salita (Valencia) and Miguel González (Ourense) are all on the 1 Michelin Star list. In total, 203 restaurants in Spain and Portgual have been awarded one star, 19 of which are first-time winners in Spain and two in Portugal.
The restaurants awarded two prestigious Michelin stars for the first time are Bo.Tic, run by Albert Sastregener in Corçà; Cinc Sentits, run by Jordi Artal in Barcelona; and Culler de Pau, run by Javier Olleros, in Reboredo.
The 11 restaurants awarded 3 Michelin stars in 2020 retain their full quota of stars: Cenador de Amos, run by Jesús Sánchez; AbAc, run by Jordi Cruz; DiverXO, run by Dabiz Muñoz; Aponiente, run by Ángel León; Lasarte & Martín Berasategui, both run by the Basque chef; Aquelarre, run by Pedro Subijana; El celler de Can Roca, run by the Roca brothers; Quique Dacosta, run by chef Quique Dacosta; Azurmendi, run by Eneko Atxa and Arzak, run by Jose Mari Arzak.
In line with recent award ceremonies in Italy and Japan, the Michelin Guide for Spain & Portugal included a new 'green star' award this year in recognition of restaurants striving for sustainability and introducing environmentally friendly practices. A total of 21 restaurants have been recognised for their endeavours in this sphere: Andreu Genestra (Balearic Islands), Aponiente (Andalusia), Azurmendi (Biscay), Casa Albets (Catalonia), Cocina Hermanos Torres (Catalonia), Ricard Camarena (Valencian Community), La Botica (Valladolid), L'Antic Molí (Tarragona), Les Cols (Girona), Lluerna (Barcelona), O Balado (A Coruña), Pepe Vieira (Pontevedra), Refectorio (Valladolid), Sollo (Málaga), Somiatruites (Barcelona), Els Casals (Catalonia), Eneko (Basque Country), Culler de Pau (Pontevedra), El Invernadero (Madrid), El Llar de Viri (Asturias) y La Bicicleta (Cantabria).
This year, the chef's whites, embroidered with the appropriate number of stars and the Michelin Bibendum logo, were mailed out to the winners, who joined the celebratory gala via videoconference.
José Luis Martínez-Almeida, mayor of Madrid, applauded the country's restaurateurs saying "never have Michelin stars shone as brightly as they have in 2020 when the restaurant sector showed its commitment to society as a whole".
"We wanted this gala to serve as recognition to all of you," he added. "The Spanish people always get together around a table filled with the best food and wine".
For her part, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Community of Madrid, expressed her admiration for the sector in what she described as a "very special" gala: "We are celebrating many things. As well as rewarding great individuals, we are celebrating the fact that life goes on and that gastronomy has triumphed in the most difficult of times. We are celebrating top gastronomy and top talent".
