Nespresso Professional travels to the “lands of the north” in search of the “Cocinero del Año”

The city of hot springs, nature and lookout points is also the city of cuisine that does not yield to a stormy sea. Xantar has melded two concepts that we love: culinary art and a traveller’s soul. Travelling to explore cultures, one-of-a-kind dishes and origin ingredients. And Nespresso Professional coffee understands all this.

Once again, the lucky number turned out to be eight, because there were eight culinary stars that shone at the event. These stars were accompanied by other celestial bodies, such as the chefs Óscar Calleja (two Michelin stars at his restaurant Annua), Raúl Resino (one Michelin star at the restaurant that bears his name) and the media personalities Betina Montagne (a Bake Off judge) and Julia Pérez (a food critic), among others. Cooking gurus who had a lot to say about the creations of the competitors for “Cocinero del Año”, including the “Best Tapa Nespresso”.

The “Mejor Cocinero del Año” award went to Juan Pablo Stefanini (from the Venta Moncalvillo restaurant in Logroño), along with his assistant Roman Howar. Second place – which also goes directly to the final – went to Luis Hernani Villfruela (from the Mano Penta restaurant in Vitoria) and Juan García Domínguez. Juan opted for very northern-style dishes with classic ingredients. Luis leveraged his expertise in the latest techniques, leaving the jury blown away and wanting more. La Rioja and the Basque Country will face off at the final that will take place at the Barcelona Food Fair.

Willy Gómez, Elsa Gutiérrez, César Cánovas and other professionals from Spain’s hotel and restaurant industry were the judges of the front-of-house professionals in the “Camarero del Año” competition. Once again, Damián Seijas – at his fourth semi-final – joined this list of endless professionalism. Our Nespresso coffee ambassador and expert barman once again showed his mastery and expertise when judging the creativity of the designs made using Latte Art or the preparation of a coffee recipe. Along with Héctor Henche, he also shared his knowledge in a fun masterclass they offered after lunch.

The winner – twice over – was Nuria Basurto Santiago from the El Arao restaurant in Logroño and the Polisón restaurant in Burgo. This professional showed that she was capable of taking home two trophies: the “Camarero del Año” and the Nespresso Professional for the “Best Nespresso Recipe”. What creation left our jury breathless?

The north of Galicia, Cantabria and Asturias is dotted with high mountains, deep cliffs, endless forests and unique settings. A place of contrasting landscape and proven raw materials. Good meat, dairy, seafood and fish. We bet that the sea and mountain began in Covadonga’s lagoons or opposite the “end of the world” in the Sacrum Promontorium. And we surely didn’t make a mistake.

If you add an origin coffee, some experts in gastronomic techniques and a lot of passion to these stellar ingredients, the result is a competition of “Mejor Tapa Nespresso” and “Mejor Receta Nespresso” for which it’s quite difficult to choose a winner. But the two winners showed that, when it comes to recognition, their creations speak for themselves.

If we’re talking about quality raw materials, we can’t neglect mentioning the great creations that competed with the tapa that was ultimately chosen as the winner. “Navajas, codium y curry de Nespresso” brought together this traditional product from the land and an innovative coffee curry.

The same can be said of the Galician pork ribs of “Kostitoffe” and the anchovy bones of “El Descarte del bocarte”, as well as “Bocadito de requesón, foie y café”, typical of As Neves. These creations speak to us of the sea, of the cattle on the land and many memories of the past. But there was one that deserved the top spot.

”Eliwey” is the “Mejor Tapa Nespresso”, and it came from the inspiration of the chef Julen Baz. This creation has the strong taste of seafood together with the spicy Origin India coffee. Langoustines are a gourmet dish from the coasts of Galicia. It was accompanied by butter, onions and other ingredients and exemplified what the lands of the north have to teach.

The “Mejor Receta Nespresso” is the result of a professional server who has the word “victory” etched with fire. Nuria Basurto Santiago prepared her “Aromas” – a creation whose name could not be more inspiring – with our Origin Brazil coffee, local brandy, syrup and a biscuit crisp. A combination that, once tasted, made you want to go back for more.

Speaking of the movers and shakers in the hotel and restaurant industry, we can’t neglect the jury in charge of choosing the winner in each competition. This jury came to judge the sublime quality seen in the previous semi-finals of the “Camarero del Año” and “Camarero del Año” contests.

Well-known chefs the likes of Óscar Calleja, Marco Varela, Álvaro Garrido and the acclaimed media personality Betina Montagne. Barmen and headwaiters such as Willy Gómez, Elsa Gutiérrez, Adrián Fernández and the Nespresso ambassador Damián Seijas. These are well-known faces of a culinary scene panorama worthy of the circumstances.

Raw materials from Galicia inspired this promising young chef to create a tapa that would both amaze and bring back memories. Julen Baz Múgica is a chef halfway between the classic and the conceptual, the traditional and the avant-garde. His professional background? A repertoire of pintxo recipes that amaze even the most talented culinary critic.

This young man began to unleash his passion and his technique in Vizkaya’s taverns. Wherever he went, the place quickly became a can’t-miss stop for fans of Basque gastronomy. There’s a milestone in his story: Urtza Taberna, in Amorebieta, the chef’s hometown.

His latest and current stop is a restaurant with a focus on traditional cuisine: foods of the past, but also of the future. Now, this restaurant – called Garena and located in Dima (Vizkaya) – has a new milestone: welcoming the “Mejor Tapa Nespresso”.

A winner, twice over. Nuria Basurto Santiago took the first prize in the “Camarero del Año” semi-final in Ourense as well as our own “Mejor Receta Nespresso” contest. Without a doubt, it was a victory that showed that her efforts, constancy, tenacity and approachability know no boundaries.

This sommelier, bartender and trainer works at El Arao in Logroño and Polisón in Burgos. She trained at the Madrid Chamber of Commerce’s training facility and at the Basque Culinary Center. A brilliant career with a great future in sight. We’ll need to follow her work closely.

What award are these two superstars of the industry going to enjoy? We can’t give you too many clues, but we can confess that it is going to be a gastronomic experience that they’ve never experienced before. Soon – very soon – we’ll tell you more...

At a time where everything is happening quickly, being in contact with the peace provided by a natural environment seems to be necessary. At Nespresso Professional, we chose the ability to build – to do something good for nature – to take advantage of what it gives us without harming it.

We wanted to show this commitment to respecting the environment to all fans of organic products. These products not only care for the earth, they also do so for the physical and emotional health of everyone for whom respecting nature is a lifestyle.

We travelled to Peru, a small world coffee producer, but one of the leading producers of organic coffee. And there, in Huabal – a district high up in the Andes – we found the beans we were looking for. That’s how Peru Organic – a capsule that not only doesn’t renounce being green, it also doesn’t forgo flavour and aroma – was born.

These Greek and Inca gods were the inspiration needed for choosing 450 coffee growers who harvest their coffee cherries by hand and then process them in their own drying yards. The mountainous subtropical climate does the rest. These professionals always seek to preserve the region’s flora and fauna by using farming techniques that are entirely harmless to biodiversity.

The result is a coffee that is well balanced in all respects. Its fruity aromatic profile with clear green vegetable notes contrasts with notes of toasted sweet cereals. It is roasted in two parts, which brings a nuanced complexity to the final cup. The two splits are lightly roasted and highlight the bright and smooth character of the blend while revealing exotic fruity notes.

Thanks to its balance, this coffee is perfect for many recipes. We recommend enjoying it in a cup of Espresso or Lungo coffee, but also in an Americano coffee, or – for those who prefer it with milk – in a Latte. Combinations that can’t go wrong.

Peru Organic is just one more example that sustainability is the foundation of all we do. Our commitment is to be a single voice for the environment and the planet, working on a present and a future where coffee is, and will continue to be, sustainable.

But our responsibility is also to people. To the more than 110,000 coffee growers we work with in the 14 countries of origin, to the rest of the workers in the production chain. The truth is that a cup of Nespresso coffee can offer an extraordinary experience and, at the same time, generate more value for society and the environment.