Berasategui, Josep Roca, Lucía Freitas and Jordi Butrón Receive Distinctions from the International Academy of Gastronomy

Martín Berasategui, Josep Roca, Lucía Freitas and Jordi Butrón all received prestigious awards in recognition of their professional careers and achievements

The International Academy of Gastronomy has announced its awards for 2022, recognizing sector professionals from around the world. As is customary, Spain’s Royal Academy of Gastronomy nominates chefs and other professionals from Spain in different categories, who compete with candidates from other countries.

At this year’s awards, two heavyweights from Spain—Martín Berasategui and Josep Roca—took home major awards. Berasategui received the very prestigious Grand Prix de l’Art de la Cuisine. Previous winners include Juan Mari Arzak, Ferran Adrià, Joan Roca, Angel Leon, Toño Pérez, and Santi Santamaría. The chef’s eponymous restaurant has three Michelin stars and the chef himself has 12. Roca took home the Grand Prix de l’Art de la Salle. Previous winners include Abel Valverde, Pedro Monje, and Juli Soler. Roca is one of the three brothers behind El Celler de Can Roca, where he is the resident sommelier.

But they weren’t the only two Spanish personalities to receive distinctions. Lucía Freitas received the Prix Au Chef de l’Avenir, while Jordi Butrón received the Prix au Chef Pâtissier. Freitas is the honorary chairwoman of Women in Gastronomy and runs A Tafona, which boasts a Michelin star and 2 Repsol Suns. Butrón found and directs EspaiSucre, a restaurant specializing in desserts and pastry school in Barcelona.