The city will host the grand final of the international paella competition on September 20, featuring chefs from Uruguay, Brazil, Mexico, Romania, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Japan, Bulgaria, Colombia, and the United Kingdom.
Valencia has already selected the twelve chefs who will compete on September 20 for the title of best paella chef in the world. The grand final of the World Paella Day Cup will take place in the Plaza del Agua at La Marina, next to Tinglado 2, as part of International Paella Day.
The competition, organised by the Valencia City Council, concludes an international circuit of eleven semifinals that began in March and has travelled through Piriápolis (Uruguay), Bucharest (Romania), Nîmes (France), Querétaro (Mexico), Tokyo (Japan), Quito (Ecuador), Zurich (Switzerland), Copenhagen (Denmark), Burgas (Bulgaria), and Barranquilla (Colombia), as well as an unspecified venue. This is the widest-reaching circuit in the history of the competition.
Among the finalists are Victoria Rodríguez (Uruguay), Nivaldo Francisco de Souza (Brazil), Froilán Mújica (Mexico), Camelia Mihai (Romania), Joël Jacquet (France), Juanma Molina (Switzerland), Jimmy Holm (Denmark), Yoshimiro Mutsura (Japan), Nikolay Genchev (Bulgaria), Juan Esteban Ramírez (Colombia), and Daniel Tylor (United Kingdom). The list is completed by a twelfth participant who has not been detailed in the official announcement.
As in previous editions, the finalists will not only come to compete. During their stay in Valencia, they will have a programme to explore the gastronomy and territory of Valencia: they will visit the Central Market, where they will buy ingredients for their paellas, tour the historic centre and the Albufera Natural Park, and visit the restaurant Las Bairetas, run by master rice chef Rafa Margós, to learn the secrets of authentic paella.
The Councillor for Tourism, Innovation and Investments, Paula Llobet, has highlighted the growth of the competition in recent years, “which demonstrates the interest that Valencian gastronomy arouses worldwide.” She also emphasised its role as an ambassador: “World Paella Day allows Valencia, its traditions, and its Mediterranean essence to cross borders through one of our greatest culinary symbols.”
The final will take place on Saturday, September 20 at La Marina, an open venue where attendees can watch live how paella is cooked over a wood fire and see who wins the award.
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