Basque Culinary World Prize

The prize was co-founded by the Basque Government under the Euskadi-Basque Country Strategy and Basque Culinary Center (BCC), a higher education institution entirely dedicated to developing the economic and social potential of gastronomy.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jillbarth/2018/07/12/the-transformative-power-of-gastronomy-the-basque-culinary-world-prize/|title=The Transformative Power Of Gastronomy: The Basque Culinary World Prize|first=Jill|last=Barth|website=Forbes}}

The first Basque Culinary World Prize was awarded in 2016 to María Fernanda Di Giacobbe from Venezuela, for her Cacao de Origen initiative – a network involving education, entrepreneurship, research and development around cocoa as a source of identity, culture and economic wealth in Venezuela. Through this network, the chef brought opportunities to financially vulnerable women, building capacities and empowering them; allowing them to become micro-entrepreneurs in the chocolate industry.{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/09/25/552116411/how-a-venezuelan-chef-is-teaching-women-to-make-chocolate-and-money|title=How A Venezuelan Chef Is Teaching Women To Make Chocolate And Money|website=NPR.org}}

In 2017, the prize was awarded to Colombian chef Leonor Espinosa, for her Funleo project – a foundation which helps indigenous and afro-Colombian communities to identify, defend, and promote gastronomic traditions as a way of driving social and economic change.

The 2018 prize was awarded to Scottish-Australian chef Jock Zonfrillo, for his work in connecting indigenous communities in Australia to the rest of society by creating a market for their culinary heritage. His Orana Foundation works to preserve the sophisticated cooking knowledge and practice of indigenous Australians and promote the significance of these practices to a wider Australian audience.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jillbarth/2018/07/26/zonfrillo-wins-basque-culinary-world-prize-give-back-more-than-you-take/|title=Winner Of Basque Culinary World Prize: 'Give Back More Than You Take'|first=Jill|last=Barth|website=Forbes}}

The most recent prize, in 2019, was awarded to US chef Anthony Myint, who runs the Zero Foodprint and Perennial Farming Initiative.{{Cite web|url=https://www.zerofoodprint.org/|title=Zero Foodprint|website=Zero Foodprint}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.perennialfarming.org/|title=The Perennial Farming Initiative|website=The Perennial Farming Initiative|access-date=6 April 2020|archive-date=19 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019230425/https://www.perennialfarming.org/|url-status=usurped}} The ventures explore the cross-section between restaurants and the environment, by advising food businesses on viable options to reduce their carbon footprint, and even go carbon neutral. He has worked with the State of California on the Restore California programme, which arms suppliers and consumers with transparent information on the environmental footprint of restaurants so they can make better-informed decisions. All restaurants on the list can either be carbon neutral or support local farmers to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jillbarth/2019/08/16/2019-basque-culinary-world-prize-winner-anthony-myint-uses-cooking-for-climate-solutions/|title=2019 Basque Culinary World Prize Winner Anthony Myint Uses Cooking For Climate Solutions|first=Jill|last=Barth|website=Forbes}}

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Category:Food and drink awards

Category:Awards established in 2016

Category:2016 establishments in the Basque Country (autonomous community)

Category:Basque cuisine