Valladolid brings together leading figures of the gastronomic sector on the jury of its National and World Tapas Competitions, taking place on November10th,11th and 12th atthe Cúpula del Milenio in Valladolid
Paco Morales, three Michelin stars, and Pichaya “Pam” Soontornyanakij, World’s Best Female Chef 2025 and one Michelin star, will chair the national and international juries of the event, which will be held on November10th, 11th and 12th in Valladolid.
Valladolid, October 28th, 2025. — The 21st National Tapas Championship and the 9th World Tapas Competition will gather a jury of more than 20 renowned chefs and gastronomic journalists.
Among them stand out Paco Morales, three-Michelin-star chef, and Pichaya “Pam” Soontornyanakij, recently named World’ s Best Female Chef 2025 and one Michelin star, who will preside over the national and international juries respectively. The event will take place on November 10th, 11th and 12th in Valladolid, reaffirming the city’s position as the world capital of tapas.
In the 21st National Tapas Championship, Paco Morales will be joined by fellow professionals such as Carolina Sánchez (Ikaro Restaurant, 1 Michelin star and 2 Repsol Suns), Iñaki Bretal (O Eirado da Leña Restaurant, 1 Michelin star and 1 Repsol Sun) and Íñigo Lavado (Itzuli Restaurant).En el XXI Concurso Nacional de Pinchos y Tapas Ciudad de Valladolid, Paco Morales estará acompañado por compañeros de profesión como Carolina Sánchez (Restaurante Ikaro, 1 estrella Michelin y 2 soles Repsol), Iñaki Bretal (Restaurante O Eirado da Leña, 1 estrella Michelin y 1 sol Repsol) e Íñigo Lavado (Restaurante Itzuli).
The chefs will also be supported by the alternate jury, composed of Jonatan Armengol (gastronomic journalist), Ruth Alejandre (Director of Public Relations and Communication at Minor Hotels), Raúl Fernández de Pablo (actor), Adrienne Chaballe (La 2 TV ), José Manuel Bajo (Secretary General of the D.O. Baena), Diego Murciego (chef at Desde 1911 Restaurant, 1 Michelin star and 2 Repsol Suns), Cristina LasVignes (Telecinco TV), Víctor Martín Feliú (journalist) and Carlos Maribona (gastronomic journalist).
On the other hand, the jury of the International Tapas Competition will be chaired by Pichaya “Pam” Soontornyanakij (Potong Restaurant, World’s Best Female Chef 2025 and 1 Michelin star). She will be joined by chef Paco Morales (Noor Restaurant, 3 Michelin stars and 3 Repsol Suns); Rafael Ansón (President of the Ibero-American Academy of Gastronomy); Gloria Lucía Martín (El Empalme Restaurant); Iván Martínez Cubells (journalist); José Gordón (El Capricho Restaurant, 2 Repsol Suns); Carlos Casillas (Barro Restaurant, 1 Michelin star and 1 Repsol Sun); Begoña Vázquez (Regueiro da Cova Restaurant); César García (chef at Melvalco Fine Foods) and Rafael Pico (member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Olive Oil Interprofessional).
About the National Championship
With more than two decades of history, the National Tapas Championship Ciudad de Valladolid and the International Tapas Competition have become undisputed benchmarks of miniature cuisine, bringing together the best professionals in the sector and attracting the attention of specialized media from around the world.
The call is open to active professionals from hospitality establishments throughout Spain where tapas and/or pinchos are served. Each participant may present a personal pincho or tapa, describing its ingredients and preparation in an interactive digital form. The recipe submitted must not exceed a cost of €1.90, based on the value of the raw ingredients used in its preparation.
A jury composed of members of the Valladolid Hospitality Association and the technical organization of the competition will select up to 41 finalists to participate in the live final, to which the four winners of the 2025 Provincial Tapas and Pinchos Competition of Valladolid will be added, making a total of 45 finalists. Contestants from Valladolid must, however, formalize their registration with the organization.
Each finalist will have the opportunity to be paired with a local establishment in Valladolid as a sponsor, which will provide the necessary ingredients for preparing their recipe. The establishments, dates, and times at which the finalist or award-winning tapas will be available for tasting in the partner establishments — at a public price of €3.50 per tapa — will be detailed in the competition’s app (TapasVLL) and shared on social media.
The order of participation will be determined by draw during the presentation of the competition on the morning of November 10th. Following this order, the contestants will enter their individual cooking stations in successive five-minute intervals and will have a maximum of 25 minutes to prepare eight identical tapas, which will be presented to the seven members of the jury and photographed for record purposes.
About the World Tapas Championship
Each participant has submitted a single, original tapa, with its ingredients and preparation detailed in the official digital form.
Each participant has submitted a single, original tapa, with its ingredients and preparation detailed in the official digital form. In this case, the value of the ingredients used in the recipe must not exceed €1.90.
Each participant has submitted a single, original tapa, with its ingredients and preparation detailed in the official digital form. In this case, the value of the ingredients used in the recipe must not exceed €1.90. The jury selected two finalists from Europe and one from Africa, while the remaining finalists were chosen as follows: the top three winners of the II Tapas Competition of the Americas, the top four of the I Tapas Competition of Asia, the winner of the I Tapas Competition of the United Kingdom, the winner of the III Tapas Competition of Mexico, the winner of the II Tapas Competition of Malaysia, and the first and second place winners of the VII Tapas Competition of Oceania. These competitions are held in collaboration with the Sociedad Mixta para la Promoción del Turismo de Valladolid. In addition to these international participants, the winner of the XX National Tapas Championship of Spain also joins the lineup, making a total of 16 finalists.
Each selected contestant is assigned a supporting establishment (sponsor) in Valladolid, with whom they must contact in advance to coordinate the necessary ingredients and carry out any required preparations.
The Valladolid establishments will offer the winning tapas to the public, clearly identified and promoted as World Tapas Championship award-winning creations, mentioning the name of their author.
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
November 10th, 11th and 12th M
10, 11 y 12 de noviembre
at the Cúpula del Milenio in Valladolid.
#TapasValladolid #TapasVLL2025 #SpainIsTapas
@spainistapas
PRESS CONTACT
For press, interviews, consultancy and proposals:
Laura Rubio Vicente, departamento de comunicación Sociedad Mixta para la Promoción del turismo de Valladolid – comunicacion@valladolidturismo.com – Tel. 98 321 93 10 Ext. 3475
Carmen Cacho, Mateo&co – prensa@mateoandco.es
Born into a family with a long tradition in plant-based Traditional Chinese Medicine, Pam is Thai, with Chinese-Australian heritage, and was raised in Bangkok.
Pam was recognized as Asia’s Best Female Chef 2024, and in 2025, she was named The World’s Best Female Chef by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Potong currently ranks 13th on the global list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Located in the heart of Bangkok’s Chinatown, Potong is named after Pam’s ancestral family business, which operated for over 120 years in the same building producing traditional Chinese medicine. Pam’s culinary philosophy is rooted in the Five Elements—salty, sour, spicy, texture, and the Maillard reaction—creating dishes designed to awaken all five senses.
Born into a family with a long tradition in plant-based Traditional Chinese Medicine, Pam is Thai, with Chinese-Australian heritage, and was raised in Bangkok.
Pam was recognized as Asia’s Best Female Chef 2024, and in 2025, she was named The World’s Best Female Chef by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Potong currently ranks 13th on the global list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Located in the heart of Bangkok’s Chinatown, Potong is named after Pam’s ancestral family business, which operated for over 120 years in the same building producing traditional Chinese medicine. Pam’s culinary philosophy is rooted in the Five Elements—salty, sour, spicy, texture, and the Maillard reaction—creating dishes designed to awaken all five senses.
de la identidad gastronómica española que manifiesta la versatilidad culinaria del país en dosis de degustación.