Mario Sandoval, chef of the two-Michelin-starred, one-Michelin-Green-Star restaurant Coque, and Janaína Torres, named The World’s Best Female Chef 2024 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, will chair the juries of the national and world competitions dedicated to the art of tapas and small-format cuisine, taking place in Valladolid on 9, 10 and 11 November.
JURY CHAIRS ANNOUNCED FOR THE CITY OF VALLADOLID NATIONAL PINCHOS AND TAPAS COMPETITION AND WORLD TAPAS CHAMPIONSHIP
n 9, 10 and 11 November, the Cúpula del Milenio will welcome international chefs to taste and evaluate the finalists’ tapas alongside the other members of the juries.
Mario Sandoval, chef of Coque, holder of two Michelin Stars and one Michelin Green Star, will chair the juriesof the 10th Ciudad de Valladolid World Tapas Championship.
Janaína Torres, named The World’s Best Female Chef 2024 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, will chair the juries of the 22nd Ciudad de Valladolid National Pinchos and Tapas Competition.
Registration is now open at this link
10TH WORLD TAPAS CHAMPIONSHIP
Mario Sandoval will chair the jury of the tenth edition of the World Tapas Championship. A graduate of the Escuela Superior de Hostelería de Madrid and recipient of winner of Spain’s National Gastronomy Award for Best Head Chef in 2013, Sandoval leads Coque, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The restaurant holds two Michelin Stars, one Michelin Green Star for sustainability, three Repsol Suns and three “M” distinctions from Guía Metrópoli. His career combines a deep respect for ingredients with gastronomic research and innovation, establishing him as one of the leading figures in contemporary Spanish cuisine.
22ND NATIONAL PINCHOS AND TAPAS COMPETITION
Alongside the 10th World Tapas Championship, Janaína Torres will chair the jury of the 22nd edition of the national competition. Recognised as one of the most influential chefs of her generation internationally, Torres was named The World’s Best Female Chef in 2024 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, after receiving the Latin America’s Best Female Chef award in 2023. A self-taught chef, entrepreneur and activist, she has built a career around championing popular Brazilian cuisine, sustainability, greater accessibility to gastronomy and social commitment, becoming one of the most influential voices on the international culinary scene. She also maintains close ties with Spain through her family roots and her well-known admiration for Spanish cuisine.
The Mayor of Valladolid, Jesús Julio Carnero, highlighted that: “The appointment of Mario Sandoval and Janaína Torres as jury chairs is further recognition of the prestige achieved by Valladolid’s tapas competitions. Having two leading figures in world gastronomy not only guarantees the highest standards when assessing the entries, but also strengthens the city’s international profile and consolidates these competitions as an essential event for the world’s leading chefs.”
With the appointment of both chefs to lead the juries, Valladolid once again places itself at the epicentre of international gastronomy, bringing together talent, creativity and innovation around one of Spain’s great culinary icons: the tapa.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
9, 10 and 11 November
Cúpula del Milenio de Valladolid
#SpainIsTapas #TapasValladolid #TapasVLL2026
@spainistapas
www.concursonacionaltapas.com
COMMUNICATION CONTACT
For interview and feature request, as well as enquiries 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 González, Mateo&co – carmenc@mateoandco.es – Tel. 634966770
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.