With everyday cuisine as the protagonist, the Comer channel celebrated its annual awards ceremony this Monday at the W Hotel in Barcelona, a ceremony attended by some of the most recognized faces in gastronomy, such as Joan Roca, Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro and Eduard Xatruch, Carles Gaig, Fina Puigdevall, Núria Gironés or Ferran Adrià, among others.
One of the most exciting moments came when the creator of El Bulli presented the Special 2023 award to Karlos Arguiñano, who has known how to transmit the enthusiasm for cooking at home like no one else. The award, which was announced by Jordi Juan, director of La Vanguardia, recognizes the work of the Gipuzkoan chef for ensuring, always with a positive attitude and friendliness, that thousands and thousands of people improve their eating habits and are encouraged to spend more time between stoves.
It was after the delivery of the Gastronomic Story award, which Manuel Ruiz Luzuriaga won for his text titled Una de Romanos, that Ferran Adrià dedicated these beautiful words to his friend and colleague Karlos Arguiñano: "He is the person who has most supported the haute cuisine," he said. And he added: "When they ask me who I admire, I always talk about influence. And this chef, without a doubt, is the most influential chef in the history of our country."
Adrià continued to compliment the Gipuzkoan chef until he finished his speech: "No one has had the influence of Karlos in a fact as important as eating, in a way that is as healthy as possible, as tasty as possible, at a reasonable price. This award is the meaning of what Karlos is".
Arguiñano thanked Adrià for the nice words and during his speech he highlighted the importance of keeping the legacy alive, "so that those who come behind know everything that has been fought in this country to make things better." After congratulating all the winners, he explained that for the moment he does not plan to leave aside television or cooking. "I have turned 75 years old and I have just renewed two more years with Antena 3. Who signs a contract at this age?" He said with a laugh, making his opinion clear about his retirement.
Humor continued to be the protagonist of the night until the end, when Carlos Latre took the stage to imitate both Arguiñano and Adrià, making them both smile.
