Latin America’s 50 Best 2021: Past and Future
On the night of November 22nd, at the Contemporary Art Center, the gala for the 100 best restaurants in Latin America was held in Ecuador. The event was attended by a large number of key figures from the country’s gastronomic industry.
The stage where the awards ceremony took place was beautifully decorated for the occasion, highlighting the presence of the 15 restaurants belonging to the 50 Best Discovery list presented earlier in the year.
In this edition, the list was compiled using a different criterion than the one typically employed by the organization. The restaurants awarded were those that, over the eight years since the event began in 2013, had been on this list and accumulated the highest number of points. Thus, the list now comprises 100 restaurants, representing the best establishments that have been part of this ranking over the years. The organization chose this system because it did not consider it fair to conduct the usual voting process when many restaurants had to temporarily or permanently close due to the pandemic.
The awards ceremony took place virtually, with the signal generated from the 50 Best headquarters in London. It began promptly at 6:00 PM Ecuador time, with seven cities simultaneously connected: São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, Lima, Bogotá, Oaxaca, and our capital city.
The attendees’ expectations were high, as last year’s event could not be held in person due to the pandemic. Quito was supposed to host this award ceremony, and the local organization spared no effort to make this event a celebration in honor of a growing industry with a bright future in the region and the world.
Proudly, an Ecuadorian restaurant, Nuema, made it onto the list again, ranking 93rd. This restaurant debuted in the list last year, becoming the Best Restaurant in Ecuador.
Nuema is run by Alejandro Chamorro and his wife, Pía Salazar, who together have conceived one of the most avant-garde and innovative culinary proposals in our country. They enhance the richness and quality of local products in their dishes, creating incredible preparations. It is also worth mentioning that Pía Salazar was nominated for the Latin America’s Female Rising Star 2021 award.
Additionally, they awarded the most sustainable restaurant and presented an award for the best hospitality.
The attendees at this gala enjoyed excellent catering prepared by Epikus from USFQ, tapas from universities and culinary schools such as UTE, Escuela de los Chefs, and GQB. They also sampled products from participating global brands, and the event was organized by one of the world’s leading chocolate companies, República del Cacao.
Without a doubt, it was quite an event that caught the attention of the gastronomic sector in Ecuador.