Joan Taltavull takes third place at the European Young Chef Award 2025

The young chef from Ciutadella, Joan Taltavull, secured third place at the European Young Chef Award, held in Catalonia in recent days. Taltavull won over the competition’s distinguished jury with his arròs de la terra, a dish that placed just behind Slovenia’s representative in second place and the overall winner, the chef representing Crete, in an event promoted by the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism (IGCAT).

The Minorcan chef, winner of the Jove Xef Menorquí 2025 competition organised by Menorca European Region of Gastronomy and promoted by the Fundació Foment del Turisme de Menorca, presented a personal version of arròs de la terra that earned him the bronze medal. He finished behind Slovenia’s Pija Freser with her Pohorje Stew, a reinterpretation of a traditional Slovenian dish, and the winner Ioannis Liapakis, representing Crete European Region of Gastronomy 2026, whose winning proposal featured rice and chickpeas as its main ingredients.

The Escola Universitària d’Hoteleria i Turisme (EUHT) in Sant Pol de Mar, Barcelona, hosted the competition, which took place from 24 to 28 November. Since his victory in Menorca, Taltavull has received mentoring from Sílvia Anglada and Toni Tarragó, from Es Tast de na Sílvia.

The young chef from Ciutadella prepared his dish using products from Menorcan producers: cuixot, botifarrons, pork fat and black Menorcan pork from Son Catlar; sobrassada from Torralbet; monyacos and carrots from Sa Cooperativa del Camp; pumpkins and onions from s’Hort de Binibó; salt from Ses Salines de la Concepció; organic Menorca IGP olive oil from Morvedra; honey from Illa de Mel; a plate by ceramist Marc Marcet and glasses and jug from Es Fangueti; as well as arròs de la terra and organic xeixa wheat flour from La Marcona, and rosemary and chamomile kombucha from Es Tast de na Sílvia. He also received support from Uniformes Menorca, which provided the uniforms.

With this third-place finish, Joan Taltavull achieves another success for Menorcan gastronomy at the European Young Chef Award, adding to Pau Sintes’ victory in 2022 and Cristina Pons’ second place in 2023, among other achievements.