Menorca announces its four candidates for the Jove Xef Menorquí 2026 award

Menorca has now revealed the names of the candidates for the Jove Xef Menorquí 2026 award. Menorca European Region of Gastronomy has announced the identity of the four chefs who, this Saturday 31 January at IES Maria Àngels Cardona, will compete for the title and for the opportunity to represent Menorca at the European Young Chef Award, to be held in November in Gozo, Malta. Participants will have to present their version of the dish “Ous plens amb salsa d’ametlles” to convince the jury in an event open to the public.

The three students from the Intermediate Degree in Cooking and Gastronomy at IES Maria Àngels Cardona — Carlos Arévalo, Berenice Rodríguez and Gisela Torrent — as well as Gabriel Pons Landino, a student of the Grand Diploma in Cuisine and Pastry at the Hofmann Hospitality School, will be aiming to succeed Joan Taltavull, winner of the 2025 local competition and third place finalist in the European contest held in Catalonia.

The jury will include José Bosch, founding partner of the Fra Roger Association; chef and gastronomic advisor Bàrbara Lluch; chefs and Menorca ERG representatives at the European Young Chef Award 2024 and 2025, Òscar Roca and Joan Taltavull; gastronomic writer and modern languages professor Henrik Brian Zeegers; head of the Hospitality Department at IES Maria Àngels Cardona, Joan Florit; and the mentors of the competition winner, Sílvia Anglada and Toni Tarragó.

Candidates will have to prepare a recipe from the book “Art de la Cuina” by Fra Francesc Roger: “Ous plens amb salsa d’ametlles”, a traditional Menorcan dish that they must reinterpret and present to the jury.

Two complementary activities will also be held on Saturday, aimed at highlighting local products and open to the public. The first, scheduled for 11:15 am, will be a talk by Diego Linares from Fem Fit Club entitled: “Health is also cooked: habits surrounding the plate”. The second activity will be led by Tonia Pons from Mi Mundo Cocinando, featuring the preparation of “Menorcan coca, pizzeta style”. Places are limited, it is suitable for children aged 6 and over, and interested participants must register by email at producte@menorca.es.