The awards will be presented on Friday 2 February at the Gala del Cocido to be held at the Lalín Arena and broadcast by TVG.
The mayor of Lalín, José Crespo, chaired today the meeting of the jury of the XXX edition of the Galician Gastronomy Awards. The jury was made up of:
Ms. Begoña Blanco Blanco - Councillor of Tourism of Lalín.
D. Luis Rial Sierra, representative of the Centro Superior de Hostelería de Galicia.
Javier Outomuro (Rest. La Taberna) - Representative of Amigos da Cociña Galega.
José Luis Iglesias González (Rest. Cabanas) - Member of Eurotoques, Xantares, Lareira and Amigos da Cociña Galega.
César López Arribas, general secretary of the City Council who acted as secretary of the jury.
The jury decided to award the following prizes, all unanimously:
Firstly, the "Pepe Solla" Award for a lifetime's work dedicated to gastronomy went to Jesús García Barcia - father of Manuel Costiña - , of the restaurant Retiro da Costiña (Santa Comba), for continuing the family tradition with a gastronomic proposal that combines a combination of local products, tradition and innovation throughout his professional life.
In addition to the award for the "Professional who had most distinguished himself in the promotion of Galician Cuisine", the prize went to Diego López Portas, from La Molinera, a young chef from Lalin with a long professional career who took over the kitchen of the family business based on an innovative offer of Galician cuisine.
ENTITY PROMOTING GALICIAN GASTRONOMY
In the "Prize for the company or entity that has made the greatest contribution to the promotion of Galician gastronomy and Galician gastronomic products", the jury distinguished La Central Heladera (San Ciprián das Viñas, Ourense) for being a company specialising in artisan ice cream, made with gourmet, local, top quality products, which is gradually becoming established in most of Galicia.
The jury also awarded the "Small Galician Producer Award" to Carnes y Embutidos Caballero de Viana, from Chantada (Lugo), in the person of José Moure González, a company dedicated to the breeding of Celtic pigs and the manufacture and marketing of sausages made from these pigs. It stands out for its quality and search for the essential roots of the Celtic pig.
AWARD FOR THE WINERY OR WINE-MAKING COMPANY
Finally, in the "Winery or wine company" section, the award went to Bodegas Albamar in Cambados, dedicated to the production, with tenacity and care, of Albariño wine with great added value. Most of its vineyards are small plots of smallholdings that are rooted near the sea, in clay and sandy soils, which gives the wine produced there a characteristic salinity and the Atlantic spirit that characterises these wineries.
The Galician Gastronomy Awards will be presented together with the Álvaro Cunqueiro Award at the Gala del Cocido on Friday 2 February, to be held at the Lalín Arena and broadcast by TVG.
