Cinco Jotas and Basque Culinary Center set in motion the eleventh edition of the Cooking Challenge, a competition that recognizes the creativity of the new generations of cooks and their ability to reinterpret the Jamón de Bellota 100% Ibérico. As a distinctive element, this year, for the first time, a finalist recipe is being incorporated, made with Chorizo de Bellota 100% Ibérico.
Each course, the students take as their reference point the Christmas collection of Cinco Jotas, signed by a guest artist, to shape their gastronomic creations. On this occasion, the creative axis is "El templo del Jamón Cinco Jotas", the collection devised by Ignasi Monreal.
The challenge sets forth that the finalists, students in their third year of the Degree in Gastronomy and Culinary Arts at Basque Culinary Center, achieve "to transfer the artistic universe of the collection to their dishes, taking as a starting point the history, the origin and the legacy that define Cinco Jotas," as explained by the organization.
The person who turns out to be the winner will receive a scholarship for studies at the center in Donostia. In this call for applications, the initiative "connects art, gastronomy and tradition" once again counts on the presence of chef Pedro Subijana, from the restaurant Akelarre, recognized with three Michelin stars, as chair of the jury.
The assessment panel is completed by César González, Director of Hola Cocina and Hola Viajes; María Castro, Director of Communication of Cinco Jotas and, representing Basque Culinary Center, Jonathan Pommerenk, Chef-researcher at GOe Tech Center.
From among more than 85 proposals submitted, the jury has selected five finalists, considering criteria such as originality, technique, harmony of the ingredients, the aesthetics of the dish and the ability to express the creative concept of the challenge through preparation.
The finalists of the 2026 Cooking Challenge are Carlos Mesa Pérez (22 years old), from Tenerife, with the proposal "Al Temple"; Kamila Armas (22 years old), from Cajamarca (Peru), with "Cinco Jotas: Da natura a escultura"; Luciana Abbud Rafful (21 years old), from Mexico City, with "Origen"; Miranda Rivera Lovat (21 years old), also from Mexico City, with "Las Vísperas", and Paula Pérez Callejero (21 years old), from Mallorca, with "Volver a Sentir".