Leticia Landa was announced the winner of the Basque Culinary World Prize 2025 for her leadership at La Cocina, a 20-year initiative dedicated to providing training, incubation, and guidance to talented individuals from marginalised communities seeking to integrate into San Francisco’s restaurant sector. The project empowers them to lead their own businesses, make them profitable, and become part of the productive heart of their cities, transforming their environments through gastronomy.

 

Born in Texas to Mexican immigrant parents, Leticia knows firsthand what it means to integrate into a new community through work and education. Dividing her time between kitchens and volunteer initiatives, she studied Anthropology and joined La Cocina in 2008, where she has played a pivotal role in the project’s growth. Today, La Cocina’s network includes around 100 businesses, both incubated and graduated.

 

 Joan Roca, President of the Basque Culinary World Prize Jury, said: 

 

“We are delighted by the selection of Leticia Landa, as her story shows how cuisine can be a powerful tool for inclusion, economic independence, and dignity — strengthening the path of those who dream of changing their destiny through work, talent, and solidarity.”

 

Responding to winning the prize, Leticia Landa said:

“This achievement represents the work of many people over 20 years dedicated to advancing La Cocina’s mission. The prize honours a collective effort supported by an ecosystem of resources and community support that enables this incredible network of chefs and entrepreneurs not only to share their cuisine but to make a living from their talent and create jobs in their communities. It is an honour to accept this award on behalf of everyone who has contributed to La Cocina and all the businesses that began here.”

More than 40 restaurants, cafés, and food stalls across the San Francisco Bay Area have emerged from the program. Among Landa’s proudest achievements: 70% of participants remain in business 10 years after graduation. Its graduates include Veronica Salazar (founder of El Huarache Loco, a 20-year culinary institution), Reem Assil (Reem’s California, author of Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora), Fernay McPherson (Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement, named one of San Francisco’s “Rising Star Chefs”), Nite Yun (Cambodian refugee and owner of Lunette, featured in Netflix’s Chef’s Table), and Koji Kanematsu, who runs six Onigilly Japanese eateries in the Bay Area.

 

The Basque Culinary World Prize celebrates pioneers within the gastronomy industry and is awarded by the Department of Food, Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries of the Basque Government and Basque Culinary Center, a unique ecosystem where education, innovation, research, and entrepreneurship converge to advance gastronomy. 

 

The prize honours chefs who use their knowledge, creativity, and talent to drive positive change and adapt to the evolving needs of society. The winner receives a €100,000 award to support an initiative of their choice.

 

Now in its 10th edition, the Basque Culinary World Prize today announced one winner and two special mentions, reaffirming its commitment to highlighting inspiring stories and initiatives that exemplify the dynamic and contagious phenomenon that gastronomy represents.

 

Following the 2024 focus on the role of cuisine in humanitarian aid, this year’s edition continues to celebrate gastronomy’s power to shape society, this year focusing on social integration and entrepreneurship. Alongside winner Leticia Landa, the jury granted special mentions to João Diamante (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Matthew Evans (Tasmania, Australia) for their outstanding contributions.

 

The jury included some of the most influential chefs in the world, representing the International Council of the Basque Culinary Center: chaired by Joan Roca (Spain – El Celler de Can Roca) and joined by Gastón Acurio (Peru), Pía León (Peru), Yoshihiro Narisawa (Japan), Manu Buffara (Brazil), Elena Reygadas (Mexico), Trine Hahnemann (Denmark), Thitid Tassanakajohn (Thailand), Josh Niland (Australia), Narda Lepes (Argentina), and Mauro Colagreco (Argentina/France), as well as Basque chef, Aitor Arregi, Diego Guerrero, and Elena Arzak, for this edition.

 

Amaia Barredo, Basque Government Minister for Food, Rural Development, Agriculture, and Fisheries, emphasised:

 

“More than just an award, the BCWP represents a global network of inspiring people who embody values deeply linked to Basque culture: hard work, collaboration, equality, sustainability, and the constant pursuit of excellence. 

 

Through its winners, finalists and nominees, the initiative has highlighted the role of gastronomy as a driver of change and a common language capable of building bridges between cultures and territories. Integrated into the Euskadi-Basque Country Strategy, the BCWP strengthens the territory’s international reach, demonstrating that Basque gastronomy, beyond its tradition and prestige, continues to be a source of innovation and leadership”. 

 

Joxe Mari Aizega, General Director of the Basque Culinary Center, added:

“Since its creation, the Basque Culinary World Prize has highlighted the transformative power of gastronomy, recognising those who use their talent to drive change in education, the environment, society, and health. Ten editions later, the award stands as a global platform celebrating commitment, service, and innovation for the common good. Leticia Landa and La Cocina perfectly embody that mission. Our sincere congratulations also go to João Diamante and Matthew Evans, who join the BCWP community of changemakers inspiring a multiplying effect through their work.”

Special Mentions

João Diamante (Brazil)
Born in Bahia and raised in a Rio de Janeiro favela surrounded by poverty and violence, João Diamante was inspired by the social projects that helped him along the way. Thanks to public support, he trained at Alain Ducasse’s culinary school in Paris,  an experience that motivated him to return to Brazil and found Diamantes na Cozinha. His project uses culinary training as a tool for empowerment, offering free courses in cooking, baking, pastry, and bar service to marginalised communities, combining theory and practice with hands-on internships in partner establishments. This enables students to find employment or open their own businesses. Through his restaurant Dois de Fevereiro, he showcases both his social mission and his Afro-Brazilian cultural identity.

Matthew Evans (Wales–Australia)
A chef and former food critic turned farmer, Matthew Evans has become one of Australia’s most influential voices on ethical and sustainable food production. Through television programs, documentaries, and books, he invites audiences to rethink where food comes from, recognise the value of primary producers, and reflect on the environmental impact of their choices. A former Sydney Morning Herald critic, Evans left journalism to explore “why one carrot tastes better than another.” He founded Fat Pig Farm in Tasmania, practising regenerative agriculture and running a paddock-to-plate restaurant for eight years. His journey inspired the acclaimed TV series Gourmet Farmer, documentaries such as What’s the Catch, and books including On Eating Meat and Milk: The Truth, the Lies, and the Unbelievable Story of the Original Superfood.